Gina O'Leary, 6, hangs out in a newspaper box as she and her bother Robert, 13, wait for their mother to pick them up in front of Aspen Valley Hospital Monday afternoon May 20, 2002.

Thank you's to everybody on the comments. They are all appreciated.

I have a response to Marc's comment on why it's a tight photo. There is a lot of extraneous information (a telephone pole on the right, and dead weeds on the left) that has nothing to add to the photo. Also, working at a newspaper, photos need to be tight as they may run small, although, this ran fairly big, bigger than our average photo. In addtion, if the photo were a little looser, the girl in the box would be lost.

In response to the additon of adding the previous frames and thsoe which followed, IF ( a BIG if) I have time this week, I will gladly scan in those photos for comparison. Thany you all once again for the comments.

The intense expression of the bigger kid and the contrast between the two subjects is very provoking. You have a very good eye for subject matter.

Just great. If this image doesn't say a hell of a lot about kids, then I don't know what does.

I'm surprised that there is such good light on the girl's face in the newspaper box. I assume that you didn't use flash.

What a great combination of color! Gina's blue eyes and her brother's obvious red hair are wonderful! That the newspaper boxes have the same colors, only more vivid, is just a great element. Luck comes to the prepared!

What a classic! Still hard to believe she paid 50 cts. just to sit....

This is pretty good. I showed it to some of my co-workers and we had a laugh over it. The colors are pretty outstanding. Though it looks like the picture could be rescanned.

Kevin

I have the nagging feeling that Robert looks really unwell, but if you say this is just a sweet fun shot, I'll take you at your word. The alternating reds and blues are one of those great coincdences. I agree with Mr. Gougenheim re: the framing of the shot feeling too tight outside the context of a newspaper page. Here on the web, with ample whitespace around it to breathe and shown at a decent size, the aggressive cropping feels really aggressive. I can see how this is a teriffic little local-news photo, but I think a lot of your other photos in this same folder are more striking and hold up better outside the nespaper than this one does.

As a working PJ, all I can say is I hope your photo editor had the good sense to run this A1. Awesome shot!

Great job! An interesting aspect of this shot is that the little girl inside the blue box looks more comfortable than the teenager on top of the red box: it seems symbolic of carefree childhood versus angst-ridden adolescence.

As an aside, it was a great change of pace to see human element photojournalism highlighted in the POW. It would be nice to see more of this kind of work from time to time.

I've been regularly visiting photo.net for about a year. This is the first time I comment. Very well done.

 

Cheers

 

Steven

We all try so hard to "find" a perfect shot, but sometimes it just finds us. This is the kind of picture so many of us wish we took. Wonderful.

I'm having a hard time understanding the whimsy and humor that other people see in this photo. I must be one of the few who do not understand why another persons discomfort amounts to sidesplitting comedy.

This photo seems more disturbing than funny to me. I'm also wondering what if anything I should infer from the shirt Robert is wearing that says, "Guerrilla Tactics." To me it looks more likely that he is pounding his fist in his hand than twiddling his thumbs.

 

I am curious to know why these two children are waiting to be picked up in front of a hospital and wonder if this young man has some sort of physical or mental problem. In the context of a newspaper photograph, I don't see what makes this particularly newsworthy or important.

 

I wondered about the choice of film because the photographer mentioned that he had been taking a portrait earlier. The media in question does not seem like the most ideal choice for rendering skin tones. Perhaps film resolution is not critical for newprint.

 

I appreciated Helen's comments about the contrast in ages and Mike's impression of a bully and his victim. I'm not certain what the real story is but I find it interesting to note the range of interpretations that are available from the same image.

 

Thanks for the comments Dennis. It's nice to get a contrasting statement. The two kids were waiting at the bus stop for their mother as the caption info stated. No other story, the two were just bored waiting for mom.

Beautiful shot. Wonderful colors. At first didn't like the crop that much, but understand why. Would like more environment, though.

 

When I first read that they were outside the hospital, as some above, I thought maybe something was up medically with Robert, so did feel a little concerned that it was some pathology that makes this picture unique, but looking more, I don't think there is enough information here to make any kind of general statement like that.

 

The interesting thing about Robert is that his posture, bright red cheeks, fair skin and the velvia saturated hair color combine to make an interesting looking young fellow. Combining all that with his detached expression, fist in hand and guerilla t-shirt, it is easy to see where some may want to read more into this than may be there. Impossible to say anything for sure without knowing them personally.

