Preface
I am a 79-year-old naturist, home nudist, and lifelong photographer. My goal in writing and photographing this project is not only to show the laws of entropy at work, processes with which we are all too familiar, but also to at least hint at the beauty and dignity that is there in agèd bodies.
This will, I think, be an ongoing effort. I have, so far, only myself as model. Volunteers are welcome. If you enjoy or find inspiration in these photographs, you can comment directly on this blog entry, or send your words (hopefully of encouragement) to me: exolinguist at gmail dot com. I'll do my best to reply to all.
Donald Jacobson Traxler
Just a few words on the photography: While the photo above is digital (and the Postface illustration as well), all other photographs were shot on film. The cover photo was shot with the vintage 1965 Mamiya C33 Professional that you see above. The photographs in the body of the article were shot on 35mm, with a Canon AE-1 and Canon FD 50mm f1.4 lens. I used a single LED light, covered by a diffuser. All negatives were scanned on an Epson Perfection V600 Photo, at 2400 dpi. The film was Ilford HP5 Plus, rated at ISO 400 and developed normally in D-76 stock.
The hands, when seen in the right way, are among the most beautiful parts of our aging bodies.
Every part has earned our respect.
We decorate our bodies with things that have meanings for us. Life and time do the same.
The marks of time on our aging bodies are like the Nazca lines: they are best appreciated from a distance. All have meanings, which are often mysterious.
Naked bodies are often compared to landscapes. Sand dunes are a common comparison. These lines and shapes have more permanence than wind-wrought ones, yet they are also impermanent.
We carry the past with us, more generations of it than we know.
We often decorate these aging bodies with symbols of our traditions, religions, and philosophies. Such symbols may bring us comfort, but they are not necessary. We have already shown the world who we are, and what we believe.
Postface
One may wonder how I can be naked nearly all the time, even in February. It helps a lot that I live in Pasco County, Florida. My wife and I keep our house at a comfortable 77 or 78°F (about 25°C). Fortunately, we can do that at very little expense. Environmentally, what I save in textile-manufacturing and laundry probably makes up for our small expenditure of fuel. Not only that: it keeps me comfortable and happy.
I have been retired for many years, and am not accepting photographic assignments. Whatever I do now, I do purely for the love of it.
Shoot film, if you can!
Life is short--play naked!
--Don
Text and images Copyright © MMXXII by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.
