Depression C&C welcome

[Rick58]

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Someone close to me suffers from depression. I felt this is a visual representation of daily life suffering from this disorder.

 

[AgentDrex]

Just staring out the window, that about sums up the feeling of depression. Good shot. I like the fact that it feels busy outside yet inside it is sparse and alone.

 

[ceeboy14]

Yeah, ditto on that!

 

[PixelRabbit]

Rings true, well done Rick.

 

[Designer]

Rick, I like the interior, but IMO the outside is too bright a cheery. Also IMO, depression sees no light at the end of the tunnel.

Can you get the subject to pose for you? BTW: it's all grey from their point of view.

 

[Rick58]

Thanks everyone.
Designer, thank you also for your thoughts. It's a shame the outside comes through as "bright and cheery".
In fact it was taken today, Dec. 9. The climate was cold, damp and rainy. Just a all around miserable day. I was really hoping to capture that emotion. I looked at it in B&W, but to me, I felt it lost a lot.

 

[JackandSally]

I agree with Designer. It definitely looks a little too bright outside. Maybe if it were darker or grayer, just less "happy". From some who suffered from depression for a long time, that actually looks comforting compared to what I was feeling. :S

 

[AgentDrex]

Here's my take on a less happy feel...a friend of mine suffers from depression and says his mind is always noisy with thoughts, so I added a little noise as well and made it look bleak:

 

[DirtySocks85]

Thanks everyone.
Designer, thank you also for your thoughts. It's a shame the outside comes through as "bright and cheery".
In fact it was taken today, Dec. 9. The climate was cold, damp and rainy. Just a all around miserable day. I was really hoping to capture that emotion. I looked at it in B&W, but to me, I felt it lost a lot.

Did you try just lowering the saturation instead of going entirely B&W?

 

[Overread21]

Like a lot of things depression is often slightly different to different people in how its felt and affects them. In my view though I can see the message in this photo - or at least I can somewhat see the direction its aiming for.

You've a dark, almost empty inside where the person is. No real feeling of warmth, comfort or well, of anything at all.
Then you've the window onto the outside world where everyone else is, behind a shut window. You can look out, you can see it all, but you can't get there.


That is at least the message I feel that the photo is expressing in some form; but I don't think its quite there. It doesn't feel, as a photo, refined enough. Something about it just doesn't feel structured enough that, without the line telling me where to start thinking, I wouldn't have gone thinking in that direction.

I think what it is is that the light outside is "drab". It's just a drab scene which isn't really speaking or saying much of its own which, when matched with the dead interior leaves the photo feeling just a little too close to a "lucky snapshot" side of things.

 

[Rick58]

Thanks Overread,

"Drab" was exactly the weather. Cold, damp, rainy winter day. This also MILDLY describes a persons emotions while suffering from depression.
I want to be clear in that I'm not disputing the critque here. The light coming from the window does seem brighter then the way the day felt. Unfortunately I'm not skilled enough to be able to hold back that light and still get the interior feeling the way I visioned it.

I took 6 shots of this window while a tour was going on just outside of the frame to the right. None worked, including one that included a corner of the bed in this room, which I thought would also lend to the feeling of depression. I had to wait until the tour moved on to get the angle I felt worked. The lifeless trees were just a bonus towards the feeling I was looking for.
"Lucky snapshot"? I have to disagree. As soon as I saw the scene, the photo was in my head. It got VERY close to my vision. You're right. The average person may not tie the photo to the subject, but my mind saw it instantly. I thought I would put it through some C&C to see if it worked, and the results are mixed.
Even though you said the photo didn't quite hit the mark for you, I loved your description. That DID hit the mark

 

[Rick58]

Here's my take on a less happy feel...a friend of mine suffers from depression and says his mind is always noisy with thoughts, so I added a little noise as well and made it look bleak:

View attachment 27984

Thanks Drex, but in my eyes, You removed the cold fog and it looks like a sunny day, and changes the mood entirely. Maybe others see it differently.

 

[AgentDrex]

You're welcome. I kind of see what you mean and will keep that in mind.

 

[The_Traveler]

Telling people what the picture is supposed to represent really taints the opinion pool.

It looks, if not cheery, at least sunny.

 

[sm4him]

I get what you were going for, but here's my thoughts on it:

As someone who suffers from clinical depression (although--5 years since I've had a REAL depressive cycle, AND three of that without any meds at all--woot!), this is FAR different than what *I* "see" when I'm depressed. My first thought was that you shouldn't be able to see out that window at all...but the more I think about it, it's just that the window is too close, too "accessible"--it looks too much as if I could reach out and touch what is out there in the world, like there is a very real possibility that I could even get up and go out there--yes, it's drab and gray (and looks like a bit of a chaotic mess, which is a good representation, to me), but it's at least OUTSIDE and it holds promise, and a little hope. And there is no hope in depression.
Also, the mug (or whatever it is) makes me think more of someone who has been sitting enjoying the morning, looking out at the nature around them, however drab the day may be.

Just my 1.75 cents' worth.