samstevens Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 Photo of the Week is a member-run feature.The photo is posted anonymously. If photographers wish, they may identify themselves in a comment.This is not my photo.Comment on and discuss the photo or any aspect of it in whatever way you choose.If you wish to submit a photo, please PM me with either an embedded photo or a link to one. Include a title if you want one to appear. It will go into the pool and eventually be posted as a Photo of the Week. * * * 1 "You talkin' to me?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanford Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 I think all vestiges of color should have been removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 I don't understand this shot. It is a picture of a plaque, You can't read the full text and it has no other items in the shot that are intriguing, unless you find not being able to read the full text mysterious. Is it mean to be a comment on the demise of the American Elm? (which we can't read about, nor see). Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supriyo Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 Some photos benefit from background knowledge, but I feel the onus is on the viewer to look it up. In this case, the clue is the phrase “survivor tree”, which refers to an elm tree in the parking lot of the Oklahoma Federal building that nearly died from the 1995 terrorist bombing, but came back an year later. So, on an anniversary of 9/11, this is quite a relevant topic for a picture. I think, the shadows of the tree branches and leaves juxtaposed over the plaque make us feel the presence of a living breathing entity, remind us of the terrible tragedy that once unfolded, and the exceptional resilience of this elm tree. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samstevens Posted September 12, 2022 Author Share Posted September 12, 2022 Somebody else’s work? No more so than someone else’s dog on a beach. "You talkin' to me?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leslie Reid Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 Poignant, powerful, and timely. I followed the same path that Supriyo did to decode the photo. I'm very impressed by how the photographer managed to capture the scene with the shadows revealing just enough information to allow the viewer to figure out what's going on. The shadows of living leaves are evidence of survival in the face of brutal terrorism, and, to me, add a message of hope. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samstevens Posted September 12, 2022 Author Share Posted September 12, 2022 Poignant, powerful, and timely. I followed the same path that Supriyo did to decode the photo. I'm very impressed by how the photographer managed to capture the scene with the shadows revealing just enough information to allow the viewer to figure out what's going on. The shadows of living leaves are evidence of survival in the face of brutal terrorism, and, to me, add a message of hope. Interestingly, I see the shadows as dense, dark, and foreboding … possibly mirroring my own pessimism about rising domestic terrorism in the U.S. The shadows, it would seem, are what the photographer offers the viewers to enable us to imprint on the image a more personal experience of it and responses that will naturally vary. 2 "You talkin' to me?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
httpwww.photo.netbarry Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 I would imply a story where the shadows obscuring then view of the text represents the rising shadow of darkness covering the planet., but also the hope present that the tree represents. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 Some photos benefit from background knowledge, but I feel the onus is on the viewer to look it up. I must remember that next time I go to a gallery of pictures with no titles. 1 Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samstevens Posted September 13, 2022 Author Share Posted September 13, 2022 I think viewers should do what they want … but also remember Mick Jagger’s advice about not always getting what you want. Sometimes, in art as in life, you get out of it what you put into it. No photographer owes anyone a title or explanation and sometimes a viewer will want to do a little research to “get it,” sometimes not. There’s plenty in art not to understand until you look things up. And understanding is but one faculty to use in approaching art. 2 "You talkin' to me?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanford Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 No photographer owes anyone a title or explanation I always like to know what camera was used. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samstevens Posted September 13, 2022 Author Share Posted September 13, 2022 I always like to know what camera was used. What you’d like to know and what’s owed to you are two different things. :) 1 "You talkin' to me?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 There is also virtue in not having to look anything up at all. Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supriyo Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 (edited) There is also virtue in not having to look anything up at all. That's an impossible standard to meet, in the context of the current discussion. Art can also start a dialogue, make the viewer interested or aware of a certain topic, so that he/she can pursue it further. Art doesn't always have to be an end-all destination for information. Edited September 13, 2022 by Supriyo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Helmke Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 (edited) If I recall it was a Canon 20D. Yes I spent some time on the dark side due to evil influence . This was made the way most of mine are. I saw it and shot immediately with no real attempt at setting up or any implied meaning. It simply looked right the way I saw it. This is the site of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. If I have any attachment to the place it is because a family member by marriage was one of the first responders there. Rick H. Edited September 14, 2022 by Rick Helmke 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samstevens Posted September 14, 2022 Author Share Posted September 14, 2022 I saw it and shot immediately with no real attempt at setting up or any implied meaning. Amazing that with no intent or consciousness, the key words “Survivor Tree” as well as the date are so well highlighted and framed, allowing a meaning to emerge where none was considered. A happy accident? "You talkin' to me?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 That's an impossible standard to meet, in the context of the current discussion Clearly, However looking at photographs in general I do about 100 impossible things a week. Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je ne regrette rien Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I come late. In this picture I see the combination of mistery and practicality and realism. If to an extent this photo conveys a feeling of compassion and remembrance, on the other hand it is a very concrete instruction for visitors. I find it compelling as I perceive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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