sam_chan4

thanks for the comments ... it's been so long since i posted this old photo that i almost completely forgot about it.

 

although this could be classified as an architectural type of shot, i still consider it one of my first attempts at street photography. i was still trying to figure out what in photography i liked, and i think this was on my 2nd roll of film.

 

these days i am purely SP, and pretty much always focusing on the human relationship between each other, and to our environment.

 

http://www.prefocalmag.com/samchan

 

Cheers,

Sam

 

This building is in downtown Toronto, somewhere around Front St or L'Esplanade. Yeah, it is blurred because I made this contact print with the negs still in the plastic "PrintArchiver" holder. The light from my Ikea desk lamp had to go through 2 layers of plastic before it hit the paper. If I have time, I'll make a real print and repost it ...

I'm more of a B&W type of guy, but hey, what the heck, let's see what

you think of my colour work as well. This photo, and all the others

that I have in my colour folder, were taken in the 2nd roll of film

that I ever ran through a camera.

 

Thanks for any comments - I'm always looking to learn more though

discussion,

Sam

This photo really stood out to me. It's very moody - very dark and mysterious. It feels like a painting - a painter using hard, rough, angry strokes. Good emotional content ...

 

Hi guys - What do you think about the cropping I used here? I'm

trying to get a crop that shows the size of the girl relative to the

adults. I chose to show more of the adults' torsos to do so, but how

would you feel if I chopped off more of the top and just basically

left the legs to convey the idea? I'm going for a "little girl lost

among a forrest type of feeling" ...

 

Thanks in advance for any comments - which, as always, are much

appreciated,

Sam

I agree with the others that the light is tad harsh, but I think overall the photo really does capture rock'n'roll ... I can feel the vibration.

 

I think the placement of the ring close to the "y" is perfect. The feeling I get from this, is that whoever left the ring on the note was genuine about being sorry ... that the ring came right off after writing "Sorry". The ring is itself the final word, not the sorry. This is powerful to me.

Hi! What do you think about this photograph? What works for you, and

what doesn't? I would love to hear your comments, and if you have

some time, I'd appreciate it if you could also critique/rate the

other photographs in my portfolio.

 

Thanks,

What do you think about the composition of this shot? If there's

anything else you'd like to comment about, please feel free to share

your thoughts openly. If you have time, could you also please

comment/rate my other photographs as well?

 

Thank you very much,

Hehe, I'm impressed - you're visualizing beyond the image in the photograph, and even trying to see the photographer behind it. Just so you know, I stayed off my belly for this shot because I did stop by the side of a small highway to take the photograph. Instead, I used a mini tripod made by Slik that's sturdy enough to hold a FM2 with a 70-210 lens on it, and kneeled down (such that I could watch the cars passing by) to setup the shot.

:) I can see you guys being a nice bunch to hang out with and chat.

 

I am constantly looking for people's opinions about my work. And I'd

love to hear what you think about this photo. I am open to all

thoughts, and greatly appreciate your time. If you are rating this

photo, then it would be nice if you could also provide some comments

as well. Thanks!

I think it was either a groundhog or a racoon ... it was larger than a typically sized house cat.

Hi! Thank you for your time in looking at my work. I'd like to know

what you think about this photograph - especially the effectiveness of

the blurring/softness in this "painting of light". Please do take a

look at my other photographs and critique them as well, if time

permits. I am always interested in learning from everyone around me.

I would love to hear what everyone thinks about this photo. If you

are rating it, then it would be a bonus if you could please also

provide some supporting comments too. I am open to all thoughts, and

as always, I thank you for your time and attention.

What does this photograph say to you? What in your opinion works and

doesn't work in this photograph? I am a beginner, and am trying

to learn through your comments. Feel free to be as open and honest as

you like. Thanks.

I intended the background to be blurred, and since the spider was moving I expected some slight motion blur in the legs, however the blur you see around the body may not necessarily be there had I exposed the contact print without the 2 layers of plastic enveloping the negative. When I get an enlarger, I'll see how it'll really turn out.

 

As for the scanning, I used a scanner at work, and it's fairly scratched up, dusty, and oily, so I didn't want to put the negatives on there.

