Citizen Cane Photo

Photographer’s Note

Location: The pit stop along I-80 near the Bonneville Salt Flats (where several land speed records have been made).

I don't have much to say about this photo. I do wonder what the man is pointing to with his cane.

A polarizer was used to make the sky black.

pboehringer, Dpbours, gary91, mpdre, luisafonso, zeca, Yffic, InasiaJones, Elaine_Blath, veronika has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

cdmonson (2769) 2007-09-12 14:34

I like the big crop Ryan. I think it conveys both the vastness of the sky and the desert out there. Great capture, and black and white was definitely the right choice. Reminds me of Cary Grant waiting for the bus in North by Northwest. Great job.

Clark

TheG1 (1461) 2007-09-12 14:38

Hi Ryam,
Great capture, i really like the proportions of the man and the light pillar.
The B/W is a perfect selection here...

Amir

MiguelP (14336) 2007-09-12 15:10

No to much to say, but quite a inspirind and rather inspired photo. The composition is fantastic, all this sky is doing nothing but giving more strenght to the people down the composition. Beside they look so timeless that you dont notice if they are real or king of ghosths. The polarizer gives a great touch. Very well done, very interesting, Ryan.

sothy81 (8540) 2007-09-12 15:13

Beautiful light and back and white here. Very sharp. Very nice perspective. Well done. Sothy

rigoletto (26846) 2007-09-12 15:19

Bizzare.
That is my word.
The lamp is out of this world (does everything have to be so big in the US?), the figures left there in the mid of the dunes, the old man with a pointed out stick, the other two figures, which one of them is a girl, and the poliarized black sky which lacks a UFO (as if they are hitch-hiking for a UFO) are weird elements of this score.

I cannot decide whether i like that huge empty sky though. Had to be for the sake of that lamp...
Regards,
Deniz

Luko (13896) 2007-09-12 15:20

Ha ha hilarious title...

Reminds me of Depardon shots during his trips to America, some kind of miniatures including both decisive moments and implacable geometry.
There's the same "neutral distance" to the subject, different from the other photograhers involvement into the scenes...( like oppositely Robert Frank or William Klein).

The BW converson is heavenly.First class photo.

xavis (3176) 2007-09-12 15:25

Hola,
a great original composition. Good work in B&W, with lights and contrast.

great,

Hasta la vista,

Javier

hamster (1045) 2007-09-12 15:30

Hi! This photo just attracts an eye. The essential is the ucommon composition which makes this shot interesting. And the tones of the sky looks great!

Furachan (0) 2007-09-12 17:30

Hello Ryan,
Yes, as Luko points out you are firmly in Depardon territory (a long-time MAGNUM luminary who is incidentally a fine film-maker as well). The comparison is absolutely apt, the same "discretion", willful shyness almost in front of subjects he will not disturb and an almost Antonioni-like isolation or alienation in a vast landscape. Also your use of the vertical format (which some of us secretly have a soft spot for even though we keep churning out Panavision horizontals...) is masterly here and very daring - the way that streetlamp goes on...on..on reaching an impossible and nigh grotesque hight.
A great American photograph.
You are flying these days, man, about as high as that damn lamp ;o)
Best,
Francis

darrasin (2860) 2007-09-12 21:40

Hi Ryan! It's wonderful somewhat abstract creation. You perhaps show a little too much sky for me but that does not distract. To see people against such a stark but oddly beautiful backdrop adds a mystery to the scene.

Well done!
Doug

SamB (1948) 2007-09-12 21:51

Hello, Ryan--
This is just good stuff... everything feels really incongruous... a desert, a cane, a HUGE streetlight, desolate wilderness, a few signs, "FOOT WASH" (!?), and that big sky... but somehow it all comes together in a way that reads really really well... It strikes in the intangible ways, for sure.
Thanks!
sam

MarcT (21103) 2007-09-12 21:54

Hi Ryan,
Excellent B&W picture. It feels like directly send from the 50's
Marc

cbrman (19051) 2007-09-12 22:28

Hello Ryan,

Une composition simple mais qui fonctionne très bien !
L'espace laissé dans le ciel polarisé et très bon car il engendre une réelle impression d'espace et de grandeur malgré le format vertical !
C'est une bonne idée d'avoir intégré ce lampadaire car il accentue la sensation que les personnes sont petites dans cet environnement !
Bravo !

A+

Dominique

meltemb (164) 2007-09-12 23:15

Great composition. Good work in Black&white. Thank you for sharing.
Meltem

dolin (15647) 2007-09-12 23:56

Hi Ryan.
Mmmmhhhhhh, simply nice.....the minimalistic composition, in a vertical format, the position of the subjects....very very good !!!!
The choice of b/w, with this range in the sky....excellent.
BRAVO
fred

sagar (2307) 2007-09-13 1:59

Hi Ryan,
I'm in a fix.I dont know whether this is good or bad!!But this is different for sure.Bizzare and obscure!!
Sagarneel.

