Surreal this image certainly is. A great example of a scene that would have been completely invisible for most people. This is one of those, "why would anyone photograph such a mundane, everyday scene? There's nothing to photograph here."
A wonderful juxtaposition of disparate elements.
Rich
Thank you Linda with your image experimentation. I also like b&w take. Excellent effort.
An excellent choice for the book. Shows the exquisite detail on the single statue that I'm sure is representative of the ornamentation of the structure it's attached to, but does it as a piece of framing for the main subject, the cathedral. The view conveys the richness of the architecture here in a well balanced and artistic view. While my own eye fights against ultrawide angle deformations, my brain knows they are effective, and draw the (more normal) viewer into a scene. Nicely done.
The ornamental spire surrounded by black birds and full of human figures in colorful clothing is both interesting and mysterious and somewhat foreboding (recently rewatched Hitchcock's The Birds). I like the balance you chose for your composition, with the birds clustered on the left as if to view the humans they've imprisoned in the cage-like structure.
I once stopped roadside in Canada to take pictures of four grizzlies through a substantial fence that seemed to stretch endlessly in both directions along the roadside. As we several viewers walked along the fence and watched the bears playing and eating, one girl said to her companion "don't you feel sorry for them being behind the fence?" and her companion replied "it is not the bears that are behind the fence. "
Another one of your interesting macros. Makes me think of a detail from a Transformers game or movie. Incredible sharpness in the tiny springs and wires and whatever the rest of that stuff is, falling off to lovely blur. Nice complementary colors. Rather magical.
What a marvelous and creepy junkyard, a time machine ride to the traffic offenders purgatory of bygone days. Someone mentioned the catacombs of Rome in a reply. I've not seen those, but beneath the Old Quarter in Barcelona is a Roman era excavation that these relics would feel at home in - the dark and dust of millennia. Presented without information, these are absolutely confounding. Well taken photographs with great diagonal compositions in first and last, and effective portraiture in the middle one.
This colorful scene with extra geometry is an eyecatcher. You and Linda together have ended up with a real winner with the isolation of the building with the red doors. That one is a visual rabbit-hole that is completely hypnotizing. The black and white versions are nice and emphasize the geometry but the red door fun-house mirror version is terrific. Kudos to both of you for a creative project!
Wonderful environmental portrait. I can imagine him sitting in that same chair in front of the same weathered bins (living their second life, at that), for decades upon decades. It's an image with more questions than answers (the mattress in the loft for emergency sleepovers?) but that's what makes it far more intriguing than a closer up that would isolate the man and the immediate background. Great tonal range and contrast. Of the two I prefer the second, because you've straightened it up a bit and that's just what my eye prefers. It still has enough lean to look precarious.
Nice catch made more interesting by the story you put behind it. Part of what makes photography fun is the story you lead your viewer to or encourage them to create for themselves. Several of our photos this week have that attribute. Mike offered the confounding image of entombed dusty vehicles. Pete gave us a hint in his title about how he wanted us to consider his "cage". Jim gave us a photo we could create a whole novel or movie around. You've given us a TV special of sparring partners at a crisis point. And I'm not through with the thread yet. I'll find more!
One of the elements of a photograph we tend to talk about least, and I think should talk about more, is Story. It's my favorite part, whether in my photos or those of others because I was a storyteller long before I was a photographer, and I use photography as an extension of that part of me. I'm glad to see us in some conversation about that part.
Beautiful use of light. The glassware almost seems lit from within. I imagine this to be the scene before the customers arrive, with only staff on early duty there in the quiet semi darkness. A mix of quiet peace and expectation. The complementary blue and gold color scheme is very pleasing. You should offer the proprietor a print..
Looking at the shelf in the back, there may be a slight rightward tilt to the image, or it may be one of those photos where the angles of the various elements make it only seem to, but you might try some adjustment and see if it looks more squared up. Unless the angle is what you meant to show, in which case ignore this!
Wonderful!
You've given us an entirely different view than Roel did of this marvelous piece of architecture. While Roel's is all about the architecture, immersing us within these highly ornamental structures, yours is an artistic view from a distance, with graceful curves guiding us gently. Roel's is a stand-and-gawk image that knocks us out with detail. Yours is a quiet stroll with the buildings and sky in concert. Two different but equally effective ways to look at the same scene, and both your personal styles are reflected in your captures.
Oh my. You have given us a bloody basketball goal set at the end of a barricaded street. I cannot say I would want it on my wall, but I can indeed say it is attention grabbing, and the story it evokes is both strange and compelling. A very impactful offering full of good compositional choices and technical success. This is an image that deserves a name. Something along the lines of "Dead End" or "Game Over."
It's great that you have captured the project which is not completed, but certainly it does not prevent the youngster from not using the facilities. It is a contrast which is so appealing. Very well chosen object.
I totally concur with minniev's views.
This image can be considered from two different points of view, either as an image in its own right or as an image with a particular purpose in a publication. Roel's shot meets both purposes.
It's a tourist guide. The knight surveys the city from a vantage point that we feel a tourist might also be able to access. It's a view worth seeing of impressive old buildings that can be investigated and the knight is worth a close look as well.
Purely as an image, it is tied together with repeating vertical shapes and textures ( the knight and the windows) that bring the foreground and background together.
It's a winner from both perspectives.
Re Rich's point on the lens distortion. This is a subjective thing. I prefer the original. The tilt of the knight and the buildings towards each other suggests the knight is looking at them whereas with the verticals kept as true verticals, he seems to stand apart from his surroundings. I prefer the implication of the original.
It's always fascinating to see how to different photographers respond to the same subject. I like them both for the reasons minniev has given.
Good timing Linda. After some protracted travel, I have just returned home. A lot of time has been spent looking at tables and menus. It has certainly skewed my response to your photo. Everything looks warm and inviting. The lighting, the angles of the arms on the chairs, the placement of the backlit glasses, even the cutlery, all direct me to the menu. Menus are something of intense interest to me at the moment (I'll get over it). I need to be able to read the menu, including the small print.
If I see the photo again in a couple of months I'll probably feel quite different about it.