They Grow Up So Fast

[motojoe]

While I was intending to shoot the stairs in a different way and I was waiting for the traffic to clear, I quickly set my camera and grabbed the shot as I saw this kid run past me and up the steps. I'm thankful that he did because he totally made the shot!

There's a little more to the story on my blog.

-joe

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Wow, I really like this.

One thing that is very interesting to me is that I get a feeling my interpretation of the image is very different from yours. I don't want to say anything more until there are more responses so as not to influence anyone's view of it but I'll come back later.

 

[motojoe]

I've gotten a few different interpretations from people, but there are two that are the most prevalent... I'll expand later on my thoughts as well.

 

[reznap]

Cross over children. All are welcome. All welcome. Go into the Light. There is peace and serenity in the Light.

Poltergeist ...

 

[reznap]

At the risk of sounding cheesy... I get more of a... "stairway to heaven"... kiddie style. It has a very mystical feel to it.

Yeah, I think the picture has religious overtones (maybe not for everyone).

Could extract the theme of children being innocent and pure, with the pure white light..

I guess you could read into anything though.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Well, I've got to run so here are my thoughts although I was hoping to see more responses before I opened my mouth... But first, let me say that I agree with reznap

I guess you could read into anything though.

To me that is a plus to any work of art. Giving the viewer the possibility to find whatever it is he/she wants is great. It makes for lively discussion about the work and it can appeal to a lot more people.


That said, my first impression was one of loss. The death of a child.

The bright white light makes me think of the light described by most people who "have come back from the dead." Add the fact that the child is climbing the stairs: one ascends to heaven. Last but not least, the title fits this idea just fine although in a twisted kind of way.

Very nice image.

 

[D-B-J]

beautiful image.

 

[motojoe]

I knew that a lot of people would come up with the "going toward the light" thought on this one, but that's not really how I see this image. Call me optimistic, but I see it more as a vision of life instead of death.

When you're a child, sometimes you want nothing but to grow up and grow up fast. You're striving to be one of the big boys or do more things, get your driver's license, get into high school, etc. And in that way that they yearn to grow, their imagination and desires are running away from their childhood trying to take them up to the next level.

Looking back from adulthood to when we were children, that path that we followed is pretty clear.... as they say,"Hindsight is 20/20." But when you're a kid, the world is new, fresh, exciting and you don't always know what lies ahead of you, yet you still strive for more.

That's what this image means to me - not death but life and a desire to move ahead, onward and upward.

When I wrote my blog post about this image, I was suffering super writer's block and it took me several hours of alternate hacking at the keyboard and surfing the web to clear my mind. Tomorrow after I'm done with a morning shoot I have scheduled, I'll add the thoughts above to my blog along with a note about the edit.

Everybody, thanks for the comments and inspiration to describe the feelings that my own image gives me.

-joe

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I see your interpretation as well but the one I gave you was my first reaction.

As I said I like images that can be viewed differently by different people. To me it is the same as in movies. I prefer the ones in which the end leaves you wondering what happens next.

And in a way, it helps the image get remembered. If people have something to discuss because they see different things, they are more likely to remember it. :thumbup:

 

[motojoe]

I'm with you... We should all hope to create images that will encourage thought, reaction, emotion and imagination. I'm glad that you had an interpretation that was different than mine and I appreciate that you all took time to respond on this thread! Have a great weekend and happy shooting!

-joe