March of Time

[seamus finn]

I was struck by the wistfulness here,  a moment that summed up for me the memories of our youth and  the relentless, cruel march of old age.

[RSL]

The wistfulness is interesting, but so is the light. Very nice, Seamus. It's wonderful to see pictures that deal with what fine photography's about: human experience. Beautiful landscapes merely say "I was here," and as Walker Evans once said, "So what?" This picture says, "Here we are, with ages of experience and knowledge of human nature shining from our faces. This is what old age is like. Don't fear it. Embrace it."

[petermfiore]

The wistfulness is interesting, but so is the light. Very nice, Seamus. It's wonderful to see pictures that deal with what fine photography's about: human experience. Beautiful landscapes merely say "I was here," and as Walker Evans once said, "So what?"

Amazing!!?

Peter

[louoates]

Excellent in all respects. The real interest is in the contrast between the ages of the couple vs the active, more youthful appeal of the brochures on the wall. The only nit I have to pick with this one is the framing. Crop off lots of the left side and the power of the image is amplified.

[seamus finn]

Lou,

For some reason, I became obsessed with the inclusion of the poster on the top left proclaiming helicopter rides - it just seemed so incongruous. Anyway, as Russ pointed out, the light was extraordinary  - window light that poured in and lit up the couple like you might never get in a studio. Here's a version nearer to your take;

[luxborealis]

What a wonderful moment, well seen and captured in glorious light.

The only nit I have to pick with this one is the framing. Crop off lots of the left side and the power of the image is amplified.

Under many circumstances, I would agree, but this time, I don't. The way I see it is... This couple is looking towards the light, the future that is still ahead of them. This smaller space contrasts with the large negative space on the left, which represents the stretch of time that is now behind them. Leave it in!

[RSL]

I agree with Terry, Seamus. The contents of the bulletin board are an essential part of the picture, like the window, camera left, in this one, where youthful contemporaries of the lady leaving the restaurant make an important contrast. I think it always pays to hold back when the croppers try to take over. Far more often than not the unconscious* signal that made you raise your camera and frame the picture was the right one. Post-game analyses almost always are wrong.


*for whomever it was that corrected this usage in a different thread: nowadays "the unconscious" almost always takes the place of "the subconscious." As Casey said, "You could look it up."

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I agree most emphatically with Terry and Russ.

[seamus finn]

All things considered, I rest my case with the original image and thank you all for your input.

[churly]

Amazing!!?

Peter

I agree Peter!

This is a wonderful shot. The comment about fine photography is incredible.  I hope I never get so narrow minded.

[RSL]

Check the history of Photography, guys. You'll find that Ansel is a minor footnote. Photography tried to ape painting for a long time with almost no success; then Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson picked up small cameras and began capturing the interplay between humans and their artifacts. That's when real photography began. I know that here in the US Ansel is larger than life, but that's mainly because he was a superb salesman, not because his photographs are particularly interesting.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Excellent in all respects. The real interest is in the contrast between the ages of the couple vs the active, more youthful appeal of the brochures on the wall. The only nit I have to pick with this one is the framing. Crop off lots of the left side and the power of the image is amplified.

I couldn't disagree more. The framing is fine as it is. Cropping forces concentration on the individuals and not the scene.

Jeremy

[luxborealis]

Check the history of Photography, guys. You'll find that Ansel is a minor footnote. Photography tried to ape painting for a long time with almost no success; then Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson picked up small cameras and began capturing the interplay between humans and their artifacts. That's when real photography began. I know that here in the US Ansel is larger than life, but that's mainly because he was a superb salesman, not because his photographs are particularly interesting.

You are referring to anthropocentric photography, of course. The more we think of this world as only for and by humans, the more we lose touch with the bigger picture such as that provided by landscape artists, be they photographers, painters or composers.

I'm not sure why one needs to put-down one style/preference in favour of another nor how this thread transformed into a "dis" the landscapers thread, but there is plenty of room in photography and art for both.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

You are referring to anthropocentric photography, of course. The more we think of this world as only for and by humans, the more we lose touch with the bigger picture such as that provided by landscape artists, be they photographers, painters or composers.

I'm not sure why one needs to put-down one style/preference in favour of another nor how this thread transformed into a "dis" the landscapers thread, but there is plenty of room in photography and art for both.

Well said, Terry!

[petermfiore]

I know that here in the US Ansel is larger than life, but that's mainly because he was a superb salesman, not because his photographs are particularly interesting.

Your opinion or fact?

Peter

[Isaac]

*for whomever it was that corrected this usage in a different thread: nowadays "the unconscious" almost always takes the place of "the subconscious." As Casey said, "You could look it up."

Look it up and discover that the primary meaning of unconscious is "not conscious", and the sole meaning of subconscious is "relating to thoughts and feelings that exist in the mind and influence your behavior although you are not aware of them" -- but you already knew that.

[RSL]

When I said you could look it up, Isaac, I didn't mean in Popular Psychology.

[Isaac]

Cambridge University Press has been publishing dictionaries for learners of English since 1995. Cambridge Dictionaries Online has been offering these dictionaries completely free of charge since 1999.

[RSL]

Bully for them.

[petermfiore]

Beautiful landscapes merely say "I was here," and as Walker Evans once said, "So what?" This picture says, "Here we are, with ages of experience and knowledge of human nature shining from our faces. This is what old age is like. Don't fear it. Embrace it."

This image by  Edward Steichen speaks to eternity. Very moving and not just ,"I was here"!