Pondering my fate

Ted Szukalski

Stone pillar for my pillow and pavement for my bed.
The smell from the cafeteria is screwing with my head
Look at this old jacket: it’s loosing its last thread.
Pondering my fate. Where is that daily bread?

ziggy53

Ted,

This one really is awesome! I wish you would insert larger images, because at small size, this is just average. When I took a look at the larger image, pointed to by the link, it just spoke to me.

The graininess is great.
The high contrast yields a very nice "edginess".
The empty bench in the background tells the story of an outcast, or at least an unfortunate.

Just a really wonderful capture. thumb (I don't think you need the poem.)

Thanks for sharing,

ziggy53

Ted Szukalski

Thanks Ziggy. I did consider cloning out the bench but its shape is reminiscent of scales - weighting the options and choices etc.

Here is the full image for people who do not click on links:

Elaine

I like this too (much more impact seen larger...I followed Ziggy's advice and clicked the link). Something very poignant here, and I'm glad you left the bench in the shot. It really adds to it. Well seen and captured.

Elaine

Ted Szukalski

Thanks Elaine.

Ideally I'd like even lower shooting point but in this scenario it would mean me on the pavement and thus making a scene of this man and that is not my style. Perhaps with time I'll get angle viewfinder extension for such situations.

Elaine wrote:

I like this too (much more impact seen larger...I followed Ziggy's advice and clicked the link). Something very poignant here, and I'm glad you left the bench in the shot. It really adds to it. Well seen and captured.

Elaine

photogmomma

Ted Szukalski wrote:

Thanks Elaine.

Ideally I'd like even lower shooting point but in this scenario it would mean me on the pavement and thus making a scene of this man and that is not my style. Perhaps with time I'll get angle viewfinder extension for such situations.

I respectfully disagree about getting lower in this shot! I think being above him is appropriate in this case. Aside from the obvious meanings of being above someone, you captured the scene and his face perfectly and any change would have ruined it, IMHO.

Wonderful capture! And I'm SO glad you posted the larger one!

Ted Szukalski

Thank you, perhaps you are right, but when I took it I was thinking I should be lower than I am. I wasn't that high above him (perhaps half a metre) sitting on a step. It certainly was not my intention to look down on him.

asylumxl

brilliant

illuminati919

I love this image, don't clone out the bench, an image like this should be kept as pure as possible.

System

good job, ted-

love looking at your street shots-

ian408

The perpective on this one is nice. Gives us more of his face (which you might
lose by going lower).

Nice shot and nice words to go with it.

System

After looking at the larger image I have to wonder if you're not forcing a false perception of the subject. It appears that his shoes, jeans and jacket are new, clean and quite nice. Is this man really who your words portray him to be?

Ted Szukalski

Yes, he is homeless. I pass a homeless shelter every morning and at times I wonder just the same, as some of the people there are just like this man: clean, tidy and in relatively good clothing.

truth wrote:

After looking at the larger image I have to wonder if you're not forcing a false perception of the subject. It appears that his shoes, jeans and jacket are new, clean and quite nice. Is this man really who your words portray him to be?

System

Ted Szukalski wrote:

Yes, he is homeless. I pass a homeless shelter every morning and at times I wonder just the same, as some of the people there are just like this man: clean, tidy and in relatively good clothing.

That's cool. Just struck me as odd.