This scene above was exactly like this when I found it, a mere block away from our flat. I touched nothing. I rearranged nothing.
Bizarre, eh?
At the time, I found myself wishing I had my Nik-o-Brick D850 and tripod so as to record a gigantic, high-quality, digital file. But all I had with me was my iPhone.
Then I got to thinking…
What is really important about this composition? Should textbook image quality be a priority in this case?
My answer for today: No. I think it’s really about those two key elements that catch your hairy eyeball–the helter-skelter-abandoned-scary-Suzie doll on the bench, and the empty Estrella Damm beer can on the ground. OK, maybe that bit of graffiti could be a third element–gotta have things in threes, dontcha know.
Bottom line: In this case, and maybe in the case of many of your street photos it’s more about the message than it is about squeezing out maximum pixel quality and image size (as you might want to do in a landscape).
In this case, the picture tells a story (or presents a mystery?) and it doesn’t really matter so much if there is excess noise, or a bit of motion blur, or the shadows are blocked, or the highlights are clipped or… or… or ad nauseam.
Just my bumbling opinion, in any case.
Dr. Bob Moorehead’s Poem
The doll and the beer can may bring one to ponder the state of things in the world, in our country, and in our homes these days. Well, it did me anyway.
It turns out that Dr. Bob Moorehead had something to say on this subject some 25 years back… and the words are mighty apropo still.
The Paradox of Our Time (the internet version) by Dr. Bob Moorehead
“The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.
Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
And always remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by those moments that take our breath away.”
