out of the box AMERICAN PASTIME

I know social commentary doesn't win any awards on Pnet, but it's what

I like.

Great "shot," Dave, in more ways than one. Regards...

Thanks a lot. I keep going over to your site to see if you've posted, but nothing so far. What's the ETA on getting your 'puter fixed?

Dave, It's promised for Monday. So if the damn thing really works, I'll be posting again next week. Wish they had a rating slot for "cojones." I'd give you a 7 for this one. Regards, Joe

Thanks for the laugh (cojones). Now that's a category I can relate to. ROTFL

Gaaakkk!

This is the kind of documentary shot that truly inspires me. It says what it says very simply, and yet it is a highly emotive picture. I find myself conflicted by the scene. My practical side tells me that law enforcement people must know how to use weapons, and that practice is essential. A target of a person with a pointed gun makes logical sense. But there is also an overwhelming aura of violence and death here that repels me.

 

You have made me uncomfortable. Good.

Must you always be so eloquent?

Yes, good that it kicked you in the gut. That pleases me. And thanks for the reasoned response. As usual, you speak from a point of view that is well reasoned and humane. Thanks.

A great image, David, and your remark about social commentary on PN made me smile. So true! B ;)

Thanks for the comment and for rating. Regards

while this photo is not what one would consider "pretty", nor it is a "Wow" composition, it makes a very good point, and considering the subject it is well taken. This photo should deffinitely hang in the Wake Up Gallery. Good job. Keep them coming. Cheers, Micheal

Thanks. What do you mean, "not pretty?" Look at the nice grass and sky.

I'll go against the grain here. I'm not finding much social commentary. I experience this more as a presentation. Given the ironic juxtapositions in so many of your photos, I need more than the obvious that's here to be moved. I am sort of left wanting for another level or two.

Fred and I usually agree, sometimes not. We don't on this one. I think the "other level" he requested is represented in the landscape surrounding the central scene. There's a "God Bless America" feel to the lighting in the clouds and hill. Then in the midst of all this glory, the viewer is forced to stare down the barrel of a gun. The board and its figures are riddled with holes (as are the arguments of both sides of this issue). I even find the tilt of the board wants to pull me into the picture. Perhaps this isn't a sweeping philosophical statement of a photo, but it causes an immediate visceral reaction in me, especially given that the title implies that this sort of scene and the pasttime is depicts qualifies for entertainment.

You are one hard to please critic. I'll grant you this is not a complex image. Few of mine are. I usually am content (read barely capable of more than) suggesting a certain set of circumstances or facts. To me, the mere fact that this sits just outside city limits at all makes at least one statement. This is the sort of common scene one would expect to find in war zones. Not Canada, Sweden, England, Japan, or many other civilized places. It does evoke a certain visceral response in me in that, while the man pointing the gun is only paper, I sense that this could happen. I can feel threatened. Additionally, when one looks at the intent emphasized by the holes and the markings of where to shoot, there is a dread and loathing that this is possible in our world. Sure, this is not as graphic as dead bodies laying bleeding in the streets of Baghdad, or so many other places. It only intimates real violence.

 

While I have no idea what your feelings are about warfare, guns, killing in general, I do suspect that you are a pretty sensitive person, and probably would not be described by the popular (and somewhat useless) terms "hawk" or "conservative" or "pro gun." So, if I may assume we share some similar viewpoints on some of these standard issues, I will equally have to assume what I've done here does not trigger the same emotions. I find that much more interesting than upsetting.

 

As always, thanks so much for the honest response. I do think that you should have rated it lower, given your reservations about it. Trust me, it won't disturb me at all because you have taken the trouble to express your viewpoint.

Well, clearly there is no right or wrong here, and Fred is one of the sharpest guys on Pnet, so when, he speaks, I listen. But, you have come up with the interpretation that is more in line with my own response. Thanks

I am rabidly anti-gun, anti-Bush, anti-war (especially the current one), anti-violence. I try to be supportive and understanding of those who must use and practice with guns, like policemen. I have little use for guns as sport. I knew what you were after. This just didn't get me there. I got the landscape and pretty sky bit. It seemed too easy. Strangely enough, in an esthetic sense, I found this photo cute (I can separate that from the seriousness of the subject matter and that was the extent of my visceral reaction), not probing or confrontational. You must remember, though, I'm also a little nuts! Yes, I know, I'm demanding. But it also comes within the context of other stuff you've accomplished, not just my needs or tastes. I've been working under the idea lately that simple can be wonderful. It's a fine line and I really believe there is simple and there is simple.

 

Honestly, I don't think the only alternative handling of this is dead bodies and blood running in the streets. I've had many other ideas of how this photo might have reached me, but those specifics don't matter. What matters is what you want to accomplish. If you've accomplished what you wanted, great. We don't please all of the people all of the time, nor should we.

Please do not be incensed. I in no way implied that you missed the point or needed something less subtle to understand my point. I stated that I respect your view, and you know I admire your intellect and artistic sensibilities.

Not incensed at you, I promise!

David, you have hit the bull's eye with your caption.

I think it's a good image with a strong caption...I really feel being targeted...what strikes me is that if shooting is your pastime (why not by the way) why using a threathening man-like target and not a regular circular-type target...this is where I see the social content and questionning that I like in your images....

No, not the bullseye. I lost my head and got to the heart of the matter. Thanks, Amal.

Thanks again for your comments. I don't think I can explain any better than (I hope) the image does, but I almost felt as if I was looking down the barrel of the gun. It just triggered (and that pun was not intended) a loathsome reaction within me to think about all that it could represent. On top of that, last night I watched the first 2 and a half hour segment (out of fourteen) on WW II. It doesn't make me feel really good about mankind to see the worst things we are capable of.

I like that you can't tell what country this is in (well, okay there's some English text by the silhouette target). Pretty much anywhere you go, you can find someone working on their attactics. I like that you've moved off to the side a bit, like we've caught this mid-pan, adjusting your aim. I also find it interesting that they go to the trouble of giving the crash test perp buttons and a watch.