What story do you see here?

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cgardner
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p.1 #1 · What story do you see here?

These posts are more of a psychology experiment than request for critique. The premise is that every photo tells a story and if it works it should stand on it's own without setting it up in advance with a subject line like "Texture", "Cold", etc. providing the context.

So while I appreciate the generalized comments I really need you to answer the specific questions as asked to be able to quantify whether your reaction is based on personal familiarity with the subject matter and whether you are reacting to it as just another photo to look at or on some emotional level (fishermen would react differently to non-fishermen). I'd also like to know whether your eye path in the photo was the one I hoped for.

Yeah very analytical, but that's the way my brain got wired and those are the questions I ask when I look at your photos and comment. I think the answers to structured questions like that create a framework for understanding how to tell a story in a photo more effectively in a way that the widest possible audience will relate to.

I'll give you my answers to the same questions later as to why I took the shots.

This image is copyrighted by the owner

What do you think the story is here?
Why did you find it interesting? "I didn't find it interesting" is a valid answer but explain why.
What senses other than visual did it trigger? sound, touch, taste
What personal memories caused you to react that way?
Do you think everyone will react the same way?
What did you notice first?
Where did your eye go next?
What did you dwell longest on?
What was the last thing you saw before exiting?

Edited on Jan 30, 2013 at 03:32 AM · View previous versions

Jan 30, 2013 at 01:07 AM

RustyBug

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p.1 #2 · What story do you see here?

Going fishing, early morning.

Boat/tail, dock, fog, boat. trunk, leaves, ground, boat.

Jan 30, 2013 at 01:58 AM

sbeme

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p.1 #3 · What story do you see here?

No strong story line evoked.
Heading downstream near dawn, exploring. Maybe fishing.
Wake, boat, dock, brighter lit areas foreground, over dock, people on dock.

Scott

Jan 30, 2013 at 03:04 PM

_Rob_S_
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p.1 #4 · What story do you see here?

Chuck, I don't find a strong story here and here's why: My eye was first drawn to the silohuette on the pier and then quickly to the boat. My first impression was "left behind", though the boat is entering the frame rather than leaving. So maybe the story is "awaiting a pick-up", though the boat does not seem to be headed for the person on the pier. The other elements (pier, fog, tree, branch, shore) register in my mind as compositional items only and don't contribute much to a story.

It's a well composed and well exposed image. For me, the primary subjects are the person on the pier and the two in the boat. I just don't find a strong connection between them.

Rob

Jan 30, 2013 at 03:36 PM

cgardner
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p.1 #5 · What story do you see here?

What do you think the story is here?

What inspired me to take it was the tranquility of the early morning light and fog. In person there was silence until the boat approach and broke it. So the fact it didn't evoke any strong emotion actually means it did the target I was aiming for here. It is a resort where people come to relax and fish.

Why did you find it interesting? "I didn't find it interesting" is a valid answer but explain why.

For me it was the contrast of the peace of the lake (Lake Tanneycomo in Branson, MO) being broken by the boat. That of course doesn't translate the same way visually, except perhaps an eye movement dynamic of seeing the dock context first then the boat contrasting it. Stasis > Action.

What senses other than visual did it trigger? sound, touch, taste

Also it's something someone who had experienced similarly in person would relate to better than others and something that a fisherman would relate to more than others. The resort in owned by my wife's sponsor family who consider us part of theirs for use on their web site. So the target audience, fishermen, would hopefully relate to in in a positive way as a nice place to stay and dock their boat.

What personal memories caused you to react that way?
Doesn't apply for me since I took it but brings back nice subjective personal memories of staying there when I see it :-).

Do you think everyone will react the same way?

No but it was taken with a targeted audience in mind.

What did you notice first?
The guy on the dock (the same guy as in the Heron shot) as I was deciding how to frame it with the overhanging branch and trunk the boat showed up as a bonus focal point.

I used flash (Vivitar 285HV) for fill in the foreground to handle the contrast of the lighting. Taken with a 5MP Minolta D7Hi

Edited on Jan 31, 2013 at 02:33 PM · View previous versions

Jan 30, 2013 at 06:24 PM

eeneryma
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p.1 #6 · What story do you see here?

Beautiful light...that's the first thing I notice. Atmospheric early morning light, fog sitting on top of the water. My eye goes to the seated people, then to the boat, probably fisherman going upriver to drop their lines. It's the mist that my eye dwells on since this is the lightest part of the image, and also the most interesting. Expert framing with the foliage on top and the foreground. The wake of the boat and the long horizontal pier lead your eye through the photo. Last thing I looked at is fisherman in the boat, 3 people looking upriver, the front person pointing ahead . As others have expressed, I don't think there's a strong story here, but more about light and atmosphere. Almost painterly, and has a primeval feeling. Fun exercise.

Jan 30, 2013 at 07:18 PM

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