By the Fence

I was driving into Knoxville, Tennessee, to shoot some street stuff at an outdoor festival. I pulled up to a red light and saw this man off to the side of the road near a chain link fence. There were no houses around, no anything really. Before the light changed, I snapped a quick shot through the passenger window of my truck. The exposure was absolutely horrible. But the image in my mind will never leave me.

Comments appreciated, but I already know this is photographically

terrible.

As you said, the pic is horrible, but what it represents is far more horrible. In this country we have so much, yet care so little. I don't know about you, but it sickens me that I feel so powerless to do anything about this kind of thing. We as a people do not have much concern for anything but our own material gain, and we have developed a government that is directed in the same direction. Sorry for the soapbox comments, but it needs to be discussed and acted upon (IMHO).

David, I think we grew up in a time when compassion was admired and service was a noble undertaking. That approach to life was valued and promoted in the public arena. As you note, that isn't the case now, neither in the mainstream religious community nor in the political realm. It is a material world.

There are some photographs on photo.net that are out of focus,contrasty,not perfect exposure and very little tonal range,however the fact that the photographer captured a powerfull subject with great emotional impact overrides any of those requirements.This is one of those photographs!I don't think the young man leaning on the fence is in a good place in his life right now.I hope it is temporary and he gets better.I am getting sick of hearing our president and some members of congress talking about how good the economy is and I drive around with my camera taking photographs of small towns, with there downtowns boarded up and poverty all around.I have a lot to be greatfull for, but to be honest I am getting older and I worry about my future and wonder if I will have enough money to make it to the grave.(FEAR),is this what America is all about?I know what will fix it,Let's not let the gays get married.Gee! I feel better allready.7/7

Maybe it isn't what you meant to do, but I think the exposure here is perfect. There's just enough detail in the background for my mind to fill in the rest. Otherwise, however, there's almost nothing, except for the man himself. It looks as though he's being swallowed by the world around him. Very powerful, which merits the 7 for aesthetics. And a 7 for originality, even accidental.

Thank you all. Your comments mean a lot, believe me.

Doug: this is one of my favorite images that I've seen on PN, and it has been added accordingly to my "favorites" folder. Thought I'd let you know that.

John, I appreciate that very much, sincerely.

Anyone who says this photo is horrible doesn't know jack. The feeling produced by a photograph, the way its presentation (in this case referring to overexposure) contributes to that feeling are what separate art from snapshots. I, too, will agree with a previous poster and say this is one of my favorite PN images ever. The overexposure and the hand raised to cover the eyes really make me FEEL the heat-light of the sun. You should Not be afraid to do more work like this. To hell with perfect photographs. You have achieved emotional perfection leaving aside technical nerd bs. Respect.