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David Mingay | all galleries >> Mynd Dagsins '15 >> Photo of the Day 2004 > Feb 24: Why I hate cars
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24-FEB-2004

Feb 24: Why I hate cars

Why I hate cars.

I’ve just tried for about an hour to find a good rant about why I hate cars. Which is odd really, because I always thought I was a bit of a petrol head. And I love my VW. But I just think something’s gone wrong. This is the car park at the Meadows. It used to be, well, meadows. Now it’s a shopping centre. It's hell on earth pre Christmas. Maybe it’s the way the car has become the only way to get somewhere. I walked to the Meadows today. Nobody seems to walk anymore. And the govt wonders why we have an obesity problem here in the UK. Funny how people drive to the gym when they need exercise.

Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel
1/400s f/8.0 at 170.0mm iso400 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time24-Feb-2004 12:59:56
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS 300D DIGITAL
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length170 mm
Exposure Time1/400 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent400
Exposure Bias
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Program
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Mike R26-Feb-2004 08:02
There appears to be an empty space in this car park. That's just careless parking. Car parks are to be filled, otherwise how are you going to cause a traffic jam on the road outside.

I would usually put money on the fact that most people did not need to drive - but if they build a shopping centre away from the town centre what can you do?

Get the bus, that's what.
virginiacoastline26-Feb-2004 01:48
didja catch that fifty-cent word Jeff used here?? woof.
Guest 25-Feb-2004 20:08
I think this photo is brilliant. The cropping and use of telephoto lens to compress then to go B&W. It really helps the subject.
mike boother 25-Feb-2004 08:39
Angela,
The perspective is not that squashed. It really does look like that at the Meadows car park!!

Nice shot though Dave. I always refuse to drive when we go there as I get car park rage in about 2 seconds flat :-)
Ray :)24-Feb-2004 23:14
Perhaps we should actually use this PAD project for an excuse for walking more, even if we have driven a few miles to get there in the first place. There are all sorts of quirky gems hidden away from the road. How many of Patrick's shots were taken from a car window, I wonder....?
PS. The weather here was so crap, my photo today WAS taken from inside my car!LOL!
Guest 24-Feb-2004 21:30
First off I like your photo - good depth.

Regards the car then you maybe have a point! Though where I live we have '0' public transport so the car is our only means of transport. BUT - I went to Birmingham NEC yesterday by car. Now a good week before we decided to drive to York and then get the train to Birmingham as we could ride direct to the NEC. Tickets - £65 pounds each return thankyou - errr no thxs, I'll take the car ... now they wonder why the car rules?? Go figure! Also as it's a borderline rant David - why does York city council charge residents less to use city centre car parks when they are precisly the people who have good access to public transport?? {DOH}
CJ Morgan24-Feb-2004 21:12
For someone who hates cars, you photograph them quite well. Or at the very least I like this image -- the seeming Sea Of Auto. Yes, we use our cars too much (no argument from me, I sometimes take the car when I should otherwise just walk). On the other hand, there are just some days where I'm of the mind that anything more than 500 meters from the car just isn’t photogenic. And there's the rub.
CJ
David Mingay24-Feb-2004 20:47
LOL! Ray. Actually I quite like that BMW coupe 2/3 the way down on the left... ;-)
Ray :)24-Feb-2004 20:24
I think you meant to say "I hate cars that get in my way, especially if they are not Beetles". I commend you taking a walk to the shopping centre when it is not far; its a shame that pedestrians aren't really thought about much by the retailers. You see these people tackling the traffic flows and walking over bushes in order to do business with the store. Its kind of sad. Very good "docushot", David.
Jeff Gegner24-Feb-2004 20:01
A wonderful cacophony of shapes.
Guest 24-Feb-2004 19:49
Good point. Great shot here and nice use of telephoto to squash the perspective to make it seem more cluttered with the cars -- VERY well done! Lovely tones. -- angela :)