Monday, May 26, 2008
Yuki Daruma
Comments:
Oh :-(
I feel sorry for the snowman, forlorn, temporary, decaying, out of place and sad.
It is a family joke that my elder daughter cried when the "The Snowman" melted.
the only evidence of snow is that snowman, looks very out of place.
I'm wondering why this one is square. The lines of the building lead into the corner but that is not needed to help the message of "forlorn, temporary, decaying, out of place and sad"
But would there be anyone around to mourn his end?
Are those shutters for the large windows of a store or the loading bays of a warehouse? Does the writing say: no snowmen to obstruct the entrance? His irregular shape is an excellent counter-point to the almost Stalinesque quality of the architecture above.
I like the graphic for the letterbox: is that for the building or a public one to be collected from?
Robert: Square due to shooting with Rolleicord TLR. I keep all the shots from it square with minimal cropping around the edges. Same for the Bessa - all the 35mm work I do is cropped to a 3:2 aspect ratio. Like to keep things simple...
John: The characters are literally saying cars forbidden (i.e. no parking). These are shutters to a garage beneath a rather large house/office combo near to where I live. The letter box is for the house and not the public.
I don't think I can work up any emotion over the fate of a snowman, but that doesn't stop me enjoying the photo.
Maybe some ghostly valet parking attendant?
Although the snowman appears to be central to this photo, the background is strong. One could imagine a range of objects (postman's trolley, plant in pot...) in that position which would all photograph well.
I can see this working without the snowman, but I am left wondering why the snowman is there. Who built him? And from what? There's no other evidence of wintry weather.
True the background is strong and it could work without the snowman -- but, c'mon -- how unexpected and wonderful that it is a snowman and not a plant in a pot! Was snow trucked in for this? As Matt said -- no other evidence -- which really makes it even more interesting.
Was snow trucked in for this? As Matt said -- no other evidence
Christina - evidence of your location :-)
Residual snowmen are not uncommon here. The apartment block was guarded by such a beast on several occasions this Jan/Feb.
We did get some snow earlier this year in Tokyo. This was shot the week after it had fallen. I'm surprised this one stayed for so long. Usually these would be sweeped away in an effort to keep the roads clear. As it was, it lasted only one more day before finally melting away. Thanks for the comments.
The tonalities are really nice and provide a great contrast between the snowman and the building. I also like the contrasting shapes and forms, the soft round of the snowman and the angularity and straightness of the building. I think that the composition and framing of the snowman is well done.
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I feel sorry for the snowman, forlorn, temporary, decaying, out of place and sad.
It is a family joke that my elder daughter cried when the "The Snowman" melted.
I'm wondering why this one is square. The lines of the building lead into the corner but that is not needed to help the message of "forlorn, temporary, decaying, out of place and sad"
Are those shutters for the large windows of a store or the loading bays of a warehouse? Does the writing say: no snowmen to obstruct the entrance? His irregular shape is an excellent counter-point to the almost Stalinesque quality of the architecture above.
I like the graphic for the letterbox: is that for the building or a public one to be collected from?
John: The characters are literally saying cars forbidden (i.e. no parking). These are shutters to a garage beneath a rather large house/office combo near to where I live. The letter box is for the house and not the public.
Maybe some ghostly valet parking attendant?
Although the snowman appears to be central to this photo, the background is strong. One could imagine a range of objects (postman's trolley, plant in pot...) in that position which would all photograph well.
Christina - evidence of your location :-)
Residual snowmen are not uncommon here. The apartment block was guarded by such a beast on several occasions this Jan/Feb.