Reflected Features

I was standing outside and looking inside. Thanks for your impressions.

Thanks

This image really grabs the attention. It seems like a ghostly apparition. One moment here and next is gone. You mentioned that you were outside looking inside. I think a lot of times when you try to get to know people it is just as elusive as this picture. Most people don't like to reveal their real self so easily. Provocative and engaging work Pnina.

Is that mme? No it can't be. Are you sure? I love the aha look on her face. It is the wonder of the look that I love. I love the way that I ccan see through and still see the clothes on the hangers. It makes me wonder what is in the store. I also wonder what is making the aha look. I feel like I am part of the walk and part of the conversation. I like that. I like that I feel like I am there.

This holds such muted drama. The rich orange tone in the background coupled with the blue from the window works well to create a point-counterpoint. I love her open mouth, as if she is witnessing something the viewer, looking at her, is not privy to. I keep turning to the left to see what's there, but nothing. I have to imagine that she's seeing a lover, an accident, or some other captivating scene that has taken her breath away. Great timing and a great shot.

A intriguing image , my first reaction is that I am looking at a visual puzzle that I must somehow solve. I find it hard to determine how much is reflected and to what extent I am seeing through to the other side of the glass. The face with the mouth agape seems phantasmal, the empty dark holes were I would expect the eyes to be is unsettling . I can alternately see the wide open mouth as an expression of horror or awe and disbelief at what she is seeing. The awe stricken impression is strongest for me and this pulls me into the riddle that this image presents.What on earth is so darn fascinating over there anyway. I feel compelled to turn around so I too may see such an awesome sight. The other figure being only empty eyes without even a mouth is too great a mystery and my eye tends to want to ignore this face. Another mystery for me is -- if I'm on the outside looking in why is the writing on the sign backwards ? It must be intended to be viewed from inside the store. Is that brick wall a feature of the inside or a reflection from across the street? All of these tricks being played on my vision leave me in a dizzy sort of state. I like that you have presented three separate planes without giving undue stress to any one of them. A part of me wants to crop out the bottom 20 % as well as about the same amount from the left side to direct attention to that face and to be rid of the lighter areas. Another part of me likes that these areas are present as it adds to the mystery, I am left wondering which aspect the photographer was drawn toward when the image was taken. I love a good mystery Pnina and I also love this shot. From a technical point of view I can not offer up much suggestion, the exposure looks good it could be interesting to see it a bit darker but I am having trouble envisioning this. You may end up losing detail in that face.

well seen pnina. it has a life of its own. with admiration, josh

Cool, Pnina! Your eye finds the best stuff. I especially like the expression on her face ... and the lines in the reflection on the right.

Thanks, "Most people don't like to reveal their real self so easily." I agree to that ,but there are human situations that you see yourself in them, this was one of them, for a moment.

 

I like your impression, because I felt the same thing. It touched me and I felt an echo of her emotion, so well expressed through the window and reflections. We , so many times are standing with that kind of expression for what life is preparing for us. It touched me, I'm glad it touched you too.

Jeff, it is the kind of image, that each spectator, will "write" his own story, I love that you were doing it!

"I can alternately see the wide open mouth as an expression of horror or awe and disbelief at what she is seeing."

 

That was exactly my feelings looking to the inside. The unexpected riddle life is unfolding to us, unforseen , and ours at times. I cropped some of the R hand side that I thought is not relevant, but I wanted to leave the parts of the sides that are adding to the mystery and unsettled situation, as well as the surrounding which is not very clear either only hinted. . Revelation vs. disappearing, and you wonder what is that mystery wants to say to us. There are situations that we meet and still rest unsolved.

 

That is a try to formulate in words my feelings which passed my thoughts while seeing that scene.. Thank you Gordon.

Josh, you have surprised me! it is the " longest" well expressed comment vs. the "shortest" on the other side...;-)) Thanks

 

Lou Ann, your support is well appreciated.

pnina :))) Anakin is no "crazy" alone , bravos I like it :o) HI

Ah! ,said she. WOW ! say we. Were you standing outside a studio,Pnina? I am curious to know about 'ZED'.

