Hush, my baby. Photo

Photographer’s Note

I'm afraid this one will not be easy to view but while reading one of Kev's story introducing the Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, I remembered I was humming another Floyd song, whilst shooting this precise photo in Koh Lipe.

Koh Lipe doesn't have any public lighting, why the hell would it? there's only one sand trail connecting "Sunlight beach" to "Pattaya beach", passing in front of Pooh's bar & restaurant : this path is therefore known internationally, by the name of Pooh's highway. A stay in Koh Lipe teaches you to live to the rythm of the sun, the moon and the stars, like we fools should never have stopped to.

A few wealthy villagers, who have their own house light (only billionaires have houselights), dwell on the side of the highway... so that we can almost share the villagers' life.
Coming back one night from Pooh's, I noticed that sweet scene of a mother talking to her child.
I thought we had all been that kid at some moment. Surrounded by the darkness, I felt like I was my soul looking at one of my past lives.

---------------------------------------------------
"Mother, do you think she's good enough
For me?
Mother, do you think she's dangerous
To me?
Mother will she tear your little boy apart?
Mother, will she break my heart?
...
Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry
Momma's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you
Momma won't let anyone dirty get through
Momma's gonna wait up until you get in
Momma will always find out where you've been
Momma's gonna keep Baby healthy and clean
Oooo Babe
Oooo Babe
Ooo Babe, you'll always be Baby to me."
Mother - Pink Floyd - The Wall.

bnallama, Rinie_Hoff, Michael_Gan, tcht, AnimeshRay, Homerhomer, don_narayan, scotthosner, CliffW, mareseye, rowanb, hugolef, designsoul, fixed, eleparc, talikf, lu_muratori, figenya has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

flydragon (0) 2006-02-27 17:26

hey Luko
cette image me rapp les nuits chaudes
celle ou on se ballade ou on peu sentir
entendre la nuit, ici et la quelques personnes
qui parlent, une image qui me fait rever
me fait resurgir d'autres images
bonne soirée
••simon••

uzaklar (684) 2006-02-27 17:30

Hi Luko,
Great black and white photo.
Well done!
Deniz.

bnallama (3755) 2006-02-27 17:34

hi luko... sometime you just like some photos... for this falls to that category... I like the subtle light and the mood created by this one. Tfs. Bala

Isabelle (9014) 2006-02-27 17:37

the best way i found to enjoy your image was in complete darkness: the lines gain a recognizable human shape and the image opens itself to the viwer. poetic and silent in the night.

Rinie_Hoff (9334) 2006-02-27 17:42

Hi Luko, this is such a great atmosphere here, so peaceful and intimate. And indeed, I had to look well, and then I see a child lying with his/her head on her mother's lap, not a baby, as I more or less expected, but a bit older child, in a very intimate scene, very well captured because of that single circle of light, and a pitch dark surrounding. The light on her shoulder is so beautiful.
Accompanied by a VERY nice Pink floyd song!

Michael_Gan (2772) 2006-02-27 17:58

The darkness is really intense and the transition from the darkness towards the light is very gradual, yet sudden at the same time. I have the feeling that I'm looking through half closed eyes, sort of a tunnel-view, very special. Fascinating picture, the mixture of shadows and areas exposed to the light makes it difficult for us to identify what we are looking at. But in the end we can see that it is a very nice scene (which we can also read in your note, but I read that after looking at the picture for some time), thanks!

tcht (7298) 2006-02-27 18:23

Hello Luko,
I love your idea of this. An enjoyable artistic finish. But perhaps too abstract...as I couldn't see the human element clear enough. I understand your notes but I think this is slightly overdone. (ie I hv to look extremely close to realize the shapes of the two people - which kinda pushes this towards the direction of TL...)
And I don't quite understand why you'd leave that little white dot on the left...IMO kinda upsets the balance in a minute way.
And this is the 1st time I've seen anything like this...maybe still too conservative to apprecaite this enough...
TFS,
Cheukhin

AnimeshRay (8886) 2006-02-27 19:07

Superb, Luko. Having grown up in a relatively poor neighborhood in India, this photo brings back memories. Absolutely fantastic atmosphere. And the sharpness is astonishing!

Homerhomer (4005) 2006-02-27 21:37

Gotta feeling this is one of those images where one needs to see large good quality print to understand and fully appreciate it.
Peter

don_narayan (2014) 2006-02-27 22:04

Hi Luko, I'm glad I know what that spot of white is, otherwise I would still be thinking that the house spanned the length of the frame... which brings me to Peter's points, to really appreciate it, a larger version would be best. I do appreciate what you did with this, though. The use of that single light is great, with the people lightly brushed by the light... the remote feeling of the darkness.

Narayan

sandip (3492) 2006-02-27 23:13

nothing hurts me actually here, neither the black darkness nor the dot.. and i found it as another spot withing the darkness to keep your eyes for rest , for some moment, when u are just trying to figure it out whats there in the lights too...

I liked the concept though and the use of shadow, darkness and light... May be a bit abstruct kind, but it does not matter to me to understand the whole thing.. Another great one from you..

CliffW (2310) 2006-02-28 0:36

Maybe it's a little like actually being on the walk in the dark. You *want* to see more, but you can't. I really like the conceptual idea and the message/story. But I am kind of left wanting to be closer. To get a better sense of the two. Not picking up on enough detail (literally and figuratively) Maybe that's the point? That we're not part of this circle? But, still just a little bit off-putting from a gut reaction to the shot itself standpoint. 20% closer and I think it would have been a fav... but interesting enough to spend the last 10 mins squinting at it though!

Galeota (10334) 2006-02-28 0:43

So, you've posted this before it was even taken...;o) (chk yr dte). Very good opportunity to play with the light and shadows, and I suppose this one fits perfectly in your actual photographic mood. Mother is an island of security, a shelter in the dark, a complex link from which no one of us is set entirely free during our lives. Of course, Roger Waters raised a psychoterapy analysis on the subject and brought it to the world of rock music. The reference is very on purpose.

PeterC (2242) 2006-02-28 1:31

Luko,
Wonderful atmosphere you create her. Dark and intimate at the same time. I love the pose of the child on his Mother very touching. This is incredibly sharp at 1/15 was this handheld?
As always, impressive work
Cheers
Peter

mareseye (1209) 2006-02-28 2:24

Bonjour Luko,
Pas facile à lire au départ, cette image. Et pourtant, elle se révèle progressivement avec un peu d'attention. Très belle ambiance, où l'on sent la chaleur,la vie qui émerge de l'obscurité. Jolie attitude aussi de la mère et de l'enfant reposant sa tête sur ses genoux. Bravo !
Mare

Svillegas (1165) 2006-02-28 2:33

Hi Luko
Wonderful shot, I like a lot the scenary you create leaving the most part of the photo almost completely black. Great composition.
Sonia

Furachan (0) 2006-02-28 3:23

At first one thinks: "Nah! Luko can't be serious! I can't see a xxxxdamn thing..."
Then one reads the note and the lyric which are both revealing and first rate. Then the eye travels back to the shot and through the contrasty gloom one begins to make out the mother, indeed, and her child, and all is suddenly well with this extraordinarily theatrical shot, which had to come from the Leica and the Summicron, man's best friend after the dog they say...

rowanb (864) 2006-02-28 4:22

fantastic luko, a beautiful image and a beautiful moment. great use of negative space and the play of dark shadow and bright light is very effective.
rowan

hugolef (4909) 2006-02-28 11:33

Hello Luko
une belle image, avec une ambiance forte, cette mere protegeant son enfant de l'obscurite ... belle prise intimiste et depouillée.
Merci pour le partage
Amities, hugues

naxius (16679) 2006-02-28 13:56

ola! Il fait chaud par ici!! On sent bien la moiteur des lieux...
Simple mais pas si simple que ca!!
Très bon coup d'oeil..
Alex

designsoul (21394) 2006-02-28 20:06

I keep looking at this shot, Luko, and don't even feel like saying anything... the mood is so strong, when you write of light vs lights, of a past life perhaps... there is poignancy here that to me goes beyond anything I could intelligently write...
sasa

nerve (10212) 2006-03-01 6:57

nice mood, interesting low key..
the composition and the spontaneity are quite stunning too..
beautiful overall.

fixed (3831) 2006-03-03 8:57

hello Luko
superbe ambiance !
on sent la chaleur et moiteur dans l'air
bref, l'ambiance des nuits chaudes est palpable et bien rendue
belle photo Luko
nono
... j'adore ce morceau ...

eleparc (24059) 2006-03-04 13:12

comme le dit si bien Francis, au depart, j'ai pensé à un mauvais remake de Sohrab et ces surexpo ou sous expos, puis j'ai lu ta note, et regardé à nouveau l'image avec cette note en tete, et là oui, mais bien sur! finalement je lui trouve bcp de charme à cette photo;-)
suis rentré d'asie hier matin aussi

PS: je vois que cette photo a été prise le 15 aout 2006. Veinard, tu as de la chance de pouvoir aussi voyager dans le temps... c'est les avantages KLM-AF? on peut en bénéficier aussi? haha! A moins, que pour son anniversaire la vierge t'ait fait une faveur spéciale...

Eric

talikf (1290) 2006-03-10 14:43 [Comment]

Show Comment

arindam_thokder (3946) 2006-03-13 19:27

And what a shift from your previous post...I wish I could see a bigger version...

Arindam

Tracker (1940) 2006-03-16 11:50

Hi Luko,
Nice b&w picture with very laconic image and composition. So many room for fantasy :)
Regards.

david (3978) 2006-03-18 0:10

such dark tones and this photograph is intriguing due to it's sometimes indistinguishable elements. i like the idea and i love your execution. i'd have to say that the single point of light on the left is a little distracting though! :) nice sombre photo. well done!

russte (0) 2006-05-03 16:22

Luko, this is a magnificent photograph. A few simple elements - very underexposed figures lit by a single bulb and yet this photo shines the brightest of torches into the lives of these people. Excellent tonal contol too. And lyrics by Pink Floyd - what more could a critic want? ;-) Stephen

figenya (1651) 2009-12-09 3:44

Hi Luko,

I admired your style, very strong mood. It deserves to be watched and think on it for a while.

thanks

figen