 

As far as this photo being some indictment of the educational system or parenting in general, that's just bizarre to me. I doubt the boredom of waiting at bus stops has much to do with how someone was raised or educated. A good rule of thumb with teenagers is to never make assumptions about what they are thinking by their outward appearance. Robert could just be bummed having read the newspaper next to him.

 

Whatever the subtext to this image, it is nonetheless captivating. Especially impressed that you took the time to talk to them, get their names and ages and didn't just run off after your capture.

Congratulations

As stated earlier, I am impressed at how much you know about the subjects you photograph. I guess knowing the story helps us to capture it.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing those other pics either. The tight shot makes for a good newspaper clipping, but leaves me curious about the surroundings.

 

Congrats once again on POW.

As far as this photo being some indictment of the educational system or parenting in general, that's just bizarre to me. I doubt the boredom of waiting at bus stops has much to do with how someone was raised or educated.

 

Beg pardon, I may be reading too much into the image, but I have just seen too many minors smoking or drinking at bus stops, or vandalizing bus shelters. Boredom is just a short step away from anomie. If our children are bored, whatever the circumstances, it is partly because they have not learned to entertain themselves with a rich imagination or an observant curiosity about the world around them. What is bizarre is that such childhood ennui escapes the notice of many adults, even those who are themselves parents. If the children in the photograph had as much curiosity about their surroundings as Paul Conrad, who took the pictures, I doubt they'd be bored. Of course, I'm biased -- I went for ten years without a car and I did a lot of waiting at bus stops, but I was never bored.

Hey Paul. Fellow small city PJ here. This is great stuff man. I'm curious to know why you chose the shot where they finally realized that you were there? I do like the contact made with the girls eyes. Is that why you chose the frame?You guys sure get your share of mini disasters down there.

Cheers!Geoff

Great photo. I like the fact that a lot of people make up their own story after looking at this photo. That's how powerfull photography can be..... I see it as a "daily life" photo taken at the right time more than a newspaper photo telling a story about restless kids (or whatever). Good catch, taken at the right time (the descicive moment like Cartier-Bresson) ! You have a good eye....

The kid in the box is full of imagination, that's why she's in the box, and the big guy is focused on some object lying on the ground, a leaf shaped like Alaska, perhaps, or the theological implications of stomping on an ant. Look how intent he is.

 

It's hard, and maybe not fair, to accurately weigh the character caught in the split second of a camera click.

reminds me -- sadly --- of being tormented in junior high school.

I just love the red shirt/red box, blue shorts/blue box. The boy's red hair only adds to the perfection. I personally disagree that the cropping is too tight, I really like it this way. On close inspection I notice some noise in the background, probably from scanning, but this is the kind of photo that is great even as a snapshot stuck to the fridge door. For this image, minor technical condsiderations are secondary to the great moment and the ability of the photographer to capture it for us to enjoy.

 

I felt a mixture of humor and concern when I saw this photo, which I think is part of its appeal. As someone else already pointed out, I don't think it's wise to read that much social context into a single photo of two bored kids. Like many others, I enjoyed a rich and rewarding childhood, but certainly spent more than a few bored moments waiting for Mom. Not every scene is a tragic social commentary.

Paul,

 

This represents, for me, the essence of photography - the ability to capture precise moments in time that would otherwise be lost. I also don't see any great social commentary here, but instead, find this to be a beautiful representation of a universal moment...waiting for mom and/or dad to finish up with their nonsense so you can get on with more important stuff. There were undoubtedly kids all over the world doing the same thing at precisely the moment this photo was taken (waiting, that is - not necessarily in/on newspaper boxes). Great eye.

 

Bill

First, a comment/response to "-- Dennis --":

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar..."

 

I don't find the photo "humerous" but I do think it's a great slice of life. A moment begging to be caught on film and shared; which is what was done here.

 

I see the expression on the young boy as a neat twist on Rodin's "The Thinker."

Nice photo, but hardly the best in your impressive portfolio.

I found it hard to believe that someone has given you a 5 5 on this photo. The colors are great and the subject of the photo is definitely original. You have really captured the "boredom" of the youth of today. I think this would maje a great poster child project for :"What do our youth do in their spare time?" Great photo opt.'s rarely fall in our laps but this surely did. I gave ya a 9/9!!