Although this is Cuba the picture reminds me of a scene from an old French art-house film.
What is art?... More than one successful artist has described it as being 'what you can get away with'.
One man's art is another man's... whatever.
----------------------
Thanks for all the votes and comments, they're all very much appreciated.
I especially appreciate those that mentioned a cinematic look, which is what I was aiming for.
In reply to some of the other comments:
The border was supposed to enhance the cinematic feel.
The whole of the car is visible in the original shot but I feel this crop has the viewer look past the car rather than at it. Also the cars proximity adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the street.
-----------------
PP:
Details are enhanced using Nik Silver Efex.
Blur is added in some areas, sharpening in others.
Some cloning.
Dodging and burning plus an eccentric vignette.
--------------------------
An apology
I did the processing on this back in October and entered it here at the last minute without checking back on the original.
Big mistake!
As the positive votes and comments kept coming in I began to have nagging doubts about the validity of my picture.
But I kept putting off checking the original.
I suppose I was in a kind of denial.
It's ironic that another challenge running at the same time was titled "My Drug".
Inevitably retribution caught up with me and I was DQ'd.
Of course the real punishment for me is letting down my fellow DPCers who voted and commented in good faith. Apologies to them.
I'll be more careful in future and in the meantime, congratulations to the new award winners in this challenge.
Disqualification Details
You may not use ANY editing tool to move, remove or duplicate any element of your photograph that would change a typical viewer's description of the photograph (in this case cloning out 9 people and adding the fog), even if the tool is otherwise legal, and regardless of whether you intended the change when the photograph was taken.
Statistics
Views since voting: 3543 Views during voting: 418 Comments: 68 Favorites: 34 (view)
I have just read through the DQ thread and I just can't believe some of what was said. My personal view - you have created an image with a true artist's vision and that's all that matters to me. The jury's mission was to look for the best Art, not for DPC specific technicalities. A well deserved award and you should have kept it as Don said early on in the thread. Congrats on a fine achievement, stuff the nitpickers! :)
I love the frame, the crop, the whole thing. It has such an intensity of not only story, but tones. It truly compelled me. During the jury discussions, there were questions as to whether it was staged or not. I said, no, that it was pure happenstance. I hope I was right. Either way, it was one of my tops from the very beginning. Congrats on your 2nd award!
Beautifully toned street image full of strong content. It gets a 9 from me in spite of the bars that seriously trivialize the othewise powerful visual impression. It could have been a 10.
Sometimes I think a title does make a difference and that is the case here. This is my favorite entry in the challenge -- the tones are wonderful, the setting adds to the story, the lines are excellent, it evokes an emotional response in me. 10
What a piece of Cuba.
And what a clever title.
Excellent as for concept, capture and rendition.
Is this art? I guess one of the many species of art.
Does it matter? Not to me, you have such a memorable image here.
I would score it the same in any challenge.
10 as it doesn't go to 11
I like this image the best in the whole lot of entries. Why? I like the subjects, processing, location where it was shot, composition and an emotion that it triggers on me as a viewer. I am not sure why you did not include the car completely. If I should guess, may be because you wanted the emphasis to be on the person rather than the car? The distant fog gives a sense of early morning time and adds to the moody feel.
Absolutely LOVE the mood and capture of meaning in this photo. The car has always been a symbol of freedom and spirit of adventure. It is a means to get from one place to another. The juxtaposition of the car next to the man in the wheelchair speaks to me that he has the means to be free from any limitations life sets upon him and the ability to set out on an adventure wherever he sets his mind to. Where there is a strong will and a means of travel there is a way to get to your destination. I really hope to see this in the top 5. Spectacular capture and the B&W processing is just stunning (10).
Amazing catch! Probably my favorite in the challenge and I've just started voting. The bottom crop is a little unusual but seems to work fine. Having the car touch the frame edge brings it closer to the viewer and maybe that's part of what you wanted.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