Haymotion (1793) 2007-09-13 2:23

Magnifique composition !!
Graphiquement parfaite...
Choix du noir et blanc judicieux et bien traiter..
Elle va direct dans mes favoris
Bravo
Vince

faubry (32429) 2007-09-13 3:04

wonderful Bw and composition, i like large place for the top.. also for me like cdmonson this image remind me north by Northwest moovie.. great work
francine

chc (1468) 2007-09-13 3:57

Great! Wide space and a decisive moment together... A very striking result. Bravo
christophe

vapours (7913) 2007-09-13 5:02

Love it Ryan, just love that smooth transition in the sky from light to dark, as well as the almost surreal scene of the ground. Quite unusual, but works brilliantly.

baba_flies (8115) 2007-09-13 5:30

Hello Ryan! This is just so beautiful. I like that you left the people small and tiny "on the ground" and giving way to the endless seeming Western sky. The whole scene gives me this feeling that the photo has been taken a long long time ago ... maybe in the 50ies. I am surprised to see a lamp in the middle of nothing but they probably use it for night training. I just bought a DVD "The world's fastest Indian" with Anthony Hopkins that obviously takes place on the salt lake. Might watch it tonight.

This is really cool ... love it. Barbara.

vts_ch (2624) 2007-09-13 7:17

Hi Ryan,

Your image is a dream, immersing my mind in a road movie.

Brilliant really brilliant image

Vince

Dyerco (9310) 2007-09-13 7:33

The placement of the people at the bottom of a vertical shot is excellent and the lamp post works well to take our eye into the negative space.
Phil

woladorsky (804) 2007-09-13 7:37

Cheers Ryan!!

Excellent!! Your picture tells me that I need a polarizer too!!

Simple but greta

Regards

Rolando

kensimage (8543) 2007-09-13 7:42

Definitely a cool aesthetic here, Ryan, bizarre and cinematic, with that ridiculously tall lamppost overseeing everything and setting off the vast emptiness. A very creative use of this photo op! If nitpicking is allowed, one could wish that the "Foot Wash" sign weren't there, as it intermingles with "Citizen Cane" and dilutes the effect of his gesture, but that is a very small detail; it's an outstanding image! Regards, Ken.

crisnique (857) 2007-09-13 8:59

Ciao Ryan,
I like how you framed this one with the low horizon line. Excellent use of the polarizer.
Another full mark for you! Bravo!
Greetings from Italy.
Cristian

Bogdan (1641) 2007-09-13 10:22

Great shot. Excellent.
North by Northwest, indeed !

pboehringer (770) 2007-09-13 19:05

A simple shot taken somewhere in the salty plains of Utah. The action frozen at this image seems bizarr. What would you point with your cane here? Is there anything else besides these people lost in time? Wonderful huge sky that was well worked with the polarizer and very good conversion to B&W.
Regards, Peter

Dpbours (220) 2007-09-13 21:50

Hi Ryan,

Nicely graphical and minimalistic this one. A lot of gradual grey, but the one lamp-post really breaks it up and makes it interesting. I also have little to say about the shot, since I don't know either what the guy is pointing out there ;-). But I like the minimalistic approach in it. Very pleasing shot!

Greetings,
Dennis

gary91 (15321) 2007-09-13 22:38

HEllo Ryan,
Waoooo... That's a picture I would like to have done...
Very well seen, this composition is stunning. The b&w conversion enhances the graphism and the quality is top.
On top of this, the play on words of the title is a plus ;-)
Really great work, congratulations.
Have a nice day.
Christian

mpdre (1587) 2007-09-14 18:54

Hi Ryan,
I love this one for the format, the well selected sepia tone of the image and the surreal scene that you present here. In a deserted area in the middle of nowhere, a “Foot wash” sign, a streetlamp that extent high almost to reach the sky and three individuals very attentive to something that is out of our visual zone… Really bizarre and fantastic at the same time… Technically brilliant!
Andre

danielswalsh (13330) 2007-09-16 19:01

You mean a polariser was used to make the sky blue which in your conversion to B&W made it black? ;-)

Another great shot Ryan, amazingly simple in it's composition- yet sooo effective. Combined with sharp detail makes this one a winner. My only suggestion is a slight cropping off the top- say 1.5 fingers width (my opinion).

All the best,
- Dan

luisafonso (858) 2007-09-17 3:00

This a great photo my friend! The b&w is superb. That gradient in the sky is really out of this world. There is an American feel to this one that I like very much. Probably only an American photographer like yourself would be able to capture a scene like this. The way the small elements in the bottom interact with each other is priceless. One of your best on this site, I am sure.

rbcy1974 (20746) 2007-09-17 4:12

HellO Ryan
Its really easy to pick trhough your wonderful landscapes and comment them, but I find that you also have a nice eye for this magnumlike images, and I would love it if you could continue shooting them. Evryhting about this was is great, the minimalism, the empy spaces, the candid scene,
very well done
Regards
Dnaiel

brevbrev14 (372) 2007-09-17 5:51

Hi Ryan, a beautiful image...
i love the great space to the sky and the people so tiny..
perfect use of the polarizer..
ciao!
Valeria

sebinho342 (18784) 2007-09-17 10:17

Hi Ryan, eh eh not the first time i see that one but this is for sure one of the best BW i've seen lately :))
Funny and so well executed, nothing to point out in PP work, and your compo, hhmm your compo, is excellent, in simplicity.
A delight to watch

danarees (2497) 2007-09-18 18:17

I do like this image Ryan, and very cleverly named. It is quite timeless. With the young girl and the man with the cane, if a 55 Pontiac was parked in the frame, I would have thought '55 alright.
--Dana

Ann75 (0) 2007-09-18 20:02

Hi Ryan,

Excellent shot and great choice of black & white. The contrast is wonderful and the light is fantastic. Great POV with great details and quality. A very strong photo! Excellent work, Ryan!

Greetings,
Ann

Yffic (6106) 2007-09-20 6:37

Hi Ryan,

A like this kind of polarized black and white picture with oversaturated sky...

The man pointing with his cane gives a strange atmosphere.

A great shot.

Regards.

Yves

zeca (20026) 2007-09-20 20:07

Very nice, creative and artistic shot, Ryan! The b&w was a great choice and the vertical framing make the scene impressive. There a history in the subject, or many histories...
Very nice!
Regards,
Zeca
Bback

AnimeshRay (8886) 2007-09-22 17:15

Superb photograph, Ryan! A stunning moment and beautiful black and white. Your title is quite funny and acerbic at the same time! The polarizer has done its job well. Brilliant image.

bantonbuju (48796) 2007-09-23 23:48

hi ryan,
i have discovered your amazing gallery...what a set of great works...and i also love your simple, stright to the point intro!
-------
as for the photo...i often hesitate what is better - to post a full colour image with "delicious" tonal range, or to go b/w and underline shapes and graphism...this sky was probably most tempting to use f/c but your choice together with the vertical compo - they streach the lamp even more...
love this work all the way...
best wishes, jerzy

MayaG (2393) 2007-09-24 7:29

Hi Ryan,
this is just fantastic...reminds me of Kerouac's On the Road, actually it has this general 50's feel into it for me. A classic! a fav.
Marija

InasiaJones (20705) 2007-09-26 8:40

Hi Ryan,

Simply said, this is a fantastic shot, a decisive one. I like how the lamp seems to mimic the man gesture with his cane (or the other way around...). The desertic set-up mixed with these singular characters could be stolen from a scene of Bagdad Cafe or Paris Texas...

Impeccable B&W, inspiring work.

Cheers!

André

RandomCameraGuy (3063) 2007-10-07 21:18

an impressive image. strong composition. Amazing all the empty space in this photo and landscape. Very nice.

Framboisilla (5402) 2007-10-22 9:01

Hi Ryan,

A beautiful B&W shot, your idea of composition is very well seen, I like it !

Congratulations,
Stéphanie.

veronika (6022) 2007-10-28 8:06

Hi Ryan,
first of all good work with the polarizer, i like it.
Secondly, i like the huge space you dedicated the sky, it looks really good and the people in the shot so small and weak.
What is he pointing to?
It might be some Mc Donald there .. :))
Vero

theblackhead (404) 2007-11-05 6:25 [Comment]

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Merline (6578) 2007-12-16 3:30

Hello, to me the b/w seems evident,although I can imagine how beautiful it is in color. I love everything in this pic, the verticality, enhanced by that lamp, the tiny people vis-à-vis the huge surroundings, the place given to the sky, the sheer surrealism that comes out of it. I can read on the first panel where the man is standing "Foot wash". Very graphical and kind of movie like, not only for the excellent title:-)

Could you recommend a polarizer ? I am going to buy one tomorrow:-)

Great piece of work.
TFS
Regards
Michèle

arturo (31) 2008-07-01 13:32

Hi Ryan,

the concept of the scene is great, the lamp seems to stretch into the sky forever...what a result!!...cheers, arturo

Squeed (32) 2008-10-08 3:54 [Comment]

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