Sometimes Life is just too Much
Nov 26, 2018 12:59:05 #
Nov 26, 2018 13:22:11 #
Graham Smith wrote:
Abject despair.
Very powerful image Graham !!! Most of us can relate, I'm sure.
Nov 26, 2018 21:46:54 #
y
Oh m’God, Graham....that’s hard to look at....and hard to look away...
Have to admit that at first glance I thought it was a dummy of stuffed old clothes...and then to suddenly realize it was human was a gut punch!
A profoundly and powerfully haunting, unforgettable, persisting image.
Impact? Unforgettable!!
I’m not at all sure I’m glad to have seen it...but I don’t know how anyone could be unaffected by it.
Dave
Graham Smith wrote:
Abject despair.
Oh m’God, Graham....that’s hard to look at....and hard to look away...
Have to admit that at first glance I thought it was a dummy of stuffed old clothes...and then to suddenly realize it was human was a gut punch!
A profoundly and powerfully haunting, unforgettable, persisting image.
Impact? Unforgettable!!
I’m not at all sure I’m glad to have seen it...but I don’t know how anyone could be unaffected by it.
Dave
Nov 27, 2018 00:27:54 #
Those who take photos have an ethical responsibility to preserve the dignity of their subjects and provide a faithful, comprehensive visual depiction of their surroundings so as to avoid causing public misperceptions. Visual images are a cogent way to convey an experience to an audience and to evoke strong public emotions. In this way, the photographer wields substantial control over public perception. Photographers’ decisions about how to depict their subjects can entirely alter viewers’ perceptions.
Would I have taken this shot - yes but only with the subjects knowledge and consent. Would I make it available on the net is a question for the conscience of the individual behind the lens.
All who view this will be affected, for around 10 seconds before we sit back on our leather sofa in front of our 50 inch flat screen TV. That does not take away the fact it is a very powerful image.
Would I have taken this shot - yes but only with the subjects knowledge and consent. Would I make it available on the net is a question for the conscience of the individual behind the lens.
All who view this will be affected, for around 10 seconds before we sit back on our leather sofa in front of our 50 inch flat screen TV. That does not take away the fact it is a very powerful image.
Nov 27, 2018 06:22:32 #
This image raises a lot of questions for me. Why is he there, why not pull himself up onto the boards? Is he less-abled (I can't clearly define two legs) or is it 'just' mental anguish! Perhaps it's self inflicted (had a skinful). Are those his footprints leading to him. The more I look the more I want to ask. It reminds me of good War photography, perhaps a Don McCullin. I couldn't have taken it, because I wouldn't have seen it. I would not have seen the power or the possible underlying story to the subject.
But as an image it looks to be superbly handled.
But as an image it looks to be superbly handled.
Nov 27, 2018 08:13:21 #
Nov 27, 2018 08:33:03 #
canadaboy wrote:
...
All who view this will be affected, for around 10 seconds ...
All who view this will be affected, for around 10 seconds ...
Not "all". Those of us who actually look at the image and have empathy for fellow human beings do not turn off their thoughts.
As for presenting the image, it is a statement of fact.
Nov 27, 2018 09:04:09 #
Maybe it's my monitor, but the scene is too dark for me to make out what is portrayed. Dave's comments, and Graham's introduction, make me think of an offering of Graham's a few years back that will forever haunt me and has my vote for the most powerful image I have ever seen. That of a man laying on a busy sidewalk with his face to the wall...and his eyes wide open!
Nov 27, 2018 10:57:23 #
What Dave said. . . . This is riveting. So many questions. So many emotions. I think it would be one of those images I would take and wish I didn't have to. Does that make sense?
Nov 27, 2018 12:47:34 #
Oh my God! My first response when the image flashed on my screen was to scroll down. I had to force myself to scroll back, download and really look at the photo. Powerful is to weak a word to describe such a scene. I am not sure I could have taken the shot.
Nov 27, 2018 13:13:21 #
AzPicLady wrote:
What Dave said. . . . This is riveting. So many questions. So many emotions. I think it would be one of those images I would take and wish I didn't have to. Does that make sense?
Anecdotal note: People who work as First Responders have developed the skill to view such as seen in the shot mechanically, as if viewing a structural wreck. Then they proceed with their function. The emotions hit hard after they've finished their jobs. From personal experience, I know how hard they can hit. After decades, it still hits.
Also many are what is termed "accident junkies". There is a saying among cops. "If you want to stop traffic. Put out a white sheet."
This photo evokes certain memories. And I know I am not alone in having such memories.
Nov 27, 2018 16:25:02 #
canadaboy wrote:
Those who take photos have an ethical responsibili... (show quote)
Canadaboy, I am at complete peace with both my ethics and conscience. I had asked the subject if he needed help, in fact, some of those boot prints in the mud are mine. He politely refused help and the only explanation he would give was that the mud cooled his legs. He agreed that I could take the picture after I asked him to cover his face. Not because I didn't want him to be recognisable, it made a more powerful picture with him anonymous.
Nov 27, 2018 16:46:12 #
Graham Smith wrote:
Canadaboy, I am at complete peace with both my ethics and conscience. I had asked the subject if he needed help, in fact, some of those boot prints in the mud are mine. He politely refused help and the only explanation he would give was that the mud cooled his legs. He agreed that I could take the picture after I asked him to cover his face. Not because I didn't want him to be recognisable, it made a more powerful picture with him anonymous.
You have captured a vision that does evoke a very real emotional response. It is difficult to create such realism, even with the benefit of prosthetics and make-up. The addition of the mud prints and his arm covering his face made the scene even that more realistic.
I am curious as to the environs you found him. The use of wet mud to alleviate his pain is a tribal healing method in several parts of the world.
Again, well done and presented.
Nov 27, 2018 16:51:14 #
Nov 27, 2018 17:19:28 #
Graham, your photograph personifies the way I've felt at times. You've really managed to capture emotion in a single frame.
--Bob
--Bob
Graham Smith wrote:
Abject despair.
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