November 23, 2013

Is it okay to photograph sleeping sunbathers...

... in Lithuania?

Interesting pics. One can't resist staring, but we're staring also into the soul of the photographer — Tadao Cern — who fancies himself a explorer into other people's "Comfort Zone."

25 comments:

jr565 said...

You shouldn't expect privacy on a public beach.

William said...

A lot of those people were eyesores. They had a reasonable expectation that most people would advert their gaze if they stripped down. Therefore the photos were an invasion of privacy. Only young girls in bikinis can have a reasonable expectation of being photographed.

Wince said...

Is another elevated health risk of obesity the result of skin cancer risk being proportional to sun-exposed surface area?

David said...

I did not stare. I glanced quickly and looked away. There is something very sad about those photos.

Ann Althouse said...

I think it says something about fatness. Not sure what.

Can't imagine wearing a 2-piece bathing suit while being that fat or sleeping in the sun while being that white.

But it's Lithuania. So what do I know?

Maybe Irene will weigh in.

rehajm said...

PG Lucian Freuds!

john said...

I'm pretty sure the guy in the third photo is the same as this one.

No expectation of privacy here. Not even desired.

Amexpat said...

Interesting photos, I wonder how he got the bird eye views.

MadisonMan said...

. . . will weigh in.

Excellent verb choice given the photo subjects.

Ann Althouse said...

I think there's something charming about un-self-conscious fat people in bathing suits. But these people are sleeping….

Ann Althouse said...

It's creepy to watch someone sleep.

Irene said...

Here I am. It's a little odd, but it's a public place. The photos seem a little selective because in my experience, most Lithuanians are not fat. Despite the diet of potatoes, bacon, and sour cream.

The subjects' comfort with wearing a bathing suit despite body size, however, seems like a European thing. When I lived in Italy, I saw plenty of people wearing bikinis and speedos that probably would not do so in this country. Also going topless at beaches.

Irene said...

It is odd to photograph people who are sleeping. How did the photograph get those angles. It looks like he stood on a stool over the sleeping people. That makes me wonder whether they were really sleeping.

Clyde said...

And the Europeans are always going on about how fat Americans are! Those folks obviously didn't miss any of the Cepelinai* when the plate went around.

* - Potato dumplings stuffed with meat, mushrooms, or cheese, often garnished with spirgai, fried minced onion and/or sour cream. Per Wikipedia's Lithuanian Cuisine article.

Irene said...

Ah, Cepelinai: recipe here. Don't forget about Koldūnai.

Kev said...

(the other kev)

You're an explorer of other people's comfort zones? That's nice. I'm an engineer studying the tensile strength of nasal cartilage.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Ann Althouse said... I think there's something charming about un-self-conscious fat people in bathing suits. But these people are sleeping….

11/23/13, 2:05 PM

Welcome to Eastern Europe where the young women are tall, thin and hot. And the babushkas are short and fat. I measure my Russian wife every year to see what age they shrink and get fat

All over eastern Europe older fat women wear bikinis unselfconsciously. But younger fat women are shamed unmercifully.

paul a'barge said...

1. fat hog
2. fat hog
3. fat hog
4. fat hog
5. fat hog
6. fat hog
7. not fat
8. fat hog
9. fat hog

George M. Spencer said...

Not everyone who has their eyes closed is sleeping.

An old Lithuanian proverb.

Bob Boyd said...

They must've been posed. Look how high above them the camera is. Did he use a ladder? And how'd he keep his own shadow out the shots?
Maybe they were unconscious and he posed them. Stalked them, shoved a roofie in a ding dong and baited them.
Maybe he even drove them unconscious to the beach his creepy, windowless van, dressed them in swim wear and rolled them onto a beach towel. He must have had help.
The subjects woke up confused with a wanging headache, a third degree sunburn and the last thing they can remember was a full box of cakes just laying there on the sidewalk in front of the big and tall shop.

Sam L. said...

No faces were shown. Could be quite difficult to ID them.

Gil said...

Regarding how he took them, perhaps one of the FPV drones that are in vogue these days?

Gil said...

Scratch that thought...

He explains how he shot the photos: 'I was using a special beam that was holding my camera above these people.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2505711/Blissful-beach-photos-capture-peaceful-poses-holidaymakers-asleep-sun.html

Carnifex said...

Men in speedo's---no thank you.
Fat men in speedo's---seriously. No thank you.
Old fat men in speedo's---Oh! You're European!
Old fat men with hairy backs in speedo's---Oh! You're mediterrannean!
Old fat men with hair like a chimpanzee---Oh! You're Armenian!

Clare said...

From the post:

"a explorer"


????