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Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Fine Arts: Exhibit I (Advanced Editing VII*)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Location: Vallejo, CA
Date: Mar 2, 2010
Aperture: f/2
ISO: 400
Shutter: 1/60
Galleries: Snapshot, Black and White
Date Uploaded: Mar 6, 2010

 another found object, typical of the things I shoot for myself. these types of images tend to work better as part of a collection rather on a standalone basis, but I like this one well enough that I'll take my chances with the voters, and the jury.

P1050280

[Mar. 13th, 2010 02:21:12 PM]

Love the comments ... and the interpretations. For me, that’s what art is all about ... not so much what the artist intended but what the viewer sees. Your comments all made me think more about my image, and its meaning. To me, the book, waterlogged and forgotten in a parking lot in the rain, was sad. How worthless were those words on the page that the person who dropped it never bothered to bend over to pick it up, or perhaps didn’t even notice it was missing. It spoke to me about the tragedy of the written word becoming less valued in our society. The biblical overtones did not occur to me, but I see them now, through many of your eyes, and it adds another layer to what I saw that day. The book was not the bible ... in fact, I don’t even know what book it was. I kind of wish I did now, but in the end it doesn’t really matter because the image is about all books, all words, all thought disappearing from a society that seems to value sound bites over substance to the detriment of us all.

This was not a set up image, or one in which I was trying to convey a message. A message was there ... I just happened upon it, recognized it, recorded it, and put it out there for you to discover. I think that’s the difference between artists who see and artists who create. I put myself (and I use the term “artist” loosely) in the former camp. The scene was already in existence when it caught my eye and made me stop as I hurried to catch the ferry on the way to work. It was raining, quite heavily in fact, yet I stood for a moment transfixed, debating whether to take the Lumix out. I took a step towards the ferry before turning around to get the shot, standing in the rain, trying to keep the camera dry. I saw the X in the lines of the parking lot, and that X seemed to speak to me about the sadness of the book, an allegorical X-ing out of the words on the page. I quickly composed a shot, using the shadow of the fender of a nearby parked truck to provide a backdrop to the book, and trying to keep my own shadow out of the frame. I snapped 3 frames ... one of only 5 frames I took all week though I carried the Lumix with me everywhere with my eyes peeled looking for “art,” or waiting perhaps for “art” to find me. In the end, this is the only thing that spoke to me that week, and of the 3 frames I shot, this was the only one that captured what I felt.

Statistics
Place: 19 out of 193
Avg (all users): 6.1451
Avg (commenters): 7.6364
Avg (participants): 6.1515
Avg (non-participants): 6.1383
Views since voting: 1856
Views during voting: 435
Votes: 193
Comments: 32
Favorites: 4 (view)

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AuthorThread
Ricoh GR III
Pentax DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6ED AL [IF] WR DC
 03/15/2010 04:26:55 PM
This was one of my favourites. It is a nothing, really, but references almost everything. Delighted it was a foundling, and ponder the seeing versus creating aspect.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D200
Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED
 03/15/2010 12:50:03 PM
One of my fav's in this challenge and you got a 10 from me! Congrats on Top 20!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Pentax K10D
Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF
 03/15/2010 01:01:16 AM
Thanks for the explanation, EEyes. I understand and agree about the waste on all levels of the usage of the term, WORD.

