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Her Stolen Steps
Her Stolen Steps
CNovack


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Lonely Shoes In Black and White (Basic Editing)
Camera: Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi
Location: Outdoors in front
Date: Feb 20, 2011
Aperture: 11
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/60
Galleries: Emotive, Black and White
Date Uploaded: Feb 20, 2011

 466157.jpg

My first original thought was a line that Ambassador Londo ("Babylon 5: The War Prayer) spoke of: "My shoes are too tight and I have forgotten how to dance." Meaning that one gets too wrapped up in the negative, the obligations, and/or worries that one forgets to take joy in life; to dance. We dance for joy. We do the 'happy dance'.

I remembered seeing photos of a Holocaust Memorial where you walk through a hallway just filled with shoes from those who were murdered - it is staggering how many lives were taken. Of how many who would no longer experience the joys of life. Those lives, those feet, will never step to the tune of joy. I read about Anne Frank many years ago for an English Literature class. She too, never lived a full life. Anne Frank's life and millions of other lives were stolen from them.

Reflecting upon these thoughts an image immediately took shape in my mind and I knew what I wanted to show.

I know that the original words of the gate at at Auschwitz reads "“arbeit macht frei” — work sets you free, but I knew that many may not have an immediate reaction/connection if the shadow had that phrase. I instead used the most recognized name - Auschwitz. It is also the camp Anne Frank originally went to.

I used some spare wire in the garage and taped some foam letters to it to create the 'gate sign'. I wish the wire frame showed more so that it bore a closer resemblance to the Auschwitz gate entrance but the letters do stand out. I cleared a patch of ground and arranged all the elements.

My thanks to my husband for his patience in holding the sign so that it could cast a shadow. Bear_Music and I had been discussing the original title: As the shadow of the gate approached, she never danced again. And trust my husband to again find a title that fits with what words I had stuck in my head but were failing to come out.



[Feb. 27th, 2011 11:03:14 PM]

I am truly not happy that this has done so poorly - part of me feels that I failed to give this my best and part of me feels that the reason(s) does not rest solely on my shoulders.

I have come up with 8 possible reasons as to why this did not go over well. Of those 8 I wonder which were the top 3 reasons that this was not accepted well.

[Mar. 1st, 2011 11:07:12 PM]

1. Voter Fatigue - too many of the same subject in B&W and very little variety. Bogged down the mind.
2. Too much detail especially the ground - overwhelms image and the eye ...though it is 'supposed' to be a little 'gritty' given the subject matter.
3. Felt it was too staged an image and not authentic. Should not have been staged.
4. Voters did not know what the shadow Auschwitz meant. Not everyone knows world history.
5. Voters did not catch the detail of the shadow thus the full impact/meaning of the title "Her Stolen Steps" was totally lost on them. Voters needed greater clarification in title such as "Holocaust" to make the impact of the image understood.
6. Monitor Calibration - some saw it as too washed out and some saw it as too dark with loss of details
7. I truly dislike to have to consider that mayhap a few votes were motivated by anti-Semitic feelings, but after hearing the recent news of fashion designer John Galliano's remarks it sadly might be a contributing factor.
8. Mood - seeing so many images capturing loneliness (195) after a while it got downright depressing. Hmmm, this piggybacks with the Voter Fatigue.

Statistics
Place: 97 out of 196
Avg (all users): 5.0465
Avg (commenters): 6.2500
Avg (participants): 4.7625
Avg (non-participants): 5.2935
Views since voting: 1612
Views during voting: 295
Votes: 172
Comments: 12
Favorites: 1 (view)

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AuthorThread
Canon EOS-40D
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
 03/06/2011 09:53:58 PM
It might have been the processing. I actually love this photo and gave it a 9. I felt that the grainy processing matched the heavy subject giving it kinda a gritty feel. I thought you did a great job dealing with a very painful subject.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D700
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 03/06/2011 05:24:49 PM
You asked for comments about why this entry scored poorly. I gave it a 5 which I think is generous. I don't think viewers should blame themselves for not noticing the tiny star of David, especially since its six points are hard to distinquish from the debris beneath it. Because I now know what the shadow spells, it seems obvious, but when I first saw this photo I couldn't decipher it. The photo seems cluttered and is grainy and hard on the eyes. My personal dislike of the use of certain frame techniques comes and goes; for some reason I don't like it here. I think it's a terrific idea for a photo and I have no objection to the staging of it, I just didn't "get" it visually and like a visitor to a gallery I often don't read the title of an artwork unless I feel compelled to, so calling it "Holocaust" might have been lost on me, I'm afraid!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 03/06/2011 05:11:53 PM
The main problem is that you must look at this photo for longer than the average DPC usually gives it, especially with the high number of entries in this challenge. I personally did not catch the meaning, the words are hard to make out, as well as the little necklace. So I could only judge it on technicals, and is probablly what most people did.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Apple iPhone 5
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED
 03/06/2011 03:57:02 PM
Good concept, but the over-sharpening gives it a noisy feel and makes it unpleasant to look at for too long. Also, the shadow almost looks like black powder poured onto the ground.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA
 03/06/2011 11:48:02 AM
I think you maybe over thinking this. I didn't vote in this challenge as I didn't have time, but had I done so, I would likely have given it a 5. Nothing to do with the subject matter, I think it's a good idea and well composed, but because on my calibrated screen it feels so heavily sharpened that it is not pleasing to look at, for me, at least.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D300s
Nikon AF Nikkor -S DX 18-105 f3.5-5.6
 03/06/2011 11:45:45 AM
viewing this now after the challenge and not comparing it to any other shoe pics i realize that i should have voted it higher. i guess that means voter fatigue was a big factor, there were just so many shots of shoes on the ground that this one didnt stand out at time of voting.
i do think that the ground is too busy. i JUST noticed what looks like a star of david necklace coming out of the shoe, i had to look at the pic a couple times over the last couple minutes before i saw it. i think the clutter in the ground caused me to miss this the first time around and its a detail that really brings the pic together for me now.
during voting i understood the emotion you were going for but i dont think it quite hit home with me, reading through your list of reasons i think #3 would best describe why.
to sum up: #1, 2 and 3.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 03/02/2011 01:17:53 AM
I don’t really understand why this scored so low. This was one of my 9 votes (no 10’s from me this challenge). I personally feel some people may vote low on images that create sadness. My own Free Study may be suffering from this as well right now.

Please don’t let the result despair you as there were at least 23 voters who you reached with your hard work and great idea. Thank you for this image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 02/28/2011 02:24:00 AM
Strong use of powerful emotion from an ugly history. I hope this is not lost on too many too young to remember. The title really moves me. Well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/24/2011 06:33:44 PM
Touching composition. Some old shoes would add authenticity.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
 02/24/2011 06:31:44 AM
Different interesting shot. Good composition.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
 02/24/2011 12:30:48 AM
Well done.
Sony Alpha a6000
Sony E 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS
 02/23/2011 05:50:31 AM
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