3rd: Fear of Isolation by Cat by ctfchallenge

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04-MAR-2007	© Cat

3rd: Fear of Isolation by Cat

Some can't let go and break the connection and be independent,
or be called isolated...

200-0154

Canon EOS 20D
1/250s f/14.0 at 70.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto

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ctfchallenge		12-Mar-2007 16:46
i like this simple conceptual shot. nicely done, Cat. -Abstract

Rod		12-Mar-2007 07:09
:-)hehe

Guest		11-Mar-2007 19:15
Thanks Rod for getting back to me on this one! I am really gald that you see my point, it was all worth the effort. Rod, I am no psychologist, just saying what I think. Pysche'ing is shrinking business now-a-days anyway...LOL!

Rod		09-Mar-2007 12:30
:-)hehe I think you must be a Psychologist Cats because of the way you have framed the question as I have to leave out all the points I like to discuss/argue:-) Of course I can relate the the under photo message to the photo & concur that it works very well. Your further description of the tension before separation is born out as our experience tells us the struggle these drops have to break free, almost in slow motion which this shot captures. So this shot is a successful outcome with the criteria you set yourself. I think the two main problems I had with this shot is seeing it first posted in the Dslr forum under a different title & context which coloured how I viewed this & the look to me here is Ice cream with strawberry syrup running off which doesn't really lend itself to a meaningful message, not very easily anyway, even though you have covered all of your criteria so a well done for that even though its not my cuppa tea:-)

ctfchallenge		08-Mar-2007 22:50
Thanks Rod, Jamdiver, CJ and Henry!!! I certainly appreciate the feedback! Makes me feel better that Rod and I didn't scare away you all from commenting! :) -Cat Rod, it’s obvious that we come from different parts of the world. I am aware of the experts you are mentioning and draw inspiration from. It’s anyone’s guess that the photo in question here is meant for different purpose, unlike what you are expecting photo should be. Yes, this photo IS meant for advertising and not meant otherwise. I believe a good photog is the one who can convert an idea/concept or a thought into a single visual presentation. But a better photog is the one who can combine multiple ideas into a single visual presentation. My attempt was specifically not to get a preconceived notion in the mind of the viewer just by looking at it. Because if that happens, I believe the viewer temporarily looses the objectivity (perfectly normal behaviour) and follows the train of thought created by the first impression. Now why did I choose to not do that? Because: I want to control the train of thought of the viewer and point them in the direction of my choosing, by associating words with the photo (title and a terse description). As I told you earlier, I see this photo as a tool of communication, I give the title and let the photo tell the story. You should know by now that I like concepts and love complex ideas and express them in simple photos. This one is no different. And that is what I am lending to this photo. I know you got the deep meaning in here first hand as I exactly had intended it to be captured. I want you to comment about that, along with the simplicity in the photo. It practically has just 2 colors, has just 2 shapes (one solid, one fluid) has 2 points of focus and a very thin line connecting the two. This line binds the photo together, yet it can snap in the next fraction of a second. This line has all the necessary tension to hold the viewers’ attention. It is also the last connection the drop has before it is ISOLATED or liberated for ever, depending on how you see it. I want you to tell me if I have been able to achieve my goal or not via this photo as I described in here. I rather want you to analyze these aspects of the photo and critique them than getting into an argument of style, history, grammar, humour etc. And that my friend, will be a comment I will cherish for ever… Cheers… -Cat

ctfchallenge		08-Mar-2007 16:08
The "color" does carry the ISOLATION theme. You are not supposed to judge a photograph by its "title", but I feel that the title often helps the viewer see what the photographer's "intent" was. - Henry

ctfchallenge		07-Mar-2007 18:50
Good use of color to Isolate the "blood" from the background. CJ

ctfchallenge		07-Mar-2007 15:18
I like this cat :). - Jamdiver

Rod		07-Mar-2007 08:39
Thanks for the lesson in English grammar Cats but it's really wasted on me mate, not because I don't want to learn but I have other priorities far more important than grammar to consume my time:-) I think the problem in my critiques is I learnt my photography by reading books & magazines in the early 1970s that featured the work of photographers like Bresson, Adams, Robert Frank, Lange,Capa, etc etc etc. These are only a small part of the people (my then peers) who used to inspire me & the knowledge of their work would keep my feet firmly on the ground as to my own abilities with the camera. Only a minority of the worlds consumer nations population would know of their work or even be interested but a majority of these same populations could relate to an advertising photo shot because of it's lowest denomination appeal. So when I say this looks like an advertising shot it means to me that it has no feel as a photo when viewed alone, adding meaningful text underneath it doesn't change the shot I'm looking at. I listen to music the same way, it doesn't matter what faces the musician pulls when they're playing or singing it's my ears that tell me if there's feel in the performance not my eyes. The same goes for photos my eyes tell me what's a good shot not the text below it. I would have thought you knew this already:-) PS. Seriously this would make a great ad shot for strawberry syrup, it looks delicious:-)

ctfchallenge		06-Mar-2007 17:40
Thanks Rod! :) BTW you spelled the word "and" a little differently than I do; you spelled it as "but" with a suplementary "just" to go with it. ;-) One of the things I always aim for is to pay attention to "what you are trying to communicate through your photo/picture". Consider this photo, the challenge theme aside, I could say: "GIVE BLOOD and Don't let the life line break" and this photo will communicate that 100%. I consider this the resourcefulness of idea/subject in the photo. How could that reduce the value of what you are looking at? I think that rather adds value to the idea, execution and the final result. Advertising is just one of the avenues which has adopted "A picture is worth a thousand words" literally. It is also among the few areas which gives photos a status of an effective tool for communication, So I don't see this as a drawback of a photo to look like a advt, rather its a credit for its effective ability to communicate and establish a connection with the viewer. Ofcourse, you already know all of this :) Cheers. -Cat

Rod		06-Mar-2007 07:12
Deep & meaningful message Cats but the shot looks just a nice advertising shot to me,

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