Such a waste! Admirably captured. Excellent work. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA
 03/15/2010 12:49:39 AM
One of my higher scoring images in the challenge. Well done on the top ten.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
 03/15/2010 12:15:47 AM
Excellent, even better now that I can read your comments..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 03/15/2010 12:07:45 AM
I LOVE the story of this image, both the one that it creates for the viewer (and I love how stories vary from viewer to viewer) and the story of how you came upon it. I, too, am in that "see" camp. Love this. Congrats on a very fine showing in this challenge as well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Nikon D7200
Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
 03/14/2010 08:31:34 PM
The good word.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2010 06:37:41 PM
YES! So much going on here! I love it! In my top ten of the challenge. 9.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sigma DP1x
03/14/2010 12:24:26 PM
I'm hoping this was found and not composed. Not that it matters much. Great find (hopefully).
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Fujifilm FinePix 2800Z
Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D
 03/13/2010 05:07:15 PM
6 - I like the concept, but the composition seems unbalanced - book needs to be a little more dominant in my opinion - but the size constraints might be working against this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO
 03/13/2010 03:52:56 PM
Grease is the word.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D7000
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
 03/13/2010 02:15:28 PM
Simple, effective. I would try a square crop & lose the vignette border.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D750
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-70mm f/2.8D
 03/12/2010 11:52:35 PM
Interesting allegory I think. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi
 03/12/2010 09:18:17 PM
This is truly amazing. If I could vote it would definitely be a 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D7200
Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR
 03/12/2010 07:05:45 PM
Okay, I have bumped up allot of images on the third viewing, but I'm moving this from a 6 to an 8... Very interesting perspective, and the overall feel is powerful... This is a great Fine Arts entry!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
 03/12/2010 04:22:56 PM
Very good, I like this image.. That border probably gets really, really close to the DQ danger zone, but it looks good.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Fujifilm x100
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
 03/12/2010 01:55:27 AM
is Christianity? Is it that simple?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D700
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Nikon
 03/11/2010 03:20:05 PM
oh this has sinsiter undertones of mass control, via sensorship and so on. Well thats what it's saying to me :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a6000
Sony E 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS
 03/11/2010 02:36:31 PM
Nice eye! I really like the composition and in my mind this is what the challenge is about. 10 from me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Fujifilm X-T5
Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR
 03/11/2010 09:35:44 AM
I likey. Would love to know why you have burned around the edges though.
One of top picks.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D2Xs
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED
 03/11/2010 08:03:39 AM
This is one of the most unique compositions in the challenge. I love your idea and although I like the bw effect, I think you over did the levels or dynamic bw filter ect... 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
OM System OM-1
Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO
 03/11/2010 02:59:36 AM
delightful abstract
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon Z7
Nikon MF Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D PC
 03/11/2010 12:48:12 AM
I had to stop and think about this one for quite a while and I am scoring this a 9 for that very reason. "Fine Art" should always be thought provoking and, for me anyway, your shot did exactly that.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 03/10/2010 07:54:13 PM
As the printed page begins to fade...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Pentax K10D
Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF
 03/10/2010 11:44:39 AM
This is both very artistic and potentially quite disturbing, depending on what the purpose and the "word" are ultimately described as being.

A book (The Bible) in a water puddle? I will very much anticipate the back-story after the challenge is complete.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 03/10/2010 04:44:19 AM
I like the surreal quality of this. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D750
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
 03/09/2010 11:46:40 PM
I like the angle of the marked pavement...excellent lighting and tones
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon PowerShot S95
 03/09/2010 06:46:00 PM
Exceptional, consider it a Roman numeral..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
OM System OM-5
Olympus 17mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko
03/09/2010 12:59:29 PM
I really like this picture a lot. I like the mysteriousness. I keep coming back to it - trying to figure out what it is but I guess it really doesn't matter. It's balanced, it's interesting, it has texture and shape.
The only thing that kind of bothers me is the vignetting around the frame, but only kind of. Good job. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-40D
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
 03/09/2010 05:36:31 AM
Would I hang it on my wall. Probably not, but still a very intersting picture. However I judge on what I would hang in my apartment. I am sure about the "fade in" frame. Make it bigger or take it away. Still give a good 6
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Apple iPhone 6s+
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
 03/08/2010 10:31:11 PM
Hmmm, not sure what to make of it, but it does make me stop and ponder.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Leica SL
Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7 Aspherical MF Wide Angle - Black
 03/08/2010 04:05:29 PM
One of my 10s. The composition here is best in show; the book, the shadow, the lines, the water - all hang together beautifully.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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