I submit this in the full knowledge that it'll get murdered in the voting, if I know anything about DPC, which I think I do after a couple of ribbons and six months or so of participation.
So why submit it? Well, it meets the challenge, firstly. Secondly, I've been studying the work of the 1930's Paris group or emigre photographers, most particularly Andre Kertesz, and this is the most successful to date of my attempts to photograph the world the way they did, at least in their interst in naturally occuring abstracts - i.e. not specifically created for the shot. I'm not claiming any comparison with their work other than experimental of course.
Thirdly, but most importantly, this is the way the light falls on the hessian blinds over the end two windows of my flat: I've always been intrigued by the fact that the shape of the glass can be made out through the hessian, and the off-set of the patch of sunlight. It's something I see almost every morning the sun is shining and I'm here.
The intersting work is in the cropping - I wanted to give the idea that there are two windows, and that the sunlight effect is repeated, and to do that and allow some space for the composition is tricky: the thing i've most learned from those Hungarians in Paris though is that it isn't necessary to show all of something to tell all about it. Well, a lot, anyway :-)
Hope that some people at least can see past the fact that this isn't a bright shiny smooth designer image - after all, the world isn't a bright shiny smooth designed place.
Ed
Oh yeah, the technical bit: shot in black and white (does anyone really believe that there are only 256 shades of grey?), rotated a little, level adjusted to use the full dynamic range (so if it looks wrong it's your computer:-)), and cropped like crazy.
Statistics
Place: 117 out of 126 Avg (all users): 4.2662 Avg (commenters): 3.6000 Avg (participants): 4.0513 Avg (non-participants): 4.5410 Views since voting: 1814 Votes: 139 Comments: 11 Favorites: 2 (view)
Congratulations on trying to do something interesting.
I think the web is probably about the worst possible media to try and
show shots like this on though - all the tones are lost and I don't
see it the way you want people to see it.
My turn to critique one of yours Ed. I read your comment as honestly I wasn't sure what it was. After reading your comment I feel almost as though the voter was cheated by not being able to know what the shadow was, as it left me wondering. Now I feel so dumb knowing.
You seem to have written a very good critique all your own. I agree it does lack interest and possibly something as simple as a plant sitting in the window or a cat would have added that touch.
You do have some really good shadows in your photo and it fantastic to find inspiration in others work. Very nice attempt at sharing the world around you.
Thanks for those comments - and to Andre, who's put this in his favourites (never expected a compliment like that for this). 4.2xx is a pretty boring score, actually: thought it would be down in the 3's at least :-)
It really makes a difference to get good comments about a difficult image.
Splendid submission Ed. I was one of the 4 8's. It takes some balls to submit something like this to a challenge on here. I'm not familiar with Kertesz (I'm gonna go google for it now) but when I saw this I immediately knew that this had been given a lot of thought. Much respect for doing your own thing.
Ok.. I give up.. I don't get it :( I'm not seeing the shadow aspect here, I don't really understand what I am looking at to be honest. Seems like a blurred piece of paper being held up by something. I'm sure my perception is probably very skewed and I'm missing a very simple element but there it is all the same. 3
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