Cody Weber - Sobriety - The Complete Sets.

CodyWeber

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-cody.

beline

I don't understand...
I don't understand... Your on DGrin... Why don't you get a Smug Mug account? It would make life terribly easy...

-MiKe-

beline

Sorry, on topic... I like your set here, its... effective.

Now, I am not on the same page as you, as I can see, when it comes to drinking. I'm of age, and I enjoy a good draft on a regular basis, and over indulge a bit on harder liquor every now an again.

And yet, your work does have the effect of making me think twice.

It hasn't swayed me, per se, but it has cast a good gray cloud over the matter... Having a family member who is, for all intents and purposes, an alcoholic, I can connect with the theme of death, dieing and drowning in your work.

I can only assume you are aware of the prevalent theme of death in your photos, as they have a very strong Night of the Living Dead feel to them... Which is appropriate, I feel, for the theme...

As always, I love your edge, your saturation, your contrast, and your attitude. You are inspiring, not in that I want to mimic your work, its not my style, but I want at least a portion of your drive and creativity. Its refreshing...

gavin

I do not see what you are trying to portray here?

JenGrace

gavin, just read the text he wrote before the pictures...that should give you some idea

Cody, this is a powerful series. With what you wrote, it is very clear what you think the consequences of such action are. I think some of the pictures would still have gotten the point across with a little less blood on the faces.

dogwood

time to defend drinking
I've said this before and so have others-- what does blood have to do with drinking? I've been drinking beer for years-- more than two decades in fact. Never seems to make me bleed or make my face bloody. Maybe your subjects should switch to a decent micro-brew?

Seriously-- the shock value of your photos just doesn't grab me at all. I live in a city (Portland, Oregon) where we have a summer beer festival that is an absolute blast and rivals many German beer festivals in size. I get that your photos are anti-drinking-- but honestly, drinking is not all bad-- and the alcohol industry is not all bad. In Oregon, the beer industry has a few problems with lobbying lawmakers, but the vast majority of beer drinkers are responsible, law abiding, and folks who contribute to the economy.

I just get a sense in your photos you're saying, "drink and it will kill you or make bad things happen." Unfortunately, as I said, in my 20 years of drinking, my experience is not like that. I don't drink and drive, I don't get in bar fights (can't even remember the last time I drank at a bar) and I don't drink hard liquor. I'm employed, college educated, married, a homeowner, pay my taxes, etc, etc. Please, please, please explain why your photos always show drinking as bad?

ShepsMom

I think he's trying to send a message of teenage drinking, that's all i see. The photographs are very strong technically. I am too don't see why blood? I can see it in the car accident, even then, bloody faces just don't look real. Your models don't look affected by drinkin. The emotions on their faces don't strike me like they're struggling, or even being depresed. I found some images being better then others, like B&W's have much stronger effect. Blood does not look real, was it paint you were using? I think you should try shooting happy drinking party, with adults that is

beline

I can see the relevance. The blood is not a literal thing, its more... I'm not sure the word... Think of how blood makes you feel, what it means about the body, what it portrays, the atmosphere it creates.

Does it make you feel comfortable, happy, secure, healthy?

No?

There you have it.

The blood isn't there to say, "If you drink, your skin will bleed, and you will die." So stop trying to look at it like that.

I mean, really, do you put up this much fuss about the ads in Cosmo and Maxim that effectively say, "If you drink, you will be popular, get laid, and have a good time?"

Perhaps thats what he is trying to say: "Just how absurd is this image?"

Either way, its up for interpretation. As we are coming to find, Cody's work is what you may call "art," and the rampant short-sightedness is making my mind bleed (figuratively, mind you).

-MiKe-

dogwood

beline wrote:

The blood isn't there to say, "If you drink, your skin will bleed, and you will die."

Then why is it there? What other purpose does it serve? Did you read the myspace comments? Clearly, there's an element of 'dude, these pics are so wild' amongst his friends. Well, I'm not a teenager anymore, and it takes a lot more than fake blood to impress me.

I mean, really, do you put up this much fuss about the ads in Cosmo and Maxim that effectively say, "If you drink, you will be popular, get laid, and have a good time?"

Uh... actually, when I was younger, being in a popular bar, party, or whatever where people were drinking-- well my chances of getting laid were usually a lot greater than the chances of anything in these photos happening.

Either way, its up for interpretation. As we are coming to find, Cody's work is what you may call "art," and the rampant short-sightedness is making my mind bleed (figuratively, mind you).

You can't have your cake and eat it too. If this is art, than it's certainly up for interpretation, now isn't it? In other words, my opinion is no more "short-sighted" than your opinion/intepretation.

There's a reason blood is the star of just about every b-movie horror film-- it can be shocking-- but to me, Alfred Hitchcock movies are still a lot more effective than a slasher flick. And blood rarely plays a staring role in Hitchcock films-- the tension and drama of the actors does.

I'm simply encouraging Cody to drop the simplicity of that shock value and go after that tension and drama-- I personally think that would improve the photos.

Honestly, if you want photography that is both original and a little shocking but still very artistic, check out Robert Mapplethorpe. But of course, that's just my opinion. Sorry if it makes your mind bleed.