single photos Untitled

Let me get this out first. I am a sucker for night photography and I love ships. So don't be shocked when I say that this is a great photograph and changing any of it will ruin its subtle symmetry and destroy the atmosphere.

I am impressed with the fact that though this is probably a long exposure there does not seem a trace of subject movement. The ship seems tack sharp. I like the reciprocity failure's fantastic colors.

The stern is facing us. The angle of the ship and the angle of available light makes the ship look distorted. Its dark side has an ominous feeling to it.

The overall feeling is that of foreboding.

I do not think the ship is listing. But it were listing it would be not unusual.

I like the poetic Tethered/Foreboding, with the vessel in waiting theme. Anxious anticipation. Correcting the list, or anything else here may serve to bring this to art, yet it's the first impression as is which is significant.

A singular photographic talent, no doubts about it, because one should "construct" the image before press the shutter expecting for a certain result. This IS a construction, one plenty of aesthetic from a clever point of view. Chapeau.

For me, Alex and Michael are on the right track when commenting of this POW.
It is a poetic statement more than a picture of a boat and a pier. The "boat" has because of the lights and shadows (the dark, almost black, port side, the white of the deck and the totally visible starboard) has become an almost animalistic creature chained to a pier. The smoke on the right and left side of the "boat" provide life and movements. We are in a world of comics and postmodern movies.
Great job! I would not change a thing, and surely put it on a wall.
Congratulations Patrice with this well deserved POW.

Strenghts: POW status, rule of thirds completely followed.

Weakness: no emotion felt when viewing, overall boring.

Recomendation: Elves, it would be more interesting and rewarding if compeling images where chosen for discussion.

"The "boat" has because of the lights and shadows (the dark, almost black, port side, the white of the deck and the totally visible starboard) has become an almost animalistic creature chained to a pier."

Precisely, and the reason for my earlier comment regarding the feeling of enigma and an apparent "oily" massive "whale."

Such enigma are the reason some of us photograph, to obtain an artistic rendition and communication of everyday things. Perhaps, as a francophone of Belgium or France, Patrice also has this same mindset. I think I can paraphrase Proust's thoughts when he suggested that the beauty of life is seen in everyday local objects and scenes and not in the more clichéd examples of great visual art that have been already recognised.

Arthur, you are right, I could have mentioned the modern European art of "bande dessinée (BD) " - which in American becomes "comics" - and which especially has developed in Belgium (Flemish and francophone regions) Italy and not least in France and in many cases adopting esthetics very near the present POW. Maybe not by chance.

Anders, you will have to explain your thought, as you lost me in comparing Niset's early morning shot to the images or themes of the "bande dessinée" medium.

(incidentally, we also use the term "bande dessinée" regularly here in Québec, like the term "caricature", so perhaps are not typically North American)

Sorry Arthur, I might have jumped to conclusions.
Your reference to Belgium made me immediately understand why the POW of Patrice Niset seems to be so much linked to the ethetics of contemporary bande dessinés that especially have been created the last 20 years in Belgium, France and Italy. I don't know if they have found a market in America (I would expect them to be distributed in Canada, though). I believe my short mail of 04:41 p.m. provides, at least, a sketch of the visual poesy of many of these works.
Whether your reference to Proust, and that "the beauty of life is seen in everyday local objects", is clarifying things here, I'm not sure. For me it is a fantasy world - just like many of the "bande dessinée" mentioned.

I tend to agree with John's assessment of the photo. The dark side of the ship is not, to me, an enigma. It's just fairly dark shadows, especially against the bright side of the ship and the heat of the land area beside it. The photo seems like a good illustration of what was seen, and doesn't seem to be reaching further, which I don't think it has to. I don't find any particular meaning here, nor does this photo seem to be about meaning or my imagination, just about capturing a somewhat majestic ship in the night. I do agree with John that the dark side of the ship could be lightened a bit, to add some dimension and a sense of depth and shape to that side of the ship. It would still have a strong darker contrast to the lighter side but would provide a little more visual meat for me.

Anders, thanks for your reference to that art form from Belgium that commenced with Hergé and TinTin in the days of the great depression and has inspired so many Belgian and other European artists of bande dessinée (yes, TinTin is quite popular in Canada, especially franco-Canada). Their use of the simple line and patches of colour does seem to lend itself to depiction of everyday things, and with some fantasy.

Proust, in attempting to bring a young friend and aesthete, discouraged in seeking beauty in life, out of a depression brought on by his living in an ordinary and not princely or palatial environment, pointed his friend to Chardin, a painter who sought beauty in ordinary things. Proust suggested that he attempt to see the beauty in those everyday experiences rather than in the splendid depictions of much great art that did not really relate to his life. His advice was to "look not just at the Roman compagna, the pageantry of Venice, or the proud expression of Charles 1 on his horse, but also have a look at the bowl on the sideboard, the dead fish in your kitchen, and the crusty bread loaves in the hall".

So, back to what I think is a very good image by Patrice (and better in my mind than his other less powerful companion images from that port in Belgium). The apparent ordinariness of a large ship in a port is for me transcended by the way the photographer has handled the lighting, or the way in which the lighting has by chance favoured the photographer, who at least had the good sense to detect the moment as being un-ordinary, enigmatic, and perhaps what you don't see is what you get.

John and Fred wish more light on the sides of the ship and other modifications apparently for clarity. For me, that would simply turn Niset's image into a more everyday detailed industrial photograph. It would lose its enigmatic sense, which lies at the heart of its considerable beauty. Someone above said that he or she quite admired the photo, but would not place it on one of their walls. That is a revealing comment I think, because the beauty is partly in the threat of the unrevealed, and that can quite reasonably bother some.

