24/02/10

AndMan

Some from this morning.

All c&c welcome.

#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


#6


#7


I took these for the current dss challenge and for the first 5 was going for a particular feel.
I trust you folks will let me know if I achieved it.
Its also the reason there are few faces.

Thanks for looking

bfjr

In regards to the "Challenge" I can see the Theme in these, however I really gotta
look hard. So to me they lack Impact in relation to the current Theme.
Hope that helps.

bdcolen

AndMan wrote:

Some from this morning.

All c&c welcome.



I took these for the current dss challenge and for the first 5 was going for a particular feel.
I trust you folks will let me know if I achieved it.
Its also the reason there are few faces.

Thanks for looking

Okay - I have to say that 1-5 don't do anything for me, either photographically, or in response to the challenge. In terms of the challenge, the problem is that there's just no there there - no togetherness, and no real separation.

Six and seven, however, are interesting. I think of the two I prefer seven, though I'm not quite sure - probably the expression on the left hand figure, suggesting something conspiratorial going on - although they're probably just talking about last night's episode of "Lost."

AndMan

bfjr wrote:

In regards to the "Challenge" I can see the Theme in these, however I really gotta
look hard. So to me they lack Impact in relation to the current Theme.
Hope that helps.

Thanks for the feedback it definitely helps.

AndMan

bdcolen wrote:

Okay - I have to say that 1-5 don't do anything for me, either photographically, or in response to the challenge. In terms of the challenge, the problem is that there's just no there there - no togetherness, and no real separation.

Six and seven, however, are interesting. I think of the two I prefer seven, though I'm not quite sure - probably the expression on the left hand figure, suggesting something conspiratorial going on - although they're probably just talking about last night's episode of "Lost."

Thanks for the feedback B.D. I was probably being a more than a little ambitious with 1-5, I was going for the "together yet apart" feel one gets when strangers "share" space & activity eg, commuting or coffee at a cafe.
Thats why I liked the 1st couple of shots, strangers in relatively close proximity, all waiting for the bus, but still maintaining a social distance and not even acknowledging each other, with the lady on the far right maintaining an even greater distance.

As for 6&7 I liked the look of the 2 smartly dressed guys in front of a sign advertising "zip hoody" and having a conversation whilst sharing the ostracism brought on by indulging in a socially unacceptable habit.
Knowing my home town they were probably discussing soccer.

Mr. Quiet

socially unacceptable habit?

AndMan

Mr. Quiet wrote:

socially unacceptable habit?

Smoking.
I sometimes think that smokers in the UK (of which I am one) will soon be required to have an "S" tattooed on their forehead or stitched to their clothes.

Mr. Quiet

I really hope you are joking with me, cause if that is not preposterous, it is at least dumb.....

michswiss

Mr. Quiet wrote:

I really hope you are joking with me, cause if that is not preposterous, it is at least dumb.....

Based on your other thread, the "S" could mean "Street Photographer"

In terms of the photos, I think you need to build on the idea but these photos don't really do it.

bdcolen

Mr. Quiet wrote:

I really hope you are joking with me, cause if that is not preposterous, it is at least dumb.....

No, it's neither preposterous nor dumb, Mr. Quiet. I know I'll probably get in trouble for this, but having covered medicine and science as a reporter for almost 20 years, and as a University science communications person, I just can't help myself...I realize that American tobacco companies have turned your country into their growth market, and that smoking is ubiquitous in China, but in the U.S. and a number of Western countries, it has been driven into such sharp decline that it is - unfortunately - considered socially stigmatizing. But the reality is smoking has been shown over and over to be a leading cause of, among other things, heart disease and cancer, and was/is a leading cause of death. Nicotine has been shown to be as addictive as heroin, if not more so. And second hand smoke has been shown to have a major health impact on those exposed to it.

So enjoy your cigarettes if you smoke, but understand that there is nothing either preposterous or dumb about the attempts to eliminate smoking.:D

bdcolen

AndMan wrote:

Thanks for the feedback B.D. I was probably being a more than a little ambitious with 1-5, I was going for the "together yet apart" feel one gets when strangers "share" space & activity eg, commuting or coffee at a cafe.
Thats why I liked the 1st couple of shots, strangers in relatively close proximity, all waiting for the bus, but still maintaining a social distance and not even acknowledging each other, with the lady on the far right maintaining an even greater distance.

