Keep Your Imagination
lizzard_nyc
Registered Users Posts: 4,056 Major grins
Liz A.
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lizzard_nyc
Registered Users Posts: 4,056 Major grins
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Virginia
"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus
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Thank you Virginia,
This is one of the few times I saw everything fall into place before snapping the shot. I wanted it to be a powerful shot and I'm glad it came through that way for you.
On a side note, the child is seated apart from the rest of the second grade class on a daily basis, knowing that backstory when I shot this, it made it more powerful to me, especially amid all the encouraging "keep your imagination" poster and the crooked signs and the window guards etc.
This so far is one of the first shots I've been really proud of taking.
So thank you.
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Thank you thomasjm
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"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Do they let you take photos of children in the classroom? That is a HUGE no-no up here. No school photos, no patient photos in hospital.
... I'm still peeling potatoes.
patti hinton photography
Thank you Sword and Scales
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I'm enjoying the trip immensly.
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Thank you Harry.
It was a real treat to have you visit this forum in your earlier post.
Glad to see you posting here.
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Patti, it's my favorite too.
It was a real shock to actually see the entire shot before shooting it--sometimes I get lucky with my shots and don't realize I have something good til later. With this one, I saw it and went for it, praying he wouldn't move for a couple of seconds, I was holding my breath.
As for the classroom, it was a "writing workshop" celebration where some of the kids presented improvised fairy tales. My son was one of the kids reading that day so I took my camera. I did it before and so far I haven't been told not to take photographs. I hope the rules don't change.
Thanks for commenting Patti.
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I see a boy who is already failing at school and what you captured shows this well. He probably does not have the attention or focus to abide by the class rules and is probably well behind his peers academically. He needs someone to befriend him and find a way to reach him so that he has a chance to be successful.
Nice job getting this shot!
Great interpretation of Liz's wonderful capture, rainbow.
... I'm still peeling potatoes.
patti hinton photography
Wow! How in Gd's name do you see that?!
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Now there's a typo. Liz and I might be still learning, but we haven't quite merged yet!
I've been thinking about this shot for a while and I agree with you. The shot is excellent, but I don't get a sense of him being downtrodden or at imagination's end. Just tired or maybe embarrassed after something funny was said in class. There are any number of interpretations.
Exactly. Just like the meaning of lyrics in music, it is all open to the interpretation of the individual listening.
... I'm still peeling potatoes.
patti hinton photography
I really like the different takes on this shot, so I guess that's what helps to make it work, that it could be interpreted in different ways.
I also think Rainbow made her statement because of my reply to Virginia, saying that the child is seated apart from the rest of the class on a daily basis (year round). From the little I know, he does have some issues that the teacher feels that he must be seperated from the rest of the class to help keep order in her overcrowded classroom.
I do think however in this shot that he was just bored--I had been watching him since he was seated so close to me and he was prying his eyes open (I missed this shot), yawning, etc. and then this shot.
So maybe Rainbow is not too far off the mark. I think the way teachers are dealing with him is by moving him apart and away--it might work to help keep their class in order, but I imagine it probably has a negative effect, even if he doesn't seem too bothered by it.
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I agree with rainbow, I'm looking at the words in the window above his head:
class goals, to compare, problem. Those words just jump out at me for some reason.
And finally, "keep your imagination" as in "don't ever give up"
Just my take on it.
Great Shot!
Okay, here's a little exercise:
Look carefully at this wonderful image. Look at the elements. Now...Close your eyes, and visualize the photo. But see a white boy, with straight, blond hair falling over his forehead. Wearing the same shirt as this boy. In fact, everything in the photo is the same - the sign, the pose, the posture; everything - except the race of the subject. Now, we see "a boy who is already failing at school," who "probably does not have the attention or focus to abide by the class rules and is probably well behind his peers academically. He needs someone to befriend him and find a way to reach him so that he has a chance to be successful," or do we see a tired little boy who's taking a rest on his desk? Or a little boy who's finished with the assignment and is imagining he's outside playing? Or a little boy who's thinking about what he's going to write next?
Just wondering...And that gets me wondering once again about the unanswerable questions about photography and truth, truth beyond the truth of the specific light impulses captured by the sensor or film.
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
I'm not sure you should be injecting Ethnicity into this. I looked thru the replies and don't see it mentioned. Where's is that coming from?
I did a little exercise of my own today:
I showed this to every coworker, family member, one or two friends of various Ethnicities.
Overwhelming there responses were that the child was less then happy. Words like, sad, overwhelmed, sobbing, embarrassed and bored. Not one person thought he was sleeping, resting etc..
When I asked why again overwhelming the response, his cupped hands!
The 1st responder to this image called it "Powerful" I agree it is because it's "Unanimous".
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After reading bd's post I went back to take another look. It was the hand posture that gave the shot it's meaning for me as well. It could have been a child with green skin and pink polka dots and my reaction would be the same. I posted a photo last year for my 52 week project of a friend with his hand cupped over his face. Everyone's reaction was the same: poor upset man, my heart aches for his sorrow etc etc etc. The kicker was that he covered his face while rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief at a humourous comment I made.
... I'm still peeling potatoes.
patti hinton photography
It's an excellent shot, but it's not powerful. To be powerful, there needs to be something connecting me to the situation other than a boy with his face in his well manicured hands. There's no sense of struggle or frustration or resignation. I would be surprised if he isn't laughing or otherwise having a good time. Maybe he's simply embarrassed at Liz snapping the image?
For the record, I saw a little boy with great angst. The way he has his hands and they way they're holding his head show this to me. It reminds me of all the times when I was going through school and "didn't get it." I excelled at math and science, but reading, writing and other language arts always left me struggling. All I could do was bury my face.
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Of course no one mentions ethnicity, Ben, what's to mention? I'm simply suggesting that were the child white, the reactions might be different. That's all.
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Fair enough.
For me the body position says, "I'm not having a great moment" no matter the ethnicity.
I do think Liz would of had a problem with contrast adjustment in post, had the boy been white
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