Tsunami

tr0gd0o0r · Jan 19, 2005

Tell me what you guys think of this photo. Especially any meanings it you take away from it.

The context of the photo is that its going to be a part of a series that examines the economic change of a street in shreveport that my college is on. One end is very rich, and the other, lets just say there won't be any night shots in the series.

danalec99 · Jan 19, 2005

Converting it to a b&w would be more effective, IMO.

Fullpower · Jan 19, 2005

it'd have some more meaning if you could catch a couple kids playing dice, or peddling merchandice in the shadow of the sign...... some human element in the frame ,in my opinion, would make the difference between an image and a story.

petewood · Jan 19, 2005

I agree,
Some reference to people, rich or poor, to make that connection. Particularly the cultural link. This could have been shot in anyone of a bunch of different countries.
theres gonna be a ton of people working in responce to this issue so you gotta explore and make specific pictures regarding your own responce!
go for it though!

mcbphoto · Jan 19, 2005

Im not sure about this one. It seems like the bottom part of it is just a bit too underexposed to me. Great idea though.

tr0gd0o0r · Jan 19, 2005

mcbphoto said:
Im not sure about this one. It seems like the bottom part of it is just a bit too underexposed to me. Great idea though.

Yeah, i was afraid of that happening. I tried to pasting the sign onto a new layer, and then adjusting the brightness and stuff of the bottom layer, but that's the happiest medium I could get

craig · Jan 19, 2005

Pretty serious subject matter. Of course the more time you put into it the better the series will be. I would shoot 98 exposures of this billboard during different times of the day and at all angles. That same thought could go into each subject.

Maybe a decision should be made on wether or not to include people. Personally I vote yes.

tr0gd0o0r · Jan 20, 2005

I agree that people would be a good idea now that the idea has been mentioned. And there are definitly some better times of the day to shoot this in relation to shadows and what not. I think a day on the sidewalk waiting for that right moment may be in order for this shot. Sadly, I don't think people ever really hang out here. It's a parking lot of a hair salon.

craig · Jan 20, 2005

Post some details. How far into this project are you? What may the series reveal?

Trombone · Jan 20, 2005

right,
i donno how clear i'm gonna sound in this, but try to get the most out of what i say: i think you should self-compose this shot, cross that street bring a model/subject/child/friend/etc... along, make him/her stand right where the girl in the bilboard is looking, and make him/her look back or mabe even look away, while you are sitting (ducking) right below your model, and take a shot framing our model's head and expressions, including the face of th tsunamy girl, you'll have to use a very deep DOF, so a tripod might be of a use there.

most probably you don't have the time to do all this, and maybe even my idea isn't that good, but that's what i saw when looked at the space you're using, anyway the subject is definitly worth it.

Cheers,
Trombone

Picksure · Jan 20, 2005

tr0gd0o0r said:
Tell me what you guys think of this photo. Especially any meanings it you take away from it.

With the "empty" feeling I get when I think of the tsunami and it effects on the land and people, I think the dark empty lot fits very well.
just my $0.02

tr0gd0o0r · Jan 20, 2005

craig said:
Post some details. How far into this project are you? What may the series reveal?

This photo is from my first outing into the trip. THis shot is taken in the middle section of a norht south road. The further north you get the crappier the street gets. I hope to reveal the distinct differences between socio-economic positions of people in our city. And whatever i may discover in that quest.

Trombone,

While I think that is a great idea for the photo. I want to keep this series real and take photos of what I find on the street. If I manipulate thing i feel like i wont be portraying the realities of the situation.

I'm also considering the project to be more of a study of the buildings on the street than anything else. (partly because i'm not quite used to taking photos of people in public yet and i'm a little afraid of it, but also because i think the buildings alone can speak volumes.) I'm also going to include photos of street signs so people know exactly where they are on the street when looking at the photos. The idea is for it to feel like you're walking down the street when you walk down the hallway or whatever the series is displayed on.

terri · Jan 20, 2005

Picksure said:
With the "empty" feeling I get when I think of the tsunami and it effects on the land and people, I think the dark empty lot fits very well.
just my $0.02

I totally agree. That's what I was thinking when I viewed it. The image itself, plus the event that lead to the billboard, is dismal in and by itself, and the empty desolate parking lot adds to that feeling. That part is very nice. I like the idea of getting more shots of it, different angles - and also trying it in B&W. For this particular image for your project, I'd keep shooting when the lot is empty.

Bimmie · Jan 20, 2005

the blue-ish foreground makes the pic feel a little too cold
try a warming filter, sepia or b&w

tr0gd0o0r · Jan 22, 2005

You guys were right, i went back to this yesterday and found some much more interesting compositions. Unfortunatly, i was using my yashica 124 so posting them isnt convenient, but I'm gonna go back w/ the digi and I'll post some of those.