hmmm... I have never commented before but this one relates to me that I am tempted to write something. If you feel it is nonsense, please ignore.
A lonely lady sitting alone. From her expressions, she seems to be looking for company, calling someone with her cellphone, waiting for someone to pick-up her call, yawning for love perhaps? Maybe she is feeling like the path below her: What Next? She needs to turn the corner. In contrast to the other side, a young family: husband, wife and kids. It signifies for this lady alone the next stage in live. This could be just around the corner. Then her path in life will have a different direction; the family path, which will have more future.
Looking out of this picture, this is but a belief of modern society. Perhaps we are bounded by these paths of society beliefs and norms, suffocating us. And if we can break our mind out of this boundary, there will be more space and life will be less tense.
The child playing signifies her carefreeness, unaware of the boundary. If she wonders too far, her parents may pull her back.
Black and white conveys timelessness... has always been... and maybe will always be...
Another spectacular image in this gallery that benefit from black and white interpretation. The black adn white hones it down, abstracts it to its essence, yet the woman on the cell phone now comes up loud and clear. I missed the woman the cell phone completely when I saw this in sepia -- my eyes were transfixed by the child reaching into that invisible barrier as she explores her world. Now the woman on the cell becomes a bigger part of the message here - -- representing the hard reality of the adult world, a world of responsibilities, obligations, and pressures. Yet here is the child just behind her without any such obligation -- only a need to explore and learn and become her own person.
Your sepia image was charming and moving, but it did not say as much to me as this black and white version does, Jen.
Leo
11-Aug-2004 08:53
Salute to the greatest, the master of all the masters~ may his glory shine upon thy...
A spectacular interpretation of a lovely image. Marek is right, and eloquent in his explanation. You are indeed talking about boundaries here, Jennifer, whether you realized it or not, and doing it very much in the manner of the master himself, the late Henri Cartier-Bresson. You have said that you are new to photography and I know that you feel that captured moments such as this are probably due more to "accident" than to your skill. But when I look at an image such as this one, with a background of over thirty years teaching photographic communication, I see a gifted instinct at work here, a instinct enabling you to seize a moment out of time and freeze it forever within a context built upon a geometric construct. Jennifer, you are paying tribute to the memory of Cartier Bresson here, consciously or unconsciously. Can this be accidental? No matter what you might have to say about this, something within your genes, your brain, and your passion for the moment caused you to capture this family from this spot at that moment. And that is a gift -- to you and to us. May you recognize the value of such a gift, Jennifer -- cherish it, respect it, and build on it through hard work and experience. Your friends here on pbase are to support you. Go for it.
Guest
09-Aug-2004 09:19
This has a perfect graphic balance, and I love the contrast of the human and organic shapes with the geometric lines. The offset crop is just right, as is the bleaching of the background towards the front. It is one of those rare examples where the precise arrangement elevates the ordinary and creates potential for an interpretation of a deeper meaning. For example, I'm instantly drawn to the little girl's alignment with the diagonal line. As her arm breaks out of it, I can't help but feel there is some kind of a story about boundaries here. The sense of enigma is quite beautiful.