avatarPhilip Ogley

Summary

The website content discusses the creation of "Uncough," a new photography site aimed at providing dark and disturbing images that are difficult to find on platforms like Unsplash, catering to those looking for more somber and realistic imagery to accompany their writing on bleak topics.

Abstract

The author of the content expresses frustration with the lack of appropriately miserable and hard-hitting images available on popular photography sites like Unsplash. They illustrate this with examples of searches for themes like 'Suicide' and 'Fear of dying' yielding results that are far from the intended mood. Instead, they propose "Uncough," a rival site that would offer a collection of out-of-focus, poor-quality, and depressing images suitable for articles and pieces with darker themes. The author praises Wiki Commons for its unpretentious and often poorly executed photos that manage to capture the essence of despair and nihilism, providing examples of images used for articles titled 'Last Rites,' 'Hell on Earth,' and 'The END.' "Uncough" is envisioned as a platform that embraces the tagline "Unsparing," offering a direct path to the heart of darkness for writers and creators in need of imagery that reflects the depth of human suffering and existential dread.

Opinions

  • The author believes that current photography sites like Unsplash fail to provide images that accurately represent dark and disturbing themes.
  • They suggest that "Uncough" would fill a niche in the market for high-quality, depressing imagery.
  • The author values the authenticity of poorly executed photos on Wiki Commons for their ability to convey real-life misery and despair.
  • They find humor in the mismatch between search terms for dark themes and the often uplifting or irrelevant images returned by Unsplash.
  • The author is critical of the overly curated and positive nature of images on mainstream photography sites.
  • They see "Uncough" as a necessary resource for writers and artists who explore themes of suffering, nihilism, and the human condition.
  • The author appreciates the serendipity of finding unexpected yet fitting images on Wiki Commons, such as a Roman pottery piece for an article on 'Last Rites.'
  • They emphasize the importance of imagery that aligns with the tone and content of written pieces, particularly those of a somber nature.

Photography

Uncough — The New Photography Site for Miserable People

Unsplash it isn’t!

(Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash)

Sometimes, I’m looking for a really miserable photo for a piece. A drab photo of a rusty nail or a dirty brick wall. A depressing and hard-hitting close-up of the world in action. A real-life mind bender to remind us everything is shit!

Instead, I get this:

(Photo by Yura Timoshenko on Unsplash)

This is what I got from a photo search on Unsplash entitled: ‘Suicide.’

Not quite what I had in mind. I’m not sure 10 inches above the ground is going to do the trick. Unless there’s a subliminal message there, like don’t try this at home. Or don’t go hot-air ballooning.

This was another one. ‘Fear of dying.’ And I got:

(Photo by Oxana Melis on Unsplash)

So OK, that’s closer to the subject. But I still can’t help laughing when I see it. I mean dead bodies don’t actually look like that. They look like this.

(Photo by Zorik D on Unsplash)

So you see, it’s hard to get really dark and disturbing images on sites like Unsplash. This is why I’m proposing a rival site called Uncough where us morbid folk can get our out-of-focus, poor-quality, miserable images from.

Just like they have on Wiki Commons.

Wiki Commons is great. It doesn’t pretend to be fancy because it isn’t. And it has some brilliantly bad photos.

Check this out:

-Wiki Comms

This was for a piece of mine entitled: ‘Last Rites.’ Wiki Comms gave me a badly taken photo from the side of a piece of Roman pottery displayed in the Louvre. Magic!

For another article entitled, ‘Hell on Earth,’ it gave me this gem.

(Wiki Comms)

I love this one, as nothing is worse than a bus station at night to conjure up visions of hell. I remember once being stuck in Derby bus station in the UK all night and I still have nightmares.

One of my favourites though is the image I chose for my nihilist piece called ‘The END.’

— Wiki Comms

If you’re thinking that it looks a bit colourful, it’s because it was a mistake. I was actually looking to rent a boat for a week during the summer, but added the word ‘Lute’ into the search by accident.

It works well, though. I like the way her foot is ready to spring forward into the abyss. And how she’s firmly focusing on her spot in the ocean so as not to get caught on the rocks on her way down.

Plus, the thickness of her robe and the addition of the lute point to the fact that she believes survival is unlikely.

This is what Uncough can offer. If Unsplash’s slogan is: Beautiful Free Images. Uncough is: Unsparing!

It’ll be like a one-stop shop for all those tormented souls out there looking for an image to accompany their tortured piece.

There’s nothing worse than pouring your heart out, finishing a piece, only to be faced with the tedious task of trawling through 1000 images of dogs and cats. Or men with pink balloons.

Uncough leads straight into the heart of darkness, through the hoop of despair, and back up for another round of hopelessness.

Uncough: Coming Soon.

Thanks to Smillew Rahcuef.

Satire
Photography
Social Media
Depression
Writing
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