Life, Death…and Love Through a Lensbaby

Happy Mardi Gras!

This week we celebrate both Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day. Mardi Gras, on (Fat) Tuesday, February 13 (today!), and then Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, February 14. Hence, here’s a #tbt photograph from many years ago, from my then vampire photography body of work and related photography book, Vampire Fantasies.

The photograph, Of Life and Death, was captured in a local cemetery with a Lensbaby Composer.

Why this image and why revisiting it now?

…Because:

New Orleans is famous for its Mardi Gras celebrations, its cemeteries and vampire stories, and known as the City of the Dead.

On the other hand, Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, in all its forms.

Deconstructing the Of Life and Death photograph:

Seen through the lenses of Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day, the above image unveils three facets of human experience:

– life: the vegetation growing on the gravestones, as if life is wrapping itself around death, forming an eternal union

– death: the gravestones, themselves

– love: there are two gravestones in the photograph, perhaps of two lovers united in death as they were in life (as if to reemphasize the eternal union between life and death mentioned above)

Capturing this image with a Lensbaby adds an eerie feel and look to the visual story.

Note: The original image, captured in color, includes a lot of green leaves enveloping the gray gravestones. Converting it to black-and-white, though, adds to the dramatic mood, perhaps to highlight the symbolism Of Life and Death…and love, too.

To those who celebrate, I wish you a Happy Mardi Gras! Let the good times roll (Lessaiz les bon temps rouler), and a Happy Valentine’s Day, too.

Also, and as always, thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it very much.

Alina Oswald