So this one made me smile. Like totally out-loud smile. I LOVE that wash of sunshine and the way it bathes everything and outlines the sandal things. It doesn't just wash through the picture, it radiates and echoes, bounces off the walls. It almost momentarily frightens the dog who seems just a bit reluctant to come out. But I think he will – how can he resist that warmth? Then there's the parenthetical wintering plant on the left, which forms a wonderful frame keeping everything from sliding out of the side due to the slant. And I'd give you credit for the slant, because it is brilliant, but I'm going to guess it's a wonderful happenstance instead. Inside it is just another day. Out here, in the back yard, it’s paradise.
There’s something to be said for making something visually stunning. It so clearly wins the day, but it’s tough to explain clearly why. Yes, it helps to have wild, even dangerous, flares of light. And so clever to have botanical claws on the other side, lit up by that same light, to form a balance of power. And of course, it helps to catch yourself standing above it all by lying down and photographing your feet. But why stunning? Why does it stun? Some credit must go to the outrageous tilt, which sends us off balance while at the same time perfecting the composition. And some to the dog and doorknob combo, sharper than merely focused. All this grounded by competing floor textures. Of course, maybe it’s the combination of all this and more, being set off balance and then thrown so many beautiful things all at once. It’s more than we can juggle and we fall over… some find it an unpleasant experience, I’m sure. They’d rather see a sunset. But others want the vertigo. Emily Dickinson said it felt like having the top of her taken off. She lived for that feeling, receiving and creating it for others. So do I.
you took this for me. the space between the dog and my comfortable clogs is shattered and crackling with light. the dog and I are one in contemplation.
you took this for me. the space between the dog and my comfortable clogs is shattered and crackling with light. the dog and I are one in contemplation.
Wonderful. As in wonder-filled. Title's a bit too obvious for my taste, but you can't say it ain't apt for the mood. The picture is graphically alive, sizzling with assertive light and contrast. The putative subject(s) are not the hero here. It's the magic of light; the way that a photograph can transcend the human eye when it comes to the fundamental elementary particle of photography: light. As for those subjects, in reverse order of importance here, they are: the human feet (are those Crocs? They are really awful. I have a pair myself and always feel like a happy maggot when I wear them). And then the dog; quite perfectly cast as a dog. And at the top step of the medal podium, the scraggly-branched plant, naked of leaves. Imagine for a moment how the picture would be diminished without that twiggy 'distraction'? It enfolds the scene, preventing an impulsive exit by the viewer. It has no discernible meaning, and yet without it the delightful indolence of the picture would leak away, trickling out the bottom-left-hand corner, and the viewer might end up instead gazing blankly at the mind-numbingly dull landscape hung next to it in the gallery. It's a celebration of photography ... as art, yes, but more important as the essence of a photograph as unique object. Thank you.
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