Free flight

I love this shot!

Don't make me explain why.

I don't know why.

I just LOVE it !!

 

Bill P.

Very creative photograph! I lreally love how the shadows of the chairs in the water do not have the same shapes as the ones being tossed in...or are they blue and my eyes are bad? lol...either way, this is a great photo! Thanks for sharing. :)

Thanks Bill, and Trisha. I wish I had done more than select one of several possible images of chairs in a pool (there were many chairs submerged yet floating), but I liked the play between these particular chairs and their shadows on the bottom of the pool. What I really mean by not having done more, is that I found all the poolside chairs dumped in the Georgia seaside pool one morning. Apparently, the owner periodically dumps all his chairs into the chlorinated pool as part of the cleaning exercise. It would be fun to use this interesting water media for other submerged objects, the plastic ones great as they hover between the surface and the bottom of the pool and move about giving interesting patterns. Like Bill says, this one got to me and I am not completely sure why.

I sometimes wonder if it's the shots that we are struck by (as I am by this one), yet can't quite get at the "why" of, which are the most significant. Regardless, I think it's very good. I could talk about composition and color and shadow and aesthetic balance until I'm blue in the face, but it comes down to "I like it."

So unexpected and absurd to see chairs floating in a pool. The shadows are more interesting than the chairs, but the contrast of the two and the water around them is nice. I like this

Steve, Donna-

 

I appreciate your reactions. Thanks. I was attracted to the image in the way you responded to it. It just seemed right. I took a few others but this one had the right effect. It seems somewhat allegorical to me, chairs being normally anchored to the ground and the shadow images more stable than the actual chairs. Perhaps surrealistic is a better term, although it is really just fun when you come down to it.

 

I created only the angle and composition, not the idea of throwing the chairs into the pool. So I still have a way to go as an artist....

"Free flight" may be too deterministic a title for this, as the abstract arrangement of two

underwater chairs (culled from a mass of such chairs and awaiting the moment while

they floated about) and their shadows may strike the viewer differently than me - which

I saw as being mostly absurd, or surrealist. What does it communicate to you? All

critiques or comments and feelings about it are most welcome. Thanks

This photo attracts the attention because it is different. The chairs meant to be stable and solid but here they are weightless floating. Their shadows in contrast are more prominent and bold. An inspirational shot. Karl

Very original!

Karl and Svetlana,

 

Thanks for looking at this and your comments.  I briefly viewed your fine compositions and research, Karl, and Svetlana's "Dream of summer" image, and will look more at both of your intriguing images.

Very nice Arthur!

It grabbed my attention when I was commenting on the same topic as you.

Well, as nice as the chairs and shadows are, what really takes this to the next level is all the 'textures' from the ripples and those that are 'smeared' from the winds on top. This adds so much interest, visually. This is plain out a great piece of art. (Appeared on the front of PN today, that's how I found it.)

And it's ok not to have had the thought to throw them in to 'create' this, seeing it is the creating process, anything else is just bonus creating.

John and Michael. Thank you for your comments. As Michael mentions, seeing unusual or appealing subject matter is often the key to our photography and doesn't necessarily require taking actions to make it happen. Michael, I very much appreciate your point about the ripples, as apart from adding texture and light they put the chairs into a bit of context, provide an idea of depth and give a clue to the viewer about the relationship in this case of objects and their shadows. Without the ripples the nearly white and black chairs might just be a pattern like wallpaper. Thank you for that.

Excellent.

Attractive, artistic concept, surrealist indeed, this image leads me directly to Salvador Dali mindset. Excellent.

Timo and Carlos,

Thank you for your appreciations. I tried a few other views of these and other chairs in the pool, but this seemed to work the best (the others were too cluttered). I wish I had had the instinct and imagination to throw the chairs into the pool on this sunlit day (à la Dali, or Magritte), but at least I was able to see the possibilities that they presented as they floated about. I would like to encounter other such interesting physical events again in future. 

 

Fantastic photo! I could get lost in the metaphysics of this image - but it is also simply fun to look at. Great idea, great composition and a wonderful play with shadow and light. Super!!!

Otto,

 

Thanks for commenting this image. I seldom produce images that can stir my thoughts or those of others, but it is always an aim in my work. Sometimes we are lucky to contrive or to recognize subject matter that does that, at other times we are simply lucky to come across something that makes us question or reflect on something. Both are good results for me when they occur. I am glad that you found this photo interesting in that way. I enjoy looking at your portfolio, as it has many original images in it. 

I looked at your portfolio and this image jumps out at me.  For some reason my mind was working to try to recall an album cover.  Then it came to me-- Nirvana's Nevermind.  I know, it was a naked baby boy and a dollar bill, but this is what I thought of!  Regards, Jeff