View from Within. . Open Book

[gahspidy]

Here is another for the theme.
What do you think?
thanks

[Greg McCary]

Gary, Between the title of the picture and the image that I see, I get the feeling that the couple are starting a new relationship and their new lives together will be an open book. This image could have lots of meaning to different people. Well thought out and nicely done. As far as the pictures goes there's nothing to critique...
Greg

[Overbeyond]

Hi Gary
It will fit like a glove with the series. The big crack and wall textures look great and I daresay they will reveal themselves even more so in the print. The view through the window has the usual bleakness and curiousity and you never seem to fail to get an interesting but mysterious human element included. The light patch to the right of the book is fine but it makes me wonder where it came from; by its shape it does not seem to be light from outside, so what gives it its visibility in such a dark area?
All these shots are difficult exposure situations but you deal with them so successfully.
The discarded book is a great facility to have too but I feel I would not have included it in the title for some reason, just a thought. Maybe I'm saying this because I cannot find any fault with the picture.
I'll soon be running out of words soon!
Tom

[CLKunst]

Oh awesome Gary! You used people!!! I really like the crumpled open book on the floor in the foreground which reinforces the title so elegantly. I feel there are several stories I could make up about what is happening with the people and for that reason alone I could absorb the details on this for quite some time. I think the exposure is perfect with a great range between tones. This is the most romantic piece I have seen yet from this series. I wonder if that is because you so rarely use more than one person if any at all in your work. This one is being added to my "wishlist" of work from this series.

A lovely piece.
Thank you for sharing it with us.

[Didache]

I really like this one .. one of the strongest of the series I think, mainly because the image invites the viewer to cast a story. Who are the couple? What are they doing? What is the significance of the book? The viewer creates a story from the elements. Very well done! The book is compositionally strong too.

Cheers
Mike

[Seb]

Here is another for the theme.
What do you think?
thanks

Gary, one thing that strikes me here is how empty and spooky the exterior looks. Not that this is something new but it may be more noticeable here because of the constrast betwen the human presence and their surrounding. One could really wonder where it was shot. There is something surreal about the whole setup. Strong work.

Seb

[mtbbrian]

Subtle!
This is one of those photographs that you have to realy look at to get the full meaning.
At first my eye see the couple through the window, and the because of how dark the book is, it takes a bit to see it.
As someone else mentioned, there seems to be some kind of connection or something with the book and the couple.
I'd say this is one of the best from this series, that I have seen in a while.
Could you eleaborate more on how and why you made this photograph.
Brian
:thumbsup:

[readingr]

Gary, What can I say that hasn't already been said.

The book makes this photo and the people complement it in so many ways. The photo lets your imagination run wild and keeps adding new situations to your thoughts. Has the chap thrown away his black book because he's found the love of his life or is it the end of the relationship because the book is so old and crumpled? Is it the meeting of long lost friends found in a telephone book, I could keep going on and on and on.

Who cares about the technical aspects when the story telling is so brilliant. By the way I can't fault the technical side either.

Definitely photo of the month and possibly for me the best of the series but there are so many good ones to choose from.

Roger

[EOSThree]

This is excellent. My eye keeps moving around the photo and finding new details to look at. Wonderful.

[milhouse]

Here is another for the theme.
What do you think?
thanks

The composition and framing of the book, window and people is excellent. I like the way your eye goes from the bottom left hand corner, up to the window in the upper right hand corner and the people are back in the lower left hand corner of that new frame. :thumbsup:

[Ridgetop]

Simply - nice!

[gahspidy]

Thanks all for the comments on this. . .

Greg. . .your version of the "story" here is very accurate. When coming up with a title, I was going to name it something like "the couple" but I felt "Open Book" reffered to the couple anyway and more. . . thanks

Tom . . .thanks for your analysis on this. The unusual lighted area on the floor you refer to is coming from another light source above the room, but I admit I brought it out more. I think too that it look a bit "unatural" and so I brought it back down to how it came out originally. I did not like the title at first, but when I kep thinking over the other possible title I had in my mind, this one began to feel more appropriate. I just made a print, and it looks very good. thanks for the time

CLKunst. . .thanks for the good words. lol, yes darn people always seem to be walking in on me sets lately. Drats. . . You are right, i usually try to eliminate people from my scenes to achieve a sort of desolate, or perhaps removed from society feel about them. But I'm finding that at times the addition of human element can be interesting and still not lose the isolated mood . Thanks for the coments

Mike . . . thanks for the observations. I happened upon this scene of the room and open book and then decided to take it from there by setting up the couple. I went back to this place a few times after discovering it because the lighting was never very good for the exposure inside. This day was cloudy and overcast and helped the lighting situation.

Seb. . .you know, thats an interesting point about the contrast of the human element and their surroundings. As I mentioned to CLKunst about the human element, I do find that it can bring an interesting contrast and perhaps further create a feeling of isolation at times. Glad to know you feel it works well.

Brian. . .I was hoping you would see this picture as you have been a big supporter of this series since I first started with it a few years ago. This was not something that I planned or scripted , but rather came across the room and open book and decided to set up the scene with a couple outside to bring a connection as you say between them and the book. I too feel it could be one of the stronger ones from the theme. thanks as always.

Roger . . .I had thought of it purely from the "couple beginning their lives" type thing, but the other perspectives you stated have interesting themes as well. I'm glad to know you feel this works in all directions and I'm pleased with the results in print. thanks for the time.

EOSThree. . . I appreciate the comments.

millhouse . . .Thanks much for your time to comment. "new frame" is how I see it as well, a picture within a picture .

Ridgetop . . simply. . .I appreciate your time to let me know you feel it works for you.

[Ronnoco]

The idea is good and it was a potentially great capture but there is way too much dead space. The photo is outside and there is not sufficient detail to make the frame an integral part of the picture. The book inside at the bottom does not clearly relate to the outside photo without the input of a lot of imagination which is not necessary in a great photo. Even in the outside scene, there is too much dead space in the sky and the two people need to form a much larger, more influential part of the photo. They are way too small and too far away.

Ronnoco

[Greg McCary]

[QUOTE=gahspidy]Thanks all for the comments on this. . .

Greg. . .your version of the "story" here is very accurate. When coming up with a title, I was going to name it something like "the couple" but I felt "Open Book" reffered to the couple anyway and more. . . thanks

Thanks Gary, This reminds me of when me and my wife first met. This is one of the best pictures you have ever posted.....
Greg

[gahspidy]

Greg, glad it can bring back memories ...

Ronnoco. . .I appreciate your time to form a deep analysis of the image, and points well taken.