I've been teaching a class in photojournalism with a friend, a well-known NY photographer. Last week I showed the class a bunch of my pictures that I thought qualified as photojournalism & then showed a few like this one. My friend kept asking things like, "Why did you take it? What were you trying to do? What is it a picture of?" His questions were well-meaning. He wasn't condemning my pictures. He really wanted to know. I answered, "It's a picture of emptiness."
That's true but also perhaps a bit evasive. I've been taking pictures like this for nearly 30 years, starting with B & W. Unlike most of the pictures I've taken of people, I have absolutely no ambivalence about these "empty" shots. I know I want them & ,after shooting them, I know I've got them. But I don't know what they mean exactly.
I'm curious what you think. I'd like to post a series of these & have you react to them, not in terms of light & color & composition etc. -- not even necessarily rationally -- but in terms of feelings, evocation, meaning, if you think they have any -- what pops into your head, what comes to mind? Some of you may not be interested in doing this & if so, that's fine. Any comment is appreciated, as always. But if you are interested, I'd especially appreciate your thoughts.
Better larger: flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=23058340&size=o
Room With A View, gagah, Stígur, and french-chinese-universe added this photo to their favorites.
View 17 more comments
madmaxnyc 96 months ago | reply
All's cool CS, I was just a bit surprised more than anything else ;p
I love this, it's not empty, it saw things happen, and will probably be there after we are gone. New people will be around it, thinking back, as I often do, about all that has happened there before.
I extremely rarely take pictures with people in them. I will wait until nodoby's in the frame if I have to, but usually try to avoid it. That's why I LOVE de Chirico's paintings, and pictures like this remind me of him. Structures, buildings, things men created and that stay after we are gone, but not us, we are just passing, leaving a slight dent.
I love pictures like this.
sylvia@intrigue 93 months ago | reply
I know you said not composition but for me, the composition is critical here, the image split in half by the pole and the rubbish attached to it. The devastation of the paper is split by the blue tape which is again splitting it (thereby breaking the rule of threes in a terribly effective manner).
Move that pole or the tape and the image is just another snapshot.
french-chinese-universe 89 months ago | reply
I like this, it's so quiet here! :)
Patanne 68 months ago | reply
Great shot for the category.