 

About enlarging ... wow, that's a pretty neat idea ... I've never heard of using a camera like that before. It seems like it would work when I think about it. I guess the only concern is that of heat from the bulb when it's close to the negative.

I've been (and will be) very busy, so I've just gotten around to continuing our discussion now - sorry for the delay ...

Chris Gillis: "Congratulations, Sam. You have found out that lines in the sand are just that. ART vs REALITY is dualistic thinking that has nothing to do with the complexity of the real world, nor how we see it. That is a great image, by the way."

Yes, lines in the sand are just that, however there are also many people who try to see otherwise by over-analyzing. The world may be complex, but to enjoy it you must see it simply. "Art vs Reality" ... to me, art is the reflection of reality from one's soul. I create art, as I create the reality in which I live. I do not think of them as opposing forces, but as compliments that form a whole. The "versus" shouldn't be taken too literally.

Brian Mottershead: "You apparently didn't get the shocked reaction that you were hoping for with this picture, just a private e-mail. I think this photograph is more about attention-getting than it is about art."

I mentioned that some people are shocked or depressed after seeing my photograph, but I didn't say that I am trying to shock or depress everyone else as well. I asked for people's opinions/comments so that I may have an idea of how well I've communicated my feelings through my photograph(s), and perhaps get some advice on how someone more experienced might improve this photo, especially in the technical sense. I welcome all comments - whether it be one private email or one million public posts - because, to me, any number of responses of any kind is a good thing whenever I'm trying to learn something new. Now, about attention-getting ... tell me, how do you get people's comments, from which to learn something, if you do not first get some attention? If you have a question to ask - privately to one person, or publicly to a group - do you just stay quiet, sit in a corner, and hope that someone will read your mind? When you want to get people's comments, you need to get attention, then ask a question. If you really want something, you have to take action. This is about a learning experience, not only getting attention or gaining notoriety. In a group environment such as this, everyone gains in knowledge when an individual asks a question. Even if you continue to focus on the fact that I have brought attention here to my photograph, remember that every comment about every photograph on photo.net is a learning experience for everyone, and not just for my personal benefit.

Samuel Dilworth: "Your picture may get very different responses depending on the viewers own private reality, not to mention their perception of art."

I absolutely agree, and I look forward to hearing from everyone who has something to share. It is the chemical reaction between my photograph and people's private realities that I am interested in seeing. As I have mentioned above, I follow the belief that the more you understand the people and things around you, the more you understand yourself and your relationship to the world.

Hehe, yeah, I know what you mean. By keeping my negatives in the PrintFile archiver when exposing them onto the paper, it seems that the print will be quite foggy compared to the negatives. I'm also wondering if it matters whether using a clear glass (7 watt) light bulb or a frosted white glass bulb makes a difference ... I'm using the frosted type, and perhaps that diffuses the light more such that fogging is more likely to occur with my print? I'll have to get an enlarger one day, plus some filters to control contrast. Right now it just doesn't work with my budget. If I get an enlarger, I'll make a "real" print and replace this current one.

 

Thank you very much, Bernhard, for all your comments throughout my portfolio. I really appreciate it.

 

Let me start off by saying that the gentleman who commented privately to me seems to prefer that this discussion stay private. However, I believe that by having this photograph publicly viewable and open to critique, it was already "too late" long ago. Forgive me if anyone is offended by my image of reality.

 

Now, let me begin - let me quote the gentleman's first words: "I think you are a seriously disturbed human being." Let me then show you the final words: "It's an intriguing theme, but not for everyone." And then, I am going to say that I agree with both, and here's why.

 

Does reality disturb you sometimes? To be here as photographers, I'm sure most of us are beyond the age of innocence, and most of you will probably say "Yes, there certainly are things out there that disturb me." I, for one, have always felt strange each time particular things happen. One of them is that of animals on the road. As Heather Nova writes in the lyrics to one of her songs on the Oyster album, "It's like poetry. Don't ask me to explain it." There is something there that moves me, yet I can not put it into words. Thus, I tried to capture that feeling in a photograph.

 

Now let me insert my reply to the gentleman who started my desire to show you the thoughts flowing between myself and him:

 

**********

 

Thank you for your response - negative or positive, it is feedback like yours

that I enjoy - words from your heart. Now, let me try to explain.

