Following on from the Flaitron Building image, this is indeed an instruction.
Here’s mine:
This works for me on a very personal level. In summary I love it because of the humanity and sensitivity it conveys. Fuller explanation of my thoughts here:
Strangely, as a non arty type, I just love this – space, countryside, grass, trees, a deserted path that is leading you forward and it makes me want to ride a bike along it.
A pic by a friend who was working out in Nepal as part of his PhD (with his explanation text)
I don’t like Pashupatinath Temple, particularly. Its a fascinating place, but to me too many photographers get far too close to mourners for the sake of their shot – westerners and Nepalis alike. It’s true that cremation is a more public affair here, but mourners shouldn’t be having to bump random photographers out the way, as I saw twice today.
Because of this I’ve always stuck to the far side of the river to the cremations, generally kept the camera away, and so have never taken a shot I’ve been happy with. Today, in the usual place from where I was watching, a group from the Nepal Army came and filled the gap to pay their respects. There was a brief, quiet moment when they bowed their heads before the cremation began. This, I think, is about as close as I ever want to get.
I like the ethics as well as the image, and the respect paid both by the army and by the photographer.
I went to Berlin for the weekend in ’99 while living in Germany & we visited the Checkpoint Charlie museum. This picture immediately caught my eye. I bought a poster of it, which I still have. It’s a bit rumpled & rolled up in the garage currently but it survived the journey back from Germany, my final year at uni & various subsequent house moves. I’d like to get a new copy, really.
EDIT – just remembered – I actually left my copy of the poster on the train when we had to make a change on the way back to the town we lived in. We were stood on the platform when I remembered – I absolutely legged it back to the platform & the train was still waiting. I somehow managed to remember the carriage we were on, leapt onto the train & it was still there…..grabbed the poster & ran back off – I even made it back to the other platform to grab our connection….
I dunno why I connected with the image really. We were looking a lot into the history of the wall at the time & the despair that a lot of people felt at the time when overnight their villages/towns were literally split in two & friends/family/lovers were no longer able to see each other, kids had to change schools & I imagine the path of their lives were changed forever as a result.
I love the spontaneity of this picture from the person taking it & the action of Conrad himself. I can just imagine him looking at the world around him changing & the thought processes running through his head, probably mixed with a bit of panic; then the instant though of “balls to this, I’m off” and over he went…..
From reading the wiki page, it sounds like he was encouraged to jump for it, by people on the West side of the barb wire.
Sadly, he had depression & committed suicide in 1998…..
Addition – I should probably say that this image is part of the reason that the whole pixel peeping nonsense that seems to pervade digital photography nowadays really boils my piss.
Any one of the so called ‘experts’ who comes on here and talks about dynamic range/ISO/prime v’s zoom etc. could find tons of ‘faults’ in the image I posted. But none of that matters. It’s a great image regardless, as are hundred of other images that are not ‘technically perfect’ or shot with the ultimate choice of gear…….
On a serious note, this one always stays etched with me, I guess its what I know of the time (the great depression) but also what I do not know, what is she thinking, why are the kids hiding their faces?
what is she thinking, why are the kids hiding their faces?
That is one the great documentary photo’s of the last century, taken by Dorothea Lange. It is indeed deeply poignant and distressig.
In the documentation I have read about the photo, the children are hiding their faces because they are frightened and upset.
It’s a controversial photo because apparently it was taken with permission (one of six exposures) on the basis that it would only be used for research and not published.
By John Cleare. From the best ever book about rock climbing in Britain. One of my favourite routes in Wales. So simple and yet has inspired me about the sport since I was in my teens.
By John Cleare. From the best ever book about rock climbing in Britain. One of my favourite routes in Wales. So simple and yet has inspired me about the sport since I was in my teens.
RUN OUT!
Unless I am mistaken ,that is the infamous ‘Left Wall’ on Dinas Cromlech. Unquestionably one of the best ten routes in the UK and probably the best E2 anywhere.
I climbed it in the summer of 1993 while camping for two weeks in a famrers field in the Pass. I was so thrilled to be on it I confess that I did a little nervous wee while on the crux moves. 😀
I had saved the route until I knew I could easily climb it (I was climbing around E4 on grit at that point) but was still psyched by the position and reputation of it.
HI Greg
Sorry to say it but the photo you posted has nothing for me.
It’s down there with this in my eyes:
Obviously we look for different things which is good.
My favourite for the last couple of years is this:
These guys are badass. Look at where they are. Look at what they’ve ridden to get up there and what they’ll have to ride back down. Fixie SS with dodgy brakes and foot rests on the forks. Awesome.
This photograph fascinated me as a child, talk about being in the right place at the right time!!
The pilot survived by the way, albeit with broken legs (he crashed through the roof of a nearby greenhouse and was woken up by water from the sprinkler system).
I worked for Robin Bell as a courier/bikey and met Terry O Neill loads of times, lovely bloke, he was married to Dunaway at the time, she was horrid but I love this photo.
Too many landscape togs I admire to narrow it down to one photo.
As far as adventure sports goes though, has to be the one below. Often daydream about the moment that picture was taken and what it was like to have been a pioneer, but then the suffering is so much more than I could endure. Wife got me one of the signed limited editions of Doug Scotts book, hopefully get some time to read that over Christmas…
I used to have scotroute’s/onion’s photo of some Socttish glen (cant remember which one) as my pc wallpaper. Always reminded me of a scene from Excaliber. Cant find it now.
Hmm, can’t find digital image of the picture I want to post. Will take photo of it on the wall, then post it! One of the few prints I have and have had for a long time.
Not the clearest or most interesting photo but it’s one my wife took of my eldest after a wet day at the park. Just reminds me so much of how I ended up looking in my youth, after a day mucking about with my mates..(not in a pink dress)
Well, I wouldn’t run into a burning building to save that, except in view of its price tag, but I would say that seeing the real thing is quite different from seeing an image on a computer screen.