Shifting Sands, a photo from Ontario, Central

Photographer's Note

well I really come up with a title for this photo, perhaps someone can help me.

edit: took a suggestion from Francis and adopted Shifting Sands.

Hope nobody will tell me this belongs to Trek Dreams or Trek Halucinations, the fact is that many moons ago when I was in my late teen early twenties I have been able to travel a whole lot, not so much lately, now I have been limited to travels with TE, map or my dreams. This photo reminds me of..... well never mind, who cares what it reminds me of, if it doesn't remind you of anything than it's a waste of cyberscpace.

While initially Canada was invated by Mr Smith and Mrs Dubois, over the years the country has became very multicultural with ethnic groups from every part of the world. The most common last name (at least according to one of the sites I visited) in Canada is Li, Smith is second.

happypoppeye, Galeota, delnaja, bnallama has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

happypoppeye (4819) 2007-10-08 14:15

Hey Peter...well, I'm just gonna come out and say it - I don't like it. Or maybe I just don't get it.

I know your a good photographer and very well respected here on TE, so no disrespect intended.

Here's what I see though:

When I first looked at the photo, I thought maybe I was looking at a figure, or woman, on the streets of somewhere like Kabul, late at night...but this is Toronto. The cloaked figure looks to the focal point, but I think there may be a bit too much motion in and around him/her/it to really let the viewer know what their looking at. On further examination, it definitely looks like the figure is walking along a cobblestone path, yet it looks like there is a statue in front of the figure. Maybe someone to the right, with a white surgical mask on their face, something behind them. I really can't tell. Now, I know some are going to look at the photo, and this critique, and say "what an idiot" (me and my critique that is), but I'm really not sure about it.

...now, maybe I should have read the note first. It makes more sense now. Hmmmm, still.

Not sure how to rate this one...
John

[2] +

designsoul (17843) 2007-10-08 17:58

Veiled dreams, perhaps?
What grabs me most here Peter is the shot's softness, its very suggestiveness, one that doesn't allow for any fixed interpretation. Love the movement, the grainy abstraction of light here, where light's only purpose seems to be to flicker a little bit of itself to a dream, if for a second.
I would have placed the figures' heads slighly lower, that is my only compositional nitpicking. Other than that, I love the insubstantial atmosphere present...
sasa

s10001in (0) 2007-10-08 19:07

Hey peter,
At least last 20 mins I am watching this photo but finding myself difficult to figure how what is that??
Anyway..
In fact it is dreamy..
It has softness & grains are making me dream about the Photo..
But seeing this photo I never feel happy but it holds some sort of pain & reality.(I do not know what the hell is this in reality!! ;)

& More I see this I link this Photo to many of the photos from Sohrab's gallery.
Beautiful work.

-Regards,

Galeota (10352) 2007-10-08 21:29

Seems like veiled women bending over a dead body, reminiscent of so many daily life scenes seen in troubled areas of Middle East. We do travel far beyond Toronto with this one.

delnaja (2056) 2007-10-09 0:03

superb result. The motion blur and the b&w are beautiful...
something dreamy as already mentionned in previous comments.

Furachan (0) 2007-10-09 3:15

My suggestion "Shifting Sands", Peter. Up to you of course...
Again very delicate, suggestive work from you, half visible, half hidden, veiled really. One of a kind work and we're all the richer for it...
Best,
Francis

ninaL (21348) 2007-10-09 6:07

Witaj, Piotrze.

Oniryczne
Zmyslowe
Zwiewne
Nadziemskie...

Bardzo do mine przemawia.

Pozdrawiam. Grazyna.

RandomCameraGuy (3071) 2007-10-09 7:36

definately a different sort of image, so kudos there! I do like the blurred mystery of the scene. I know I see one figure, and maybe a burka'd second one (but that could also be a homeless person wrapped in blankets, or some nuit blanche art thing that I cant quite grasp, or it might not even be a person at all...) In any case it's the mystery that make one keep looking, so that's not a bad thing.

That said, it's not an image you automatically love either to be fair. So definately (metaphorical) points on it's compellingness sir!

Polonaise (5802) 2007-10-09 8:31 [Comment]

Show Comment

jinju (14265) 2007-10-09 22:25

I like it. And its good to see something from you again Peter. Its very dreamy, the grain or noise is fantastic and its simply one of those shots that makes you think.

AndreiSter (0) 2007-10-28 0:23

Hi Peter.Your work is really impressive.This is a scene that captures your eyes and try to understand what is happening,to figure out what photographer wanted to express____a dreamy look____illussion____
I like it.I`ll put it in my theme.

Andrei

MKING (3054) 2007-11-20 22:56

I couldn't work this one out initially but then I "cheated" and looked at the date and figured it must be Nuit Blanche (and then read Alex's comment!)

I can certainly read it as a visual metaphor for the sentiments you describe, and perhaps in a more modern context it is quite an optimistic photograph. If you accept that the person on the ground represents the muslim diaspora in Canada then you can gather that the sand represents a stronger and more mutually-accepting presence in the Canada of the future, just as others have come and done so in the past. Of course, the film noir low key toning still leaves one feeling unsettled.