Sunday, January 14, 2007
Was Going To Be My Christmas Post
Comments:
One of the things that 'Stills' has taught me is that sometimes 'great shot' is all there is to say.
Anything else would be stating the obvious, or as Matt puts it, ruinous.
I haven't yet worked out what class of photo that this applies to, but in the meantime....great shot!
I've thought about this some more (the cogs are grinding exceeding slow at the moment) and the answer is, of course, humour.
It is when I see a good photo that has humour that I find nothing to say. You can't analyse or explain humour. To do so just removes the humour.
The first two and, to a lesser extent the third, comments run the risk of being prescriptive, even tantamount to Stalinist cultural pronouncements.
"...one of the things that 'Stills' has taught me is that sometimes 'great shot' is all there is to say...". That is somewhat at odds with explaining why one might say 'great shot', which is what I thought Stills was all about so please excuse me while I blunder around the china shop. Which is not to say that I don't find the photo humorous but I don't see that as being all there is here so I shall probably kill the humour.
So, some observations and questions. Why are there Christmas trees in a non-Christian culture? Or has Western consumerism set up a simulacrum of Christmas? Are the couple on the left reading a poster or looking up? Do the 'mountaineers' have a religious or a consumer connection (symbolically)? What does the little sign in the centre say?
Lastly, the lightness of the tones makes the scene almost unreal. Perhaps that is deliberate but it intrigues me as to whether that is how Tokyo looks - so antiseptic.
There, I have 'ruined' it! In terms of humour, I put it at the intriguing end of the scale, which is what the others probably also think given the use of the word subtle. Just that I don't accord it sacred status. The composition has a nice balance of activity and shapes although the window cleaners just, just make it as being visible. This would look good as a large print.
And anyway it would have been boring to have had a third 'concur' remark.
Can I make it less Stalinesque by inserting the words "for me" into comment number 2 (as in...all there is for me to say...).
I wish I could make out the guys on the side of the building more clearly. The symmetry of their position makes me wonder as to their provenance as real live humans.
The interest/disinterest contrast between the people on the left and the baby on the right makes me smile, as does the empathy I have with the curiosity of the pedestrians.
As for the toning, as mentioned by John, it’s seems to be a very consistent style of akikana’s presentations and one that I personally quite enjoy.
Many thanks for the feedback. I thought I was on to something when I came across the scene. I just needed to wait a little (which is unusual in how I tend to capture a shot) for the players to get in position.
To answer some of John's questions:
Christmas Trees: The Japanese celebrate the commercial side of the period rather than any religious side. There is a small christian community in Japan mainly in the southern part. This is a legacy of the Portuguese merchants of the 1500s.
The three people are looking at a building description sign. You see these all over Tokyo as it is in a constant state of rebuilding itself. The sign describes, amongst other things, what is to be built, its size, the architects, the building firm, the end owner, start date, end date etc. The appearance of one of these signs on an already standing building is tantamount to an execution order.
The mountaineers are building cleaners. These guys not only do windows but exteriors too.
The little sign in the centre says Ginza 1-chome. This is the part of Tokyo I took the shot in. Ginza is a hub of upmarket designer brand shops and this road - Chuo Dori - is one of the main drags you find them in. However, step a few streets back and you're back in to the normal 'ramshackle' Tokyo world I enjoy.
Post a Comment
Anything else would be stating the obvious, or as Matt puts it, ruinous.
I haven't yet worked out what class of photo that this applies to, but in the meantime....great shot!
It is when I see a good photo that has humour that I find nothing to say. You can't analyse or explain humour. To do so just removes the humour.
"...one of the things that 'Stills' has taught me is that sometimes 'great shot' is all there is to say...". That is somewhat at odds with explaining why one might say 'great shot', which is what I thought Stills was all about so please excuse me while I blunder around the china shop. Which is not to say that I don't find the photo humorous but I don't see that as being all there is here so I shall probably kill the humour.
So, some observations and questions. Why are there Christmas trees in a non-Christian culture? Or has Western consumerism set up a simulacrum of Christmas? Are the couple on the left reading a poster or looking up? Do the 'mountaineers' have a religious or a consumer connection (symbolically)? What does the little sign in the centre say?
Lastly, the lightness of the tones makes the scene almost unreal. Perhaps that is deliberate but it intrigues me as to whether that is how Tokyo looks - so antiseptic.
There, I have 'ruined' it! In terms of humour, I put it at the intriguing end of the scale, which is what the others probably also think given the use of the word subtle. Just that I don't accord it sacred status. The composition has a nice balance of activity and shapes although the window cleaners just, just make it as being visible. This would look good as a large print.
And anyway it would have been boring to have had a third 'concur' remark.
The interest/disinterest contrast between the people on the left and the baby on the right makes me smile, as does the empathy I have with the curiosity of the pedestrians.
As for the toning, as mentioned by John, it’s seems to be a very consistent style of akikana’s presentations and one that I personally quite enjoy.
To answer some of John's questions:
Christmas Trees: The Japanese celebrate the commercial side of the period rather than any religious side. There is a small christian community in Japan mainly in the southern part. This is a legacy of the Portuguese merchants of the 1500s.
The three people are looking at a building description sign. You see these all over Tokyo as it is in a constant state of rebuilding itself. The sign describes, amongst other things, what is to be built, its size, the architects, the building firm, the end owner, start date, end date etc. The appearance of one of these signs on an already standing building is tantamount to an execution order.
The mountaineers are building cleaners. These guys not only do windows but exteriors too.
The little sign in the centre says Ginza 1-chome. This is the part of Tokyo I took the shot in. Ginza is a hub of upmarket designer brand shops and this road - Chuo Dori - is one of the main drags you find them in. However, step a few streets back and you're back in to the normal 'ramshackle' Tokyo world I enjoy.