The more time I spend with this image the more clearly I see your wisdom as regards the crop. Removing any of the photo would only reduce the mystery and as my take on this image is all about the mystery, it would only serve to lessen the effect.

;-))Anakin GOOD!!

 

Thanks Amal, read what Gordon wrote after you... there are really unsolved mystery here...

 

Gordon, thanks for looking again,and writing your addition.

Pnina is becoming Agatha Christie of pn:-)

I see many reflections coming at me, some only partially, some amorphously, and some probably in my mind. For instance, I see a dark figure at the bottom just left of center.

 

My first thought was Munch's The Scream, somewhat because of emotional tone but moreso in something visceral that strikes me. Especially how the mouth is so central and gaping. The secondary pair of eyes to the left, for me, provides the haunting mechanism.

 

I find the ZED logo alternately distracting and important to the image. I'd like to discuss that more. On the one hand, it feels like some sort of artistic stamp, almost like it could be a handprint on the scene. On the other, it is getting in my way, keeping me at a distance. Since this is a reflection, I think playing with idea of distance is interesting, if that's what you intended. I'm not sure of its success if that's the thought behind it and would appreciate your and others talking some about how it functions here which would be helpful to me.

 

I like this as a very visual image in photography. It is a photograph about how we see and is therefore self-referencing and that, to me, is a very interesting and great use of photography. It is about visualization itself.

I can't even begin to comment. It leaves me speechless, my mind totally engrossed in enjoyment, solving the mystery, wondering about the inspiration behind pressing THE button that captured all of this. Brilliant. Very much like Dali (his Toreador comes to mind). Cheers -

;-)), read my coming explanation to Fred....Agatha, is not a bad compliment..lol

I met your work in the forum, and liked it, thanks for coming and commentimg, yes the mystery is an essentail point in this one. Please read my coming comment to Fred's interpretation,( if you feel like) and other comments on that thread.

"My first thought was Munch's The Scream, somewhat because of emotional tone but more so in something visceral that strikes me. "

 

Unbelievable ! That IS the first thought that crossed my mind, as I have had a very long dialogue with his work in my painting period, and it was exhibited in 1993 .

 

here

 

I have decided not to mention it in the begining, to see if someone will point the resemblance. In dialoging with Eduard Munch( 1863-1944), I visited twice his museum in Oslo , and are very familiar with his work.So Fred a real nice point of yours!. and which is the main subject for me here, not a direct one. This image was taken in a very busy well known street in Tel Aviv. I was standing looking at this window of a commercial gallery, observing the reflection that were interesting, ready with my camera. People were inside and I waited to see if something interesting will happen... and all of a sudden I saw her face with her mouth open like a scream, ? a wonder? and I said wow, Munch...and I pushed the shutter and she moved... so I have clicked only once.,( some thing similar happend to me with my photographic dialogue with Johannes Vermeer( 1632-1675) in my series of "Follow the light"...A presentation in my main page)

here

 

Eduard Munch well known painting "The Scream" was a generalisation of a human scream, a strong agony in his life,and in human life in general( a lot of death and sickness in his family, and in his love life).

 

So when I came home I saw the result and started to post process it. The upside down ZED, the wall brike on her neck, like a heavy load, and all the mysterious ellements reflected on the window,as well as the parts of people inside the gallery, were mysterious for me too, and in my imagination were connected again to my dialogue with Munch.

 

So Fred, your association was correct, you did not know maybe how much so.As I wrote you about Hosoe, I was very connected to Munch and two other artists in that series of paintings, but my work was in part a citation,! a trend in the arts of the 90's.

 

So dialoging with artists is a line that runs in my artistic work. Well that is for now. I wonder if reading it will help undrstand it differently.

I like it, very well done, original, Pnina.

 

Alberto

Thank you very much,Pnina. It shows how much thought-process,imagination and skill are taken care of by you to make a stunning image like this.