Untitled

If you have a chance, view the large version. Comments always welcome and appreciated.

Great texture, light and color. I find stairs inherently interesting, and this particular image exciting.

Thank you so much, Ransford! This is truly one of my favorite all time images. For a short time, I thought I had lost the digital file after having seen it. It broke my heart. Then, there it was, I was so happy. It seemed that everything came together for me in this image. Ironically, I have a friend who, very sincerely, wanted me to explain to him why this is a good image!?!? I didn't know what to say. He is not someone who is very involved in the arts and just didn't get it. To him, it was merely a picture of a stairwell. I guess it's true: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thanks for the kind words, they are always most sincerely appreciated.

Absolutely magnificent. A simple image but a work of incredible composition and lighting, not to mention great perspective. It looks like a painting.

 

I love it.

You pose a tough question: How to explain why one of your images is good. I said little about this image because it was difficult to answer that very question. On reflection, I would say that you have here a fairly ordinary set of steps that are transformed by light into a very dramatic scene, 'chiaroscuro' would be the description, I think. The light is almost like a waterfall without water. Images without clear messages are difficult for most people to grasp.

When all is said and done, I think we are merely making our contribution to the history of visual imagination, drawing from all the images we have seen and enjoyed, learning to see for ourselves.

Good to hear from you, Marco. I hope all is well. One day soon, that infamous cup of coffee :-) Be well! Paul.

So well said, Ransford! It's funny how at that precise moment in time, in China, at that stairwell, on that day, at that location, I was the only person (to the best of my knowledge) who captured that image. And that can be said for all those who capture images.

China? The colors and light say "Spain" to me. I've never been to Spain, but painting, classic and modern, of Spain echo this image. Of course, this could be almost anywhere, that is part of its appeal--universality.

Great atmosphere and light great photograph my dear Paul Chepikian!

rgds

joao

 

 

 

Hope everything is still going well. I love this photo. I am also glad that Ransford asked you the difficult question this time. I wonder if the subjects we like, or photograph, is a reflection of our innerselves? For example, if you, like I do, and Ransford does as well, like photos of stairs - what does it mean? Any shrinks out there?? Maybe it is like a dream - and we have to interpret it.

 

I can understand that composition, texture, lights, shadows etc all play a part. But you have all that when you photograph something as ordinary as a pen or pencil too. So my uninformed and uneducated take on it is that it speaks to us on a different level. The stairs can represent our past, our history, even our personal circumstances, and I imagine the turning above where the light falls is an indication or hope of where we are going to - what lies ahead. The hereafter, the afterlife, even the next hour or day. It is positive as we come from dark and go into the light.

 

The earthly colours work well with this interpretation for me, it bounds the earth and the lights of heaven.

 

Ok, jeez, that's enough for one day. The lawyer in me is starting to rebel against this unwarranted and profound contra naturem emotions I'm displaying, and that over some stairs! Stay well. JH

I love it! Objection overuled! Thanks so very much for that input and please don't ever feel you have to apologize for such wondreful and enlightening comments. One thing I love about photography and so many of the other arts is that often times, people make observations and comments that even I didn't think of. Maybe it was buried somewhere in the back of my mind but until someone else pointed it out, I had no idea. I have so many images that I couldn't begin to explain why I shot them in the first place. Like you said, any therapists out there? Once again, thanks so much for the observations. I look forward to many more chats.