Howard Jones
Member
I caught them preping for a hard day of selling in the park.
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Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!
Ready for a day's work
- Thread starter Howard Jones
- Start date
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Howard,
What's the most important part of the picture? Is it the color array of the balloons with all those super-saturated unnatural colors? Or is it about the women?
Is this a documentation of what you saw or an attempt to say more than what anyone could see if they were with you. These questions are so critical.
I'd posit that if you would give up those colors and make B&W derivatives, you might get past the color distractions. One might be able to work more on the characters.
I don't believe this picture is capable of doing both!
Asher
What's the most important part of the picture? Is it the color array of the balloons with all those super-saturated unnatural colors? Or is it about the women?
Is this a documentation of what you saw or an attempt to say more than what anyone could see if they were with you. These questions are so critical.
I'd posit that if you would give up those colors and make B&W derivatives, you might get past the color distractions. One might be able to work more on the characters.
I don't believe this picture is capable of doing both!
Asher
Kathy Rappaport
pro member
Hi Howard - Welcome to Opf
Hi Howard - Welcome to Opf
It looks to me as if these hard working ladies have huffed and puffed all that hot air to inflate the toys - makes me tired and out of breath to even watch. From an artististic point of view, I find the smiley face on the bench an interesting commentary of how sad it must be to have that kind of work. Against the grey of the wall, and then all the color, I like the composition. I think the image is a bit soft - maybe motion blur or just too slow a shutter speed for the focal length, or even an extra cup of morning coffee!
Hi Howard - Welcome to Opf
It looks to me as if these hard working ladies have huffed and puffed all that hot air to inflate the toys - makes me tired and out of breath to even watch. From an artististic point of view, I find the smiley face on the bench an interesting commentary of how sad it must be to have that kind of work. Against the grey of the wall, and then all the color, I like the composition. I think the image is a bit soft - maybe motion blur or just too slow a shutter speed for the focal length, or even an extra cup of morning coffee!
Howard Jones
Member
In my eye, this picture is about the color and the structures and shapes. If the paint were still wet, we could smear it with a brush and allow the human forms to blur into unrecognizable colors and shapes and maintain the picture's emphasis as a abstract. But like a picture within a picture, there "happen" to be a couple of human beings preparing for their day. A story within a story. But the impact of the picture is made before the mind has even had a chance to disgist the content. The story of the women comes as an after-taste.
Howard Jones
Member
I'm actually delighted you called it motion blur. That means I've hidden my sins well. Truth is the picture was taken in the very early morning light from probably 100 yards distant using a handheld 300 mm telephoto at f6.3 and 1/80. Had I already had a cup of coffee, it probably would have looked like I painted it with a 2" brush.
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Again, Howard,
Is this to document the balloons or express something about the humanity of the women? If it's the former, it works fine and I'd like to see sharper focus.
If, however, you wish to express some aspect of humanity, the color to me is a huge problem which is so hard to overcome especially with the lack of sharpness.
This is an important issue here.
So which of the two is it?
Asher
Is this to document the balloons or express something about the humanity of the women? If it's the former, it works fine and I'd like to see sharper focus.
If, however, you wish to express some aspect of humanity, the color to me is a huge problem which is so hard to overcome especially with the lack of sharpness.
This is an important issue here.
So which of the two is it?
Asher
Howard Jones
Member
Asher question answered
This is from a previous post and hopefully answers your question. In the previous post there were enough typos to make it easily missed. Sorry about that.
The picture is about the color and the structures and shapes. If it was a painting and the paint was still wet, we could smear it with a brush and allow the human forms to blur into unrecognizable colors and shapes and maintain the picture's emphasis as an abstract. But like a picture within a picture, there "happen" to be a couple of human beings preparing for their day. A story within a story. But the impact of the picture is made before the mind has even had a chance to digest the content. The story of the women comes as an after-taste.
This is from a previous post and hopefully answers your question. In the previous post there were enough typos to make it easily missed. Sorry about that.
The picture is about the color and the structures and shapes. If it was a painting and the paint was still wet, we could smear it with a brush and allow the human forms to blur into unrecognizable colors and shapes and maintain the picture's emphasis as an abstract. But like a picture within a picture, there "happen" to be a couple of human beings preparing for their day. A story within a story. But the impact of the picture is made before the mind has even had a chance to digest the content. The story of the women comes as an after-taste.
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Rewinding The Movie!
That's to me an interesting other idea I must admit I had not considered and should have. The title, "Ready for a Day's work" pushed me away from the objects to the women, and so I was just concerned with the choice documentation v. impression of the women as a form of art. However, you are looking principally at the colors and shapes. O.K. Then I have to rewind the movie and inititaly at least, look at the picture and only much later the title.
I'm wondering whether you played with the idea of adding some blur or filter, to abstract the image as it is on the dividing line of what can be readily translated by others. It's not that it isn't art, for it is as soon as it was able to re-invoke just for you the ideas and feelings you intended to get into the picture, I believe the matter is decided at that point. When you looked at the picture and felt what was there was sufficient to express your private idea, the art was indeed created!
However, going one step further to transmit your idea to others I find problematic unless you would add a title to guide us like, "Fruit Market" or Barrier Reef Fish" or "Color Medley" which might satisfy you and signal to us the order in which the image should be translated. The other alternative is to deconstruct of abstract the picture so that the reality is less defined and we are not distracted.
That is only my way of looking at things.
Asher
That's to me an interesting other idea I must admit I had not considered and should have. The title, "Ready for a Day's work" pushed me away from the objects to the women, and so I was just concerned with the choice documentation v. impression of the women as a form of art. However, you are looking principally at the colors and shapes. O.K. Then I have to rewind the movie and inititaly at least, look at the picture and only much later the title.
I'm wondering whether you played with the idea of adding some blur or filter, to abstract the image as it is on the dividing line of what can be readily translated by others. It's not that it isn't art, for it is as soon as it was able to re-invoke just for you the ideas and feelings you intended to get into the picture, I believe the matter is decided at that point. When you looked at the picture and felt what was there was sufficient to express your private idea, the art was indeed created!
However, going one step further to transmit your idea to others I find problematic unless you would add a title to guide us like, "Fruit Market" or Barrier Reef Fish" or "Color Medley" which might satisfy you and signal to us the order in which the image should be translated. The other alternative is to deconstruct of abstract the picture so that the reality is less defined and we are not distracted.
That is only my way of looking at things.
Asher
Last edited:
Howard Jones
Member
Point well taken. I grabbed a title out of the air without really giving it (and its consequences) thought.
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Of great interest to me, Howard, is the fact that essentially you did not alter the picture that the camera saw. It in fact represents the truth as you sampled it from what you could see. So it would appear 100% factive. Yet your own purpose was special as you saw beyond what was there to some abstracted concept your imagination made of that was there. So the paradox is that you used a factual scene to derive a deconstructed meaning.
It would be interesting to see what other people see.
Asher
It would be interesting to see what other people see.
Asher