Into the Unknown

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(114 comments)

Carrie Taylor says:

Incredible image. Simply dazzling!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

LandscapesTraveller says:

You're a poet!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Tulna says:

cool!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

[phil h] says:

beautiful image.
Of course I can't help being reminded of aseries I shot last summer.

Do you mind sharing something more as to how this came about?
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

clickykbd says:

wonderful scene and shot!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

J R Webb says:

Odd. I know the park gets fog but that's just spooky.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

'stpiduko' says:

this image invites so mnay questions

looks like the kids are wandering into the unknown
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Sebastian Schubanz says:

just wow!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

cariocando says:

What a GREAT photo !
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

EyeCon says:

Wow! amazing photo!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

The photo is of this sort of public misting park area of Golden Gate Park just next to the new DeYoung museum.

It's been raining forever in San Francisco lately and last Thursday there was this brief break in the weather where the sun came out. It was actually hot. So they had this misting thing on and kids were playing and running and jumping in it, etc. A beautiful site to see actually.

I snapped a few shots of the kids playing and then worked with one to get this. I'm normally kind of apprehensive shooting children that I don't know for obvious reasons (I'm a father of four myself by the way), but I did these quickly and unobtrusively and made sure to use a shot where the faces of the kids weren't visible but where their movement, motion and effect still remained.

The mist gives the illusion of the children being led off into a fog that goes on forever which is analogous to any number of different unknown scenarios that take place in real life, some beautiful, some horrible. I thought that the prop in the girl with the polka dot shirt worked especially well.

The girl in the blue dress can be seen taking rapt interest in the other children being led off. This could be because of an intense curiousity that children naturally have mixed with an excitement about the possibility and interest of joining them, or it could be a wiser child turning quickly to warn them of what lays ahead beyond the fog. Either way there is an intensity to her that suggests she feels very strongly about the situation at hand.

The photo title is also the title to an interesting album that Bad Religion released by the same name in 1983.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Dalmatica says:

this stream never ceases to astonish.

amazing
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Thomas Hawk says:

And great shots they were you took phil h!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Box of Light says:

fabulous, fabulous, fabulous

i really dig her kind of awkward stance and ponytail all a flip as the others disappear
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

torbakhopper says:

so great!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

J Diggity says:

Absolutely fantastic. You have great vision.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

[phil h] says:

thanks, thomas, for both the background info on this shot and the compliment on mine! appreciate it.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

oaxoax says:

Wonderful picture, Thomas -- and thanks for the explanation.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

gemsling says:

The Lion, The Witch and The Mist Shroud?
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

"D"Train says:

One child looks happy and full of life (see the vivid blue)...the taller one is almost unvisible.

It is like if getting older means loosing the joy of life...

This great photo for me is saying: stay young!!
DTrain
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

dextr says:

spooky, dreamy... mysteriously captivating. nice work!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

razorbern says:

cool and surreal, thomas... great shot
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

shoothead says:

Great title!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

aqui-ali says:

impressive shot indeed
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

he who shall says:

Every now and then you hit a grandslam; this is a triple grandslam!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

too_much says:

really beautiful picture, Tomas.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

drmauro says:

very well captured!nothing to add.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

suesue2 says:

Brilliant capture!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

_rebekka says:

this is awesome.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

soleá says:

refreshing between the all the HDR's on explore page;)
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Matteo de Mayda says:

Wow, surreal!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Leviathor says:

This is beautiful, Thomas!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

jovivebo says:

Amazing !
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

thermophle says:

Fantastic!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

\\e// says:

very cool! well done.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

jo_sea says:

This is such an unusual image!
really interesting
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

sincerely says:

amazing! such a mysterious shot.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

The Fourth Wall [deleted] says:

How wonderful
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Kariobinja says:

oh my god!!!
a super pic!!!super stunning!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

gmalras says:

*** F a v u l o s a ***
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Barfuss says:

Until I had read your explanation I couldn't believe that this scene colud be real. The title and the scene are working perfectly together to create a whole bunch of stories in my head. And it could be used as an ad for the movie "the fog"! :)
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

spitfirelas says:

Stunning and impressive!!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

amyrod says:

Fantastic image.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

pfflyers1 says:

grand shot
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

SF buckaroo says:

no, this is your best museum shot IMO
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

SF buckaroo says:

even though, technically, it's a park shot
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Ivan says:

Fantastic. Thomas, can you please add it to the interestingness pool?
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

*zillig says:

!!!!!!!!!bravo!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

DanielN says:

Great shot. Everything seems so perfect, including your explaination and the title.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Temis Co. says:

Wow!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Guy Flâneur says:

The story makes this all the more amazing. I wasn't sure at first whether this was an artwork in the DeYoung or something original. Turns out it is very original indeed. The entire concept is brilliant.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

DaveWilliams says:

Excellent shot, wonderfully atmosphereic and interesting explanation. Great work.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

jot.de says:

masterpiece!!!! thanks for the story behind it!!!!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Cilest says:

great!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Manuel Bóo says:

Genial
AddOne
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

LandscapesTraveller says:

Blogged!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

_bjarne [deleted] says:

Watched this again! Definetly the best shot I've seen the past days!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

skipgoforth says:

Great mystery and power...stunning work.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

sMacshot says:

Very nice, symbolic capture. Wonderfully done, as well. It's nice to hear your thoughts while composing and choosing your shot to post.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Redgum says:

I had to do a double-take on this one. The perspective is off, revealing that the girl on the left is dubbed-in.

Compositionally, this really does work well and shows your strengths as an artist. The two things that bug me on this one is the tilted cant (leaning left) and the flattened effect the photo gets by introduction of the girl on the left.

If you had managed to shoot her another 5-7 feet closer, she would have "fit in" scale wise, and thereby not have introduced the strange depth perception error you get when looking at this.

Yet, you clever bastard, I like it.

-save DaMnU
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

delviking says:

Really like the result here. From your explanation I get that it's 'glued' together, right? Redgum is right about the perspective: the girl in the foreground being clearly smaller than the little kids in the background. But he's also right about liking it :)

Save2.

PS: there are loads of sick idiots in the world, but I think it should be no problem to have unknown children's faces in a pic, if the pic is not implying anything. But here the backs of their heads work very well anyways.
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

Thomas Hawk says:

the photo is not a composition or glued together. Presented as I took it.
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

happyheart says:

Congratulations! perfect timing, great photo, I love the respect you show for children.

Voted save3
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

delviking says:

Oh sorry, I wasn't sure from your description. In that case it's a double save, and I'll add it as fave :)
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. says:

yeah i like this...

save4
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

.Nano. says:

perfect capture. alittle dull but it works.

Save 5
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

oaxoax says:

I faved it, and now I save it.
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

Randy T says:

Great mood and congrats on the capture.
Going to folio...

-Save6
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

Iggy. says:

Lovely ethereal quality to this.
save7
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

♥ Nat hamlin says:

Christ, man, you guys don't have enough fog over there that on the one un-foggy day of the season you have go on and make your own?
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

♥ Nat hamlin says:

Besides, we know you're lying about the little girl on the left.
She's really a 6 foot tall drag queen--I saw her behind the counter of Starbucks hastily shaving her goatee the other day. Looks like it grew back out the other side.

Save8

If it really WERE a bunch of children, I'd have to delete, you know, in the name of consistancy.

But you captured the illusion well--the goatee as ponytail was a stroke of genius.
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

kelliekp says:

This sums up so many childhood fears for me.

save9 or is that really 10 based on oaxoax's vote?
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

andertho says:

Oh gosh is this good.

save10
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

andertho says:

Glad you're back to posting DMU BTW.
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

kostaki says:

Great shot TH, looks like I don't need to give a save, but I would have.
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

whenudo says:

the girl at the left, the color of her dress makes it more spooky and her skin.. did u do something to the pic?
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

schani says:

Wow, what an amazing shot!
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

Robot Monster says:

love that skinny girl
great shot!
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

Mernas says:

incredible image.. as if all was suddenly frozen in time.. the girl's posture on the left is exquisite
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

Tagaloa says:

that's a hell of a pic! great shot!
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

Roberto Delduque says:

*****
Wonder...
Bravo!!!
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

[brett walker] says:

brilliant.
i tried this shot outside the guggemhiem museum in bilbao.
5mins of smoke on the hour,i went back 6 times to try and get it.
no chance it was so difficult,engulfed and lost or the wind would
blow it away from the people.

bravo.
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

mmrified says:

love this one! It looks like they're in a cloud or something
Posted 44 months ago. ( permalink )

nullboy says:

OMFG that's such a major shot. And thanks for mentioning your boundaries around shooting kids. I was just talking to someone else about the ethics of shooting homeless people who don't really have a place to go for privacy.

