Ground Zero Flutist

padu

Maybe this photo is not as visually stunning and full of colors as other pictures I see around here, but it was the only picture that I ever took in my life with tears rolling down my face. I'm not American. I live in the USA but I don't have the same patriotism as I have for my native country. Even though, I couldn't help but silently cry just by looking at the pictures hanging on the fence surrounding what once was the majestic Twin Towers. I kept imagining what awful thing happened at that exact place, just a few years ago. The annoying silence produced by a crowd of people just like me, quietly sobbing was broken by the melody produced by this old man playing his flute. It was really a very emotional place to be, even after all these years.

I tried to portrait this man using his environment: the pictures, the tourists, the business people rushing to get their train (the World Trade Center station is right below the memorial). For that I used an aperture as narrow as I could use (f/16) and still have enough light to model his face, while slightly overexposing the background.

This was a very interesting man, I first looked for a hat or something on the ground so I could tip him in trade of taking his picture but I couldn't find it. It struck me that perhaps he was not playing for tips after all, but for a higher purpose. At all times, he kept playing and looking down. I was trying to make eye contact with him and ask for his permission (using gestures) to take his picture. After 5 minutes he finally looked at me. I gestured, he looked down again and then he looked straight at me, with the saddest eyes I've ever see. I almost didn't press the shutter, as I almost froze inside out with his sad look.

Looking at the picture later, I figured that he was holding with his right hand a picture of himself playing, which compeled me to explore the idea of a recursive picture. That's when I've added one more picture on the fence (there was no picture in that spot in the original). All other pictures hanging on the fence are real.

I apologize for the long text, but what impresses me more in this picture is the emotion I felt when I took it. I feel that I didn't do a very good job at communicating that feeling solely through this picture, so I had to complement it with words. If you're still with me, thanks for your reading.

DYancy

A very powerful combination of story and image. Thanks for sharing.

DoctorIt

the woman on the left is way way too distracting! Why? Because she's also looking right at you. If she was looking back like the others, it'd be ok, but as is, I'm losing sight of the subject. You could crop her out - and I do like how the flutist is looking right at you, perhaps sharpen those eyes, give 'em some pop.

Awais Yaqub

Sad but nice photo i can feel it .
Is the photo in background same it looks similer

padu

Awais Yaqub wrote:

Sad but nice photo i can feel it .
Is the photo in background same it looks similer

The second photo on the top is the same photo within itself. I took the liberty of inserting it there to reinforce the recursiveness theme.

Art Scott

Very well done...a powerful and emotional photograph.....for me it has enought merit to stand on it own.......Thanks for the commentary it does not take away from the pic at all and adds a vry personal touch from you.

Owen

DoctorIt wrote:

the woman on the left is way way too distracting! Why? Because she's also looking right at you. If she was looking back like the others, it'd be ok, but as is, I'm losing sight of the subject. You could crop her out - and I do like how the flutist is looking right at you, perhaps sharpen those eyes, give 'em some pop.

photogmomma

Very powerful!

Something that might help the whole story without the words would be to do this:

• Turn the entire image B&W
• Colorize only the man and the image on the fence of him.
• Drop the saturation on him and the image so they don't overpower with their color.

Just a thought and it might not work.

This is a wonderful shot and a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.

Nordic

What a wonderfull and touching image!

Thanks for posting it!

Jeff Fillmore

Very nice work- a powerful image.

DYancy

DoctorIt wrote:

the woman on the left is way way too distracting! Why? Because she's also looking right at you. If she was looking back like the others, it'd be ok, but as is, I'm losing sight of the subject. You could crop her out - and I do like how the flutist is looking right at you, perhaps sharpen those eyes, give 'em some pop.

I'm not one to question a veteran photographer's opinion on things, but to me this is one of those photos where technical matters really don't ... matter.

Ground Zero and pretty much all things 9/11 are issues of the heart and, to me at least, transcend the need for technical perfection when it comes to photography. In a way, even the random bystander who is looking into the camera adds even more of a human element to the photo and helps tell a more complete story of what was going on at the time the photo was taken.

*shrug*

Nordic

DYancy wrote:

I'm not one to question a veteran photographer's opinion on things, but to me this is one of those photos where technical matters really don't ... matter.

Ground Zero and pretty much all things 9/11 are issues of the heart and, to me at least, transcend the need for technical perfection when it comes to photography. In a way, even the random bystander who is looking into the camera adds even more of a human element to the photo and helps tell a more complete story of what was going on at the time the photo was taken.

*shrug*

I have to agree here, I don't mind the woman on the side either.
For me, the picture is perfect as it is.
(I just wonder how it would look in B/W)

padu

Nordic wrote:

I have to agree here, I don't mind the woman on the side either.
For me, the picture is perfect as it is.
(I just wonder how it would look in B/W)

I tried BW and if it was only the flutist it would be nice, but I really like the nice color touch of the pictures on the background. The only exception being the bright yellow traffic sign just below the pictures. If I ever print this photo, maybe I'll clone it out.


I know that the USA is a free country and you may express yourself as you wish, but there are things that are of really bad taste. A few minutes before I took this picture, an a**hole was walking around dressed as Bin Laden and carrying a toy AK47... I refused to take a picture of him.

DYancy

padu wrote:

I know that the USA is a free country and you may express yourself as you wish, but there are things that are of really bad taste. A few minutes before I took this picture, an a**hole was walking around dressed as Bin Laden and carrying a toy AK47... I refused to take a picture of him.

One would think that other New Yorkers would deal swiftly with someone like that. :nah

padu

DYancy wrote:

One would think that other New Yorkers would deal swiftly with someone like that. :nah

Maybe they did...

Dramatapix®

I love what you did with your image by placing a copy of the image in the wall. I almost wish you hadn't said anything though... see if anyone discovered it on their own. I also like the fact that this gentleman is actually sitting in a manner that allows you to see the wall. I was there a day before 9/11 this year, and happened to get a shot of this same gentleman (wonder how many people here have a pic of him), but he was sitting facing the wall.

padu

Dramatapix® wrote:

I love what you did with your image by placing a copy of the image in the wall. I almost wish you hadn't said anything though... see if anyone discovered it on their own. I also like the fact that this gentleman is actually sitting in a manner that allows you to see the wall. I was there a day before 9/11 this year, and happened to get a shot of this same gentleman (wonder how many people here have a pic of him), but he was sitting facing the wall.

Zooming in the picture he holds, I found that his name is Philip Belpasso. Googling on him, it seems like he preaches a "new world order" after september 11. As I usually don't get in love with these type of things, I quickly lost my interest, but him as a subject is still magnific.

Angelo

Padu:

I was in NYC last month (Lord do I have a lot of pictures to process)... and I understand how you felt while visitng ground zero.

I was there less than 5 minutes, looking at all the photos, when I came across one of a policeman crying... well I just lost it... there I was a grown man bawling like a baby at the intensity of the emotions that washed over me seeing that site for the first time, in person. I wasn't alone. Almost everyone at the site could be seen wiping away tears.

Did you visit the memorial across the street?

I hope you don't mind me adding this to your thread: