Sometimes you just know when you have taken a special photograph. That is how I felt yesterday morning as I walked away from New Mills. There was thin ice on the surface of The Peak Forest Canal and stoves aboard any occupied narrow boats were pumping out steam.
A young woman with a dog checked me out before proceeding along the tow path. After all, all men are potential assailants even when it is three degrees below zero and the sixty nine year old man in question is dressed like an Arctic explorer. I was following her and I could see how her breath was turning to steamy condensation just like the smoke from the boat chimneys.
It was all looking pretty dramatic. I was aware of the dog and the different positions it was taking up.
Perhaps I should have taken multiple pictures in those ten seconds but I didn't - I just took two. I shared one of them with you yesterday. We will call that Picture A. It pleased me greatly that Steve, Dave and Carol were amongst the visitors who complimented me on that image. It was confirmatory.
I will call the other image Picture B. And here they are next to each other. There are subtle differences. In a moment an image can look so different even though the composition is more or less the same. Is there anything you can say about the two pictures and how you respond differently to them?
Picture A
It is difficult to pick between the two but I think I prefer Picture A. The mist in the air seems more pronounced, the posture of the dog is better somehow and, of course, the female's legs look better. (Okay, ladies, crucify me.)
ReplyDeleteIn A, the dog seems to be looking up the canal to the narrow boats and somehow the steam from the right adds to the drama. IT'S RATHER SEXIST TO CHECK OUT THE DOG OWNER'S LEGS! BURN HIM! BURN HIM!
DeleteAtmospheric photos--both of them. If I had to choose only one, I would pick A. But I can't explain why.
ReplyDeleteThere are reasons why we might react differently but perhaps not so easy to pin down.
DeleteLove picture A. I like the long pathway ahead and the light from the ice. B seems a little flatter. You have a great eye for the perfect composition.
ReplyDeleteBy the sound of it - so do you Carolyn!
DeleteI like picture A better. You're not so close to the boats but the woman is closer. I guess I like the distance between the boats and the woman in the first photo. Personal preference.
ReplyDeleteYour personal preference seems to align with most others.
DeletePicture A gives a decidedly chillier vibe.
ReplyDeleteI agree - with the steam/smoke from the right.
DeleteYesterday I wondered if that was a sheep on the riverbank, now I see it is a dog. I like both pictures, the first with the fog on the water the second with the sun and the boats closer so I can see more of their detail.
ReplyDeleteGood point. It didn't need to be "either/or".
DeletePicture A has movement - the stance of the woman and dog, the light on the water and the position of the smoke/mist. Interesting to see how different they are.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this thoughtful consideration Sue.
DeleteIn picture B the tree on the right is clear, and you can see that the animal is a dog, rather than a blob that could be a sheep!
ReplyDeleteDo you think it is too clear? Maybe the mystery of "A" is better.
DeleteIn Picture A the relative positions of woman, dog and boats is perfect. The arrangement in B just doesn't work in the same way. It is certainly a great photo YP.
ReplyDeleteThanks for contemplating this JayCee.
DeleteGreat images, they tell a different story.
ReplyDeleteSubtly - I thinks that is true. Similar but not the same.
DeleteFoto A: Ass of woman.
ReplyDeleteFoto B: Barcos (boats)
Well that puts it nice and simply. Thank you.
DeletePicture A. For some reason, the fact that the lady has walked ahead of the dog in picture B, as if she couldn't care less about it, seems to upset me.
ReplyDeleteSubconsciously that is probably how others are also reacting to "B".
DeleteYou print it and frame it or even paint picture A YP.
ReplyDeleteWhen I had my jellyfish printed, Max Spielman made a mess of it - three times!
DeleteThe second photo looks realistic, the first my stylishly atmospheric. If I had to choose one to hang on my wall, I would choose the first.
ReplyDeleteThat one seems to be the winner.
DeleteI dittoed Steve's comment on the better picture so technically, I was also one who complimented you on that picture. It is a dandy and I still like it over Picture B. The fog on the right of Picture A gives it a bit of mystic and drama that is missing from picture B.
ReplyDeleteI did not mean to accidentally offend but Steve is a member of The Royal Photographic Society. Thank you for your reflections Ed.
DeleteAnybody can be a member of the RPS, including you, YP!
DeleteMine eyes dazzle ...
ReplyDeleteLike diamonds we are cut with our own dust.
- The Duchess of Malfi.
A & B. One moment dissolving into another.
Between moments, light is always changing.
A has movement (Sue) & distance (Pixie) & composition (Jaycee) & iciness (Carolyn) & clarity (Frances) & dogginess (Addy) & the unexplainable (Margaret).
Since we do not yet have Meike's comment I shall choose B for its mystery.
*Let us praise the light. It is our only consolation.*
Degas
Footnote:
Watch the Tommy Edison Experience (YouTube).
*What are the differences between being born blind & going blind ? (featuring Christine Ha) Part 1 and 2.*
ReplyDeleteThe Tommy Edison Experience. YouTube.
Terence Stamp said we can go through a whole day without being conscious of our own consciousness..
We can go through a day without being conscious of the extraordinary nature of our eyesight.
Darwin said he felt faint when he came to write about sight as a function of natural selection. (The Origin of Species.)
Some scientists (whisper it) are raising the ghost of Intelligent Design.
I could not possibly comment.
This conundrum seems to have sent the Haggerty brain into a whirling maelstrom of ideas and reflections. Henceforth, this condition will be known as "being Haggertied"! With time the capital "H" will become redundant.
DeleteI am no artist. There are things I like about both but they both have elements I prefer.
ReplyDeleteAggertied. Unintelligent Design.
ReplyDeleteSidney Greenstreet in The Maltese Falcon would say:
*I like the cut of your jib, Mr Pudding.*
You can also see Greenstreet in The Mask of Demetrius* (YouTube).
Oh, I greatly favor Picture B. The doggy is showing us more of who it is. The steam is not rising right over the water to the right making it easier to see the reflections in the river itself . And, lastly, the bend in the river is more visible which makes a more dramatic setting. It would be nice if the young lady looked like the Picture A, tho.
ReplyDeleteWe've all seen picture A before and already decided what an excellent composition it is. Picture B is fine too, and I've enjoyed looking at both of them - each a winner on it's own merits.
ReplyDeleteThe dog may have nothing to do with the woman at all. It might belong to someone on one of the boats. As it's such a cold morning, it's probably been let out on it's own!
I'm with Ms Moon on this.
ReplyDeleteI think Picture A stands out for many reasons -- the woman is closer and positioned slightly nearer the left side of the frame; that puff of steam at the very right is catching the sun; we see more of the sunlit path, giving the image a brighter feel overall; and the dog is moving forward rather than turned to the side, which stops some of the action in Picture B. That's my analysis, for what it's worth! :)
ReplyDelete