Great to meet you tonight, I had so much fun. And thanks again for the ride home.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

spokanitis says:

Amazing and beautiful.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

torbakhopper says:

yo, brother!!!!
i wanna plead with you for this one in the
it sure would be nice to see this in the camera haiku pool!!!

so wonderful, must have, por favor

your #2 fan, ahahahaha

just read the bluetooth monster thread again and laughed and laughed

you rock! so does eddie

*edit* you're so good to me :-)
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

Pierpol says:

Be not turned over...
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

mortsan says:

very playful and somewhat eerie
splendid
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

Carrie Taylor says:

You are my winner!
Please add this photo to
www.flickr.com/groups/mywinners/
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

I, Puzzled says:

This is really wonderful.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

creativik67 says:

Please add your
Beautiful photo to--

Beauty is in the *Eye* of the Beholder!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

GGBerry.com says:

Great!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

AntonioArcos aka fotonstudio says:

beautiful fog, love it!!
Posted 37 months ago. ( permalink )

•(¯`·._.·.₪][ PR!DE ][₪.·._.·´¯)• says:

amazing
Posted 37 months ago. ( permalink )

DigiMatt says:

Stunning shot.
Posted 37 months ago. ( permalink )

Michael Smith says:

Superb.
Posted 36 months ago. ( permalink )

Steve Rosset says:

That is so interesting. It's kind of spooky in one way but then so intruiging in another.
Posted 35 months ago. ( permalink )

LaFée says:

excellet shot!!! soo great!
Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )

stoneth says:

kool
Posted 32 months ago. ( permalink )

rietveldjes says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called A new morning (post 1 - comment on 1), and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
Posted 32 months ago. ( permalink )

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Taken in Inner Richmond, San Francisco (map)
Taken with a Canon EOS 5D.
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Taken on April 13, 2006
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Into the Unknown

Comments

Carrie Taylor says:

LandscapesTraveller says:

Tulna says:

[phil h] says:

clickykbd says:

J R Webb says:

'stpiduko' says:

Sebastian Schubanz says:

cariocando says:

EyeCon says:

Thomas Hawk says:

Dalmatica says:

Thomas Hawk says:

Box of Light says:

torbakhopper says:

J Diggity says:

[phil h] says:

oaxoax says:

gemsling says:

"D"Train says:

dextr says:

razorbern says:

shoothead says:

aqui-ali says:

he who shall says:

too_much says:

drmauro says:

suesue2 says:

_rebekka says:

soleá says:

Matteo de Mayda says:

Leviathor says:

jovivebo says:

thermophle says:

\\e// says:

jo_sea says:

sincerely says:

The Fourth Wall [deleted] says:

Kariobinja says:

gmalras says:

Barfuss says:

spitfirelas says:

amyrod says:

pfflyers1 says:

SF buckaroo says:

SF buckaroo says:

*Ivan* says:

*zillig says:

DanielN says:

Temis Co. says:

Guy Flâneur says:

DaveWilliams says:

jot.de says:

Cilest says:

Manuel Bóo says:

LandscapesTraveller says:

_bjarne [deleted] says:

skipgoforth says:

sMacshot says:

Redgum says:

delviking says:

Thomas Hawk says:

happyheart says:

delviking says:

R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. says:

.Nano. says:

oaxoax says:

Randy T says:

Iggy. says:

♥ Nat hamlin says:

♥ Nat hamlin says:

kelliekp says:

andertho says:

andertho says:

kostaki says:

whenudo says:

schani says:

Robot Monster says:

Ivan says: