23-jul-08 Breezin' (Please view larger)

OK. Let's just get it out of the way right at the beginning, for my money it's absolutely one of your best. It's both enigmatic and absolutely ordinary with glowing color and the most individually inconspicuous but extraordinary assemblage of elements I could imagine. I mean I could go on and on: The slice of blue box at the right relating foreground to the magnificent swath of cloudless sky in the background; the couple on the bench, perfectly Magritte in their central anonymity; the shadows impinging on the perfect order from all sides like the advance scouts of approaching chaos; palm trees; red stroller; a sailboat, its white sails breaking the crisp line of the horizon. It's all there and all tied together in a tour de force. Bravo!

I'm glad I went to bed before seeing this as a sleepless night in excitement had killed me. Jack wrote already an essay so I only can add by pointing out what makes this photo a knock-out: those dark vignetting shapes around the frame border, especially on left side. Whatever caused them do turn this to a very memorable shot. That angular shadow pointing towards the palm is another bonus by mimicking a pointing cartoon finger. So this is how Paris look like nowadays (according your details sheet anyway)? Additional proof to the ongoing discussion what separates men from boys - very obvious, isn't it. Yeah!

It's a pleasure reading you both after my two-week holiday. The shot is unmanipulated as usual. The vignetting shadows come from inside my car. I caught a glimpse of that scene from the passenger seat while my wife was checking out at a parking lot. The car is moving out. The pointing finger is the shadow of the toll blue bareer you can see on the extreme right in the foreground. Thanks very much for your comments which convey my intentions so exactly. I remember visiting Toulouse Lautrec museum in the town of Albi (South of France) about two years ago and seeing how the Impressionists were the first to use photography to compose their paintings. It was the first time I'd seen real paintings by Lautrec and I was amazed at the incredible beauty of his colours and the perfection with which he composed a scene. One has to experience this with their own eyes to realise. I think that was one of the things that confirmed my idea of what I wanted to do (very humbly) with photography.

 

P.S.: Markku, as you guessed, that wasn't Paris. Sorry about the inexact caption.

Critique welcome, thank you.

I see that you have put this up for ratings, which is like feeding filet mignon to Chihauhaus. Don't expect too much from a breed of dogs whose taste is attuned to juicy cockroaches. 3/3? Time to take some more snaps of the kids for Aunt Martha.

Laurent, I love the " cleanliness" of that composition and its ballance., all its details are perfectly matching. Horizontal and upright lines,and very delicatley added diagonally lines (and form) of shadows, and a bit of rounded forms on the upper L and lower R. The scene is wonderful in its simplicity , atmospher, and human life story, without being dramatic.Very well observed and executed.

Well, the folks that are both better photographers and better wordsmiths than I have already deposited their gemlike critiques, so I will only say that I second their motions and add my congratulations on such a success.

Thanks very much again for stopping by and commenting.