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Daily Deviation

Daily Deviation

March 14, 2008
This is Love by ~eXcer Love regardless of consequence. Powerful shot!
Featured by straightfromcamera
Suggested by norealname4me
eXcer's avatar

This is Love

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Published:
68.8K Views

Description

Shot taken during a Photo Tour in Coimbra [Portugal].

[edited@24.06.2008 - border updated]
Image size
593x464px 192.46 KB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
Shutter Speed
1/200 second
Aperture
F/6.3
Focal Length
200 mm
ISO Speed
400
Date Taken
Feb 24, 2007, 4:36:05 PM
Comments1211
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coxi's avatar
:star::star::star-empty::star-empty::star-empty: Overall
:star::star::star-half::star-empty::star-empty: Vision
:star::star::star-empty::star-empty::star-empty: Originality
:star-half::star-empty::star-empty::star-empty::star-empty: Technique
:star::star::star::star-empty::star-empty: Impact

Titles are always a difficult field but i think one should be careful with such strong terms as love or hate in general.

This photo is a scene of some strangers in the street, a snapshot of a moment of their lives. Neither the photographer nor the viewer knows their story, so why give them one ? I think we should leave such moments without a comment - we're not allowed to write someone else's story if we don't know much about them.

It would be a completely different thing if this photo was part of a photo reportage of this couple, because then the photgrapher will be part of their lives and get to know these people and will have much more content to look at (photos and text) than just a random scene in the streets.

Of course the scene is lovely and many people will think "wow, she must really love him".. but think twice, what do you know ? Nothing. You don't even see their faces, you don't know how they are related to each other, you don't know when they met and how, you don't know if he was disabled all his life or just a week ago and so what - why is it "real" love to love someone in a wheelchair - seriously, we all are disabled in our own ways, be it mentally or physically. If "real" love means to love someone, alsoyour partner's quirks, then what makes it different to her who we judge as someone who has "real" love for her partner.

So if we say she loves him, then she'd love him if he was not in a wheelchair too and even if not, i don't think she loves his disability, she loves his person, so why does it make a difference ?

If the title was "couple in coimbra" i would never start this discussion. Don't judge over strangers, be it meant in a good or bad way. Leave it without a comment, because to be able to photograph a scene like that is the actual art/craft and not to add a story.

Vision:

Well, it takes an eye to see it of course, but then again, when you are on a photo-tour your eyes are awake (which they always should be imo). I think this is more a scene you react to automatically the moment you see it. The only thing that i think is positive is that the photographer took notice of them even when they were so far away. I guess that scene happened ~40 meters away or something. So even when i think you should be close when taking streetshots, the photographer has taken notice of it even at such a distance.

Originality:
Well, rarely streetshots are original. Of course the best of the best are, but these kind of photos are mostly about seeing and reacting. Originality comes in to play in street when the photographer is able to see different elements working together or even waits for a situation to happen.

Technique:
I think technically this photo lacks on all levels. The composition is ruined because her feet and his wheelchair is cut. Generally there isn't enough space around them, which wouldn't be a problem because this photo was taken with a zoom lens. Even if it wasn't taken with a zoom lens, then all the photographer needs to do is wait until these two walk a bit farer. I think there was plenty of time to take several photos if that scene.

Even if this was just a split second. If i had taken this shot like that, i'd just be pissed about myself that i cut them and just not publish it, because the shot is ruined.

The contrast is way too strong. There is no detail in the shadows, he's a black soup and her head melts with the door in the background.

The digital toning isn't necessairy. You can't make a digital photo look vintage or sepia - because this will never look like a real vintage print from the 30's - so keep it untoned - this effort of an nostalgic look just makes the photgraph seem cheap and kitschy - when it really shouldn't be in my opinion.

Impact:

Well since the scene itslef is lovely, it has some sort of impact to the viewer. You can start building your own interpretations and stories and that's a good thing.

A lovely scene captured in a very sloppy way.