As for 6&7 I liked the look of the 2 smartly dressed guys in front of a sign advertising "zip hoody" and having a conversation whilst sharing the ostracism brought on by indulging in a socially unacceptable habit.
Knowing my home town they were probably discussing soccer.

I do get what was being attempted here. But it just doesn't work for me. I think part of it is that the images themselves are too nondescript to convey what you're looking for. Let me suggest you look at this:


And then take a look at some of the other images here

This series is, in fact, called "Alone Together," and is intended to capture precisely what the challenge is calling for. You may not think these work, but obviously I do. And I think that the reason they do is that the images each stand on their own (although there are certainly some dogs in there ), separate from the series, and without the label of Alone Together.

AndMan

Mr. Quiet wrote:

I really hope you are joking with me, cause if that is not preposterous, it is at least dumb.....

Sorry Aaron I should probably have put a smilie on to show I was at least partially joking.
But as B.D. has said there is a significant social stigma attached to smoking here in the UK with the places one can smoke severely limited by law. There is no smoking in bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels, offices and company owned vehicles, basically any enclosed location that isn't a private dwelling.

AndMan

michswiss wrote:

Based on your other thread, the "S" could mean "Street Photographer"

Very true

In terms of the photos, I think you need to build on the idea but these photos don't really do it.

Thanks for the feedback Jen, I guess its back to the drawing board.

AndMan

bdcolen wrote:

I do get what was being attempted here. But it just doesn't work for me. I think part of it is that the images themselves are too nondescript to convey what you're looking for. Let me suggest you look at this:


And then take a look at some of the other images here

This series is, in fact, called "Alone Together," and is intended to capture precisely what the challenge is calling for. You may not think these work, but obviously I do. And I think that the reason they do is that the images each stand on their own (although there are certainly some dogs in there ), separate from the series, and without the label of Alone Together.

Thanks for the example image & link B.D. they far more clearly depict what I was going for than mine did (so they do work for me ).
But hey that's why I hangout & post here so that I can try to learn from other people with more experience. (And no I'm not kissing a$$).

bdcolen

AndMan wrote:

Thanks for the example image & link B.D. they far more clearly depict what I was going for than mine did (so they do work for me ).
But hey that's why I hangout & post here so that I can try to learn from other people with more experience. (And no I'm not kissing a$$).

Thanks - I didn't mean to hijack your thread. The difficult with this subject is finding a way to shoot these things that indicates the people are linked together by their very isolation.

Wil Davis

AndMan wrote:

Smoking.
I sometimes think that smokers in the UK (of which I am one) will soon be required to have an "S" tattooed on their forehead or stitched to their clothes.

Actually, smokers need neither tattoos nor steenkin' badges…

…anyone with half a sense of smell can detect them a mile away! ( )

I was a 60 per day smoker until I was 18, and needed $$ in order to be able to afford to run a car, so I know what it's like to an addict on the puffing end of a cigarette; the point is why should smokers be allowed to pollute the air which those of us at the other end of the cigarette have to breathe? (rhetorical question, btw)…

Reminds me of a notice I saw in a theatre:

"This is a NO SMOKING theatre: If we see anyone smoking, we will assume them to be on fire, and so will take necessary action to put them out"



- Wil

Mr. Quiet

bdcolen wrote:

No, it's neither preposterous nor dumb, Mr. Quiet. I know I'll probably get in trouble for this, but having covered medicine and science as a reporter for almost 20 years, and as a University science communications person, I just can't help myself...I realize that American tobacco companies have turned your country into their growth market, and that smoking is ubiquitous in China, but in the U.S. and a number of Western countries, it has been driven into such sharp decline that it is - unfortunately - considered socially stigmatizing. But the reality is smoking has been shown over and over to be a leading cause of, among other things, heart disease and cancer, and was/is a leading cause of death. Nicotine has been shown to be as addictive as heroin, if not more so. And second hand smoke has been shown to have a major health impact on those exposed to it.

So enjoy your cigarettes if you smoke, but understand that there is nothing either preposterous or dumb about the attempts to eliminate smoking.:D

So, where in the States CAN you smoke?

I too, know the ins and outs of a cigarette and smoking, it is just sad that people don't have the sense to quit, but I do not believe in stigmatizing. If I person wants to ruin his/her body, let them, just provide them all with the information that it is very harmful in the long run.