This was an image that I made with the 75 Lux wide open last weekend. The locale was the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) on Dundas St. in Toronto. Some friends and I were taking advantage of the "pay what you can" promotion at the museum. Most of us got in for less than a buck but some friends from Alberta were a little more charitable (~15 bucks, ouch!). Anyways, we were allowed to view the permanent collection and I noticed this one girl (probably an Art student studying at OCAD) totally immersed in an abstract (can't remember which one). The lines of the gallery interior were quite pleasing and I managed to get this shot off while successfully avoiding a confrontation with the gallery guards. Anyways, here's the image...

Flame away.

John.

-- John Chan (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), January 25, 2002

Answers

Good use of selective focus. The tension between the man in the foreground, the subject (art student perhaps), and the painting on the back wall all really help hold this picture together! Great Job. It almost feels like the subject, the man in the foreground and the painting in the background are all studying the same piece of art.

The walls effectively was work to frame the picture! The paneled wall/door in the for ground and the vestage/entrance in the background act as a tunnel of dirrectional tool to keep the subject, man, and painting all interacting. Good cropping.

The lighting is also interesting. It is a bi or tri-directional lighting. The Shadow from the picture and the man seem to be coming from the same DIFFUSED source. However, the woman's shadow falls in the opposite direction. This adds to the tension. I think the tension adds to the picture.

I find myself wanting to know what they are ALL looking at. This further adds to the tension but adds curiousity! The Bokeh is pleasing. The 75LUX allows the man and painting to fall out of focus but yet still remain important active parts of the picture.

Overall a good picture.

-- Rob Schopke (schopke@attbi.com), January 25, 2002.

for ground = Foreground tunnel of directional - tunnel or directional

should have proof read a little closer. Sorry

-- Rob Schopke (schopke@attbi.com), January 25, 2002.

museum watching, by elliott erwitt...its a great book and might give you some ideas on shooting in a museum

-- grant (g4lamos@yahoo.com), January 25, 2002.

Nice shot John! The girl is obviously intelligent, as she is left- handed ;-)

Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), January 25, 2002.

I am with Grant. Who was it that said "A photographer's greatest asset is his rubbish bin".

-- sait (akkirman@clear.net.nz), January 26, 2002.

Content and composition are both weak. Nothing fantastic about the lighting either. What exactly are you trying to tell through this image? The fact that she is " totally immersed in an abstract"? Wouldn't have known if you didn't mention it. I would have to go with Grant here.

What's 15 bucks if you can afford a 75 lux??

cheers

-- Joel (joel_low@pacific.net.sg), January 26, 2002.

John,tell us why you like it,what do you think makes it a good photograph?

-- Phill (philkneen@manx.net), January 26, 2002.

I like the shot, but I see it as a beginning study for a theme, or self-assignment, just as Andrew Wyeth (and others, of course) would make a series of sketches, or studies, while working up ideas for the final painting. I'd like this shot a little better without the man. He distracts me. I like that the painting in the background is OOF, but I wonder if I'd like it better if I knew what she was looking at. Maybe not, in order to create more mystery.

Although maybe not a final product, I think the shot is the beginning of something ...

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 26, 2002.

Phillip,

Initially, when I was browsing through my latest chromes this shot didn't really stand out. However, I looked at it a little closer and I liked one element in it. I like that there is more "micro-detail" in the foreground (even if the man is OOF) and that kinduv "dissolves" into abstract shapes into the background (squares). I like the placement of the painting because it plays with the mind... is it on the backwall or is it in the girl's mind. Helps too that the girl has her eyes partially closed and is in deep contemplation. I also like that the limited contrast range of the backwalls and tunnel help to "abstractualize" the background.

Call me crazy... but that's what I see.

Cheers,

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), January 26, 2002.