The photo is in someways a good differentiator of how we each see images and photography as art. I remember Fred and I having very different takes on an image of a steet scene with two ladies in or seeking shelter under rainfall at what appears to be a bus or telephone shelter. The enigma and the sheer sensual pleasure of the B&W tonality had captured my interest, whereas the position of the persons or the context (if I remember correctly his reaction) made little sense to Fred. Although I often agree with many of Fred's perceptions, and disagreee wholeheartedly with others, this is a good thing and really simply underlines different aesthetics when it comes to photography, and how and what motivates our sense of aesthetics as being different from person to person. I often find myself at odds with the elves' choices for the POW, but also I am very glad in some cases for some more sublime images that they choose to post.

Such is art and the variability of human (and no doubt his cultural) values. A welcome diversity.

I wholeheartedly agree with Arthur. I myself belong to the faction that think this is a fantastic photo and I would not change a thing. Yes, I was irritated by the lighting which to me makes the ship look as if it is bending toward the dock. But I quickly realized, it was that irritation that made me stop and look in the first place. And it is that lighting that gives the image a slightly menacing atmosphere, almost turning the ship into a monster. Putting light on the other side of the ship, even a little, would turn the image into just another well done picture of a ship. As would cropping to remove the smoke stakes in the background, as they provide another element of the world of industrial production and grime over which this monster reigns - at least in this basin. I enjoyed this photo immensely and in the course of time discovering the various details in it, rather than just having one sole point of focus that I can look at and leave in tenths of a second. Rather than distracting and competing for attention, it is all part of a story. Super work!

I like this photo and I am attracted by the overall night scene, the vapour and the bluish tones. I do not have the feeling that there is too much to see. The amount of details is just right.
What puzzles me is the asymmetric shape of the ship's hull. Since the port side is nearly completely dark, it's form looks completely different from the starboard side.
I also agree that more light on the port side could make it an ordinary picture. I would be interested to see how the picture would look like if the viewpoint was slightly more on the left hand side.

Bill Tate .. the first thing I noticed was the twisted bulbous bow until I realised it was the fact that I couldn't see the port side of the bulb or the top of it ... the 'list' is because we cannot see the upright starboard side of the ship due to the camera position while we see the port side as the vertical it is. I doubt that there is any list.
It does make for an unusual photo drawing attention by virtue of those points for me.
It could be my monitor, uncalibrated, but I don't like the burnt-out shed on the lower left of photo . It has fabulous mood for me for all these points.

I thought the ship was stern on too until I worked out that that shape down at the waterline was the side only lit bow bulb and not the rudder high out of the water and off at an angle :-) The very harshness of the lighting coming from behind/beside the ship attracts me as perfectly in keeping with the dark anmial creature some see.

Arthur you are right that, of course, the quotation from Proust is relevant, but what is central for appreciating this POW is its departure from just registering a boat and pier. For those that believe that: a boat- is a boat - is a boat, surely some lightenings would "improve" the photo, but as mentioned the quality of this POW of Patrice is that there is a story line involved that brings as somewhere else.
I have mentioned the esthetics of contemporary European "bande dessinées". Hergé's Tintin is clearly an inspiring example, but many young artist have been working for some years now, further developing what in Europe is called "comics for adults" which have entered museums through the continent. I could maybe refer to drawing like these to give an idea of the imagery in those works and you will maybe notice the resemblance in esthetics with the present POW: See here, here and here, for example.

I suppose one could also say that those who are insecure in their own opinions need to rationalize the opinions of others when they vary from their own. Can't we simply have a different view of a photo without having to claim that someone who disagrees can't see a boat metaphorically? And can't we accept that others may not see the enigma we find in a photo without repeating the word several times in a second post?

BTW, I see very little resemblance or similarity of esthetic between the examples Anders posted and the POTW. If the photographer of the POTW was trying to create an example of such a cartoon-like esthetic (which I don't think she was), she failed miserably.

This photo shows us a different way to observe a scene about a ship...personnaly I like everything about the sea (as you may see in my folder named "around the sea"). In this case, it's a very good work: the shape of the ship, the light, the ropes, the smoke, all atmosphere is perfect and ideal for several interpretations...
Five stars Patrice!
Regards

Fred, I find it indeed interesting that you are not able to see what I, and some others, see in Patrice's shot. One of the reasons why PN is worthwhile our efforts. It would be very boring if we all agreed.
By the way, our Patrice is a "he" and not a "she" - you can verified it here.

I like this as a very good atmospheric feel image. The exposure in low light is very good. I especially like the sense of scale the surroundings give the huge ship

This image presents an amazing perspective of a n ingenering master creation with fantastic light, and gives a glinse at patrice creations and once more attracted the best critics in PN to provide us with great opinions and information. Congratulations to all involve. Patrice thanks for sharing!

I am able to see it that way. I just don't see it that way. Likewise I could say that I find it indeed interesting that you are not able not to project things into the photo that I don't. But I don't say that. I just say you see it differently.

Well said Fred. There we agree for sure.

When I started looking at this picture, my first question was why the ship looked so morphed and twisted, which specific detail that created this illusion. For me I identified it as the line in the water caused by the shadow of the ship next to the bulb, which in my mind was pictured as the waterline and making me "see" a different shape than the real one. After I had identified what was "the missing line" I started to look for it.
The picture has two very distinct phases for me. The first one when I was seeing the twisted hull with a cartoon like quality in the picture, and the second when I lost the totality of the picture because my eyes would always seek to the area where the missing waterline should have been. I wish that the real waterline could be seen if you looked for it. Then I would still have that cartoon like impression at first glance, but also a subtle line telling me where the waterline was, giving me the luxury of switching between two versions of the picture.