Last week saw the passing of a wonderful and much loved actor: Leonard Nimoy.
I, like many millions of others, grew up on a steady adolescent diet of marshmallow creme sandwiches and Star Trek (the original series, of course). The TV special effects, by today’s standards were certainly adolescent as well, but the positive, progressive, optimistic plot lines were noble and uplifting. In the world of Star Trek, there was hope for humanity! Good always triumphed over evil! Science and technology would carry us as far as we could dream! “To boldly go where no man [or woman!] has gone before…”
I remember, in junior high and high school, passing around a dog-eared copy of some sort of Star Trek handbook, which explained, in minute detail, everything you wanted to know about the U.S.S. Enterprise, what was on each deck, warp drive details, impulse power explanations, history and politics of the Klingons and the Romulans, the personal histories of Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, Scott, “Bones” McCoy, Spock, and Kirk, and even some language phrases you could learn in Vulcan. Oh, it was all so very, very real. Just beam me up!
“Cap’n, Ahm doin’ all ah ken!” –Scotty
“Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor not a bricklayer!” –Dr. McCoy
I never did the Star Trek convention thing, nor did I ever dress up as an Enterprise crew member…I guess you could call me a low-grade “underground Trekkie”, a faithful viewer, who bought into the whole “hope for humanity and the universe” idea.
So, what’s the photography connection here with the death of Mr. Spock? Well, it turns out, Leonard Nimoy was a passionate and talented photographer.
Probably one of his most publicized portfolios is a series on full-figured women. You can see some exceptional examples of his 2007 Full Body Project HERE. Shades of Diane Arbus? Maybe.
That wasn’t all he did, though. You can see more of his work in this Buzzfeed article: 35 Beautiful Art Photographs Made by Leonard Nimoy. This shows more of the breadth and nature of his work. He definitely put at least as much of himself into his photography as he did his acting.
Yes, Mr. Spock–Leonard Nimoy–you will be missed. Thank you for what you brought to all of us through your life as an actor, photographer, and human being (well…, half human, half Vulcan).
A postscript: For an excellent discussion of the controversy generated by some of Nimoy’s images, see the article, Leonard Nimoy’s Other Legacy: His Photography and the Controversy It Caused.
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