 

I see the world as it is, in full honesty. As you may already have seen in my

initial post, I capture whatever that moves me - honestly, without trying to

tell myself that both the dark and the light don't both stir something within

me. I wasn't laughing in any way when I saw that image - that slice of

reality. It disturbed me deeply. And it made me think back, and I remembered

everytime I saw such a sight, it disturbed me. Yet, it is reality, as it

should be accepted. Not everything is rosey and pretty. Reality, is that lives

are lost by accident, yet cars and cars of people just drive by. It bothers me

every single time, and yet I drive by like the rest of them. There is

something very strange about it, but I cannot put it into words. A thought

that comes to my mind is that of rushed people dropping change on the ground

as they're trying to get through the aisle in a grocery store. What falls -

living or not - is not without worth. Yet life goes on. And someone like me,

will see the change on the floor.

 

I have other interests besides photography, and in all, I try to aim for a

common goal. See everything through emptiness, because emptiness is totality.

I am sure that you understand what I mean when I say that everyone has their

own set of basic beliefs and principles. It is moulded by many hands, like

one's upbringing, culture, and personal experiences. It comes from this that

we all look upon the world through a lens - even without a camera in our

hands. By doing so, you have already seen the image before it has been shown

to you. When you see a still picture of an animal on the street, on its back,

without any gore, and cars are driving by, you immediately form an image ...

you have already killed it with your mind. Maybe it's not dead. Just as with

this picture of mine:

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=368062

 

you already see an image of a sleeping person before you've looked at it.

Maybe he's not alive. It is these things in our heads that limit us from the

simple truth ... there is an animal on the street, there is a man on the

bench, there is change on the ground. Reality simply is, and we should keep it

that way instead of searching for the before and after ... by then, you have

missed the reality of now.

 

When you see with emptiness in your mind, you see the world as one living

entity, instead of all the living or dead elements within. Then, you are able

to see beauty.

 

Yet more, is that all knowledge leads to self-knowledge. The more you are able

to free yourself and see what is truly around you, the more you understand

your relationship to what is around you. I am trying very hard to express

honestly what I see when my eyes are open, and hoping that people see these

images after it has been shown to them, such that they exist in their pure

simple form, and stored in people's minds so that they have one more image

with which to understand themselves by.

 

And it is these things, that bring me to photography.

 

Best Regards,

Sam

 

**********

 

Photography is art, and I believe that art is about honestly expressing your soul. It all comes from deep within, and should be absorbed from a deeper, instinctive, natural place within you as a viewer, rather than analyzed too much by your rational self. When it comes through the skin, the feeling is lost by the time it reaches your heart and soul. All I want as an artist, if you will, is to allow my soul to touch yours.

 

Any comments? I'd love to hear it. The blur that surrounds "Art vs Reality" is always an interesting topic. And again, I mustsay, it is all these things that bring me to this wonderful world of photography.

 

Cheers,

 

I'd first like to thank everyone for your very encouraging words - I am moved to see that an image of mine has moved some of you. To shed some light on the title of my photograph: I looked the cars straight in the eyes, and that is the word that came to my head. So, it is the cars that I speak of, and not the people within, nor the animal. The gentleman who asked this question answered himself nicely. =)

 

I have received private comments from one person, however, who doesn't seem to appreciate honest images formed in the world and captured onto film. I have not asked him whether or not I can anonymously post his message here and then comment on it, so I must respect him and only post my side of the story as it relates to his concerns.

 

Hi! I'm really not too sure if this photo of mine should be

categorized as "Fine Art", but I guess it's the word that connects

with me when I think of my work and what I aim for.

 

This picture is one of my personal favourites, and I just wanted to

see what other people think of it, and have a listen to what

suggestions/advice more advanced photographers might have tio improve

it. I'm always open for criticism.

 

If you happen to have some time, I would really appreciate it if you

could critique my other photographs as well. I'm a new member to

photo.net, so I"m not sure exactly how all the procedures flow ...

but, I'm guessing that you can see everything in my portfolio right

now and are able to add comments to it? I will try to submit my other

photos through this forum whenever I have time. If you like, you can

also view my photographs at:

 

http://www.employees.org/~schan/ttmg/

 

And you can email me at schan@ieee.org

 

Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing from anyone with

any comments at all!

 

Sam