Challenge:Bored III (Standard Editing) Collection:Portfolio Camera:Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Location: Austin County Jail Museum (Texas, USA) Date: Oct 4, 2025 Aperture: 1.8 ISO: 1000 Shutter: 1/20 Date Uploaded: Oct 6, 2025
This was another collaborative setup with my son, who is actually 12 in this image (but 13 sounded better for a title). We made an impromptu stop at this museum--housed inside the actual (now retired) county jail building in Bellville, Texas--and he suggested I take a picture of him looking bored while "confined" in one of the old cells.
He doesn't know that what I see in this image is actually less of a playful riff on boredom and more of a poignant metaphor for the confinement and existential dread of those middle school years when you're considered "too old" to behave like a child, but not "old enough" to enjoy the privileges of late adolescence and young adulthood. I remember 7th grade feeling like an interminable period of time.
*** AFTER RESULTS ***
Thanks for all the wonderful comments and love this image has received, everyone! I'm truly humbled and grateful that my second blue would go to a portrait of my son. I wouldn't have figured it when we set this up, but it actually makes a lovely companion piece for his sister's portrait from earlier this year.
Statistics
Place: 1 out of 21 Avg (all users): 7.1818 Avg (participants): 6.6429 Avg (non-participants): 7.5789 Views since voting: 386 Views during voting: 73 Votes: 33 Comments: 11 Favorites: 2 (view)
I voted 10 minutes before rollover and I was sure that I hit 10 but it registered 9 and my congratulation for a great photo and subject got cut by midnight.
I love your story background on this photo. It's great being able to do this with your kids. Enjoy it! Mine are all grown but I have 'history' here over the years in past challenge entries. It's fun to look back at them eventually. I wish that for you as well. Keep it up!
blue for sure .. immediate fav ..
and my absolute favourite in the challenge ..
and a more than perfect depiction of boredom ..
oh .. and brilliant title ..
this has it all ..!!..
not voting atm .. :)
thirteen to life
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