User ID

This painted commercial signage
is, in reality, quite old and faded.
As you might surmise, the earlier
sign faded and a newer sign was
painted over it.

As the newer sign deteriorated,
the original became exposed so
we have "double vision". In post
I more or less "restored" what I
could. Maybe even overdid it ?

Or maybe the whole idea simply
might not seem worthwhile for
some viewers. Trying to view it
as if it were not my work, as if
it's just an image I encountered
on some restaurant wall or such,
I find I'm intrigued enuf to take
extra time viewing it, but then I
grow bored with it.

(Download)

Stephan G

There are many questions to ask about what is viewed.

I see the squares going across near the top. End-caps for rods that go through to the other side of the building? To me, the first questions are about earthquakes in the history of the location.

History can flesh out what is in the image. Who was Frear? How far back was this a family-owned concern? and the like.

A good shot to evoke questions about the local history.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

If we were to look back over the whole history of photography we would see there is a recurring interest in shots that evoke questions and leave those questions largely unanswered. I admire your courage in wanting to explore that style of photography (and art?), because it seems to me there's a real possibility that the very obscurity that makes such shots interesting will in many cases come with a high degree of liability. It seems to me there are various ways that such shots can fail. Will it just look like a mistake - the sort of shot a beginner might make? Will it be misinterpreted? Will the viewer not even realise that it's an attempt to evoke curiosity or wonder? And that's just some of the possibilities.

Your own reaction (absorption followed by eventual disinterest) hints at another possible problem. The amount of obscurity needs to be carefully gauged because if it's overdone, the viewer may show initial curiosity, but if there's no clear conclusion or moment of enlightenment, the eventual result can be disappointment (which presumably would not be the intended effect). The hints and signposts need to be there somewhere and they can't be too obscure. It's a fine balancing act and those which master it will be rewarded with persistent success.

On top of that, success depends on the image finding its way to the right kind of viewer. In pursuing that style of photography I'd say you've chosen some turbulent rapids to navigate. I wish you luck. Personally I'll stick to my relatively safe landscape shots .

dansmith Loc: Southwest Alberta Canada

Perhaps I'm one of the few that find interest in this photograph. This type of advertising is no longer practiced, remember a building with a fading sign for Pard dog food, a brand made by a local meat packer that I remember feeding Patsy in the early 50's.

Your disinterest with the shot I think stems from your initial vision not quite making it into the image.

I feel as you do that's it all about the billboard. The bonus is the period architecture. Try different edits to bring up the faded printing a bit, try and favor the newer if possible to accentuate the redo. Knock down the sky a wee as I think it competes and play with cropping right and bottom.

Would have liked to photograph this as well as that Pard wall, unfortunately the building was removed before I got to it.

FREAR'S baked and packaged biscuits, cookies to all us North Americans...

User ID

Greatly appreciate such thought and insight. I
tend to have little or no concern that viewers
love or even like my work. But acoarst it must
minimally appear worth more than a passing
glance, to even a very small audience, if it is
going to capture wandering eyes and provoke
a bit of thought, or maybe a bit of wonder. So
it seems that this one works that way.

IOW, I have no interest in showing "beauty".
I'm more interested in the "hey, how about
that" type of image ... Acoarst not trying to
be anti-aesthetic but, for me, "mind candy"
trumps "eye candy", so puzzlement trumps
clear messaging.

dansmith Loc: Southwest Alberta Canada

Agree!

User ID

Thanks for admiring my "courage". Since
I have nothing to lose, I don't feel all that
courageous about it. One can only address
what audience one may have, however
limited an audience that might be. Value
derives from rarity. Value the rare viewer
and ignore what is of little value.