Journey inside, a photo from Geneva, West

Photographer's Note

Someone’s words in her eyes, someone’s music notes in her ears.

Is this an example of the perfect communion with others, or on the contrary the ultimate status of isolation and loneliness?

In a certain way I envy her. I love reading, and I also love listening to music, but I’ve never been able to do both at the same time. Perhaps because I feel the need to concentrate all my energy in each thing that I love, and therefore it becomes simply impossible to have enough energy to do everything at a time.

But anyway reading has more to do with comprehension and understanding, while listening to music has more to do with subjective feelings. And how can we “FEEL”, and “UNDERSTAND” simultaneously? Isn’t that a paradox? Or are you of those who THINK what they FEEL?

ps: to the ones who might think this photo tilts to the left : it doesn't.

elihesamian, Cool-ice, Isabelle, bfly, manny, taivo, sunny, hojper, Garry01, cmartos, cgrindahl, erthmuffin, Oldtree, JRushen ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

RGatward (20108) 2004-06-05 6:29

Hey Gal, your really doing well with these candid portraits. I like the framing in this one, with large empty space in front of her.

elihesamian (26149) 2004-06-05 6:30

Excellent composition here,perfect shot with managed the all elements very well.
I like it ,let me say not more,BRAVO!Gal!

Cool-ice (5289) 2004-06-05 6:52

Un N&B très bien composé et la perspective avec la descente de la Treille en arrière-plan est du meilleur effet.
Une remarque qui n'est qu'un petit chipotage : dommage que le personnage au fond interfère avec la tête de la dame car cela nuit un peu à la lisibilité.
Mais ce n'est pas bien grave et cette image est une réussite.

bfly (5775) 2004-06-05 6:56

Gal, I am like you..I allways envied my friends who studied listening to music while I had to plug my ears...
place she reads is also interesting for me..it is a feeling of isolation I get...
you chose to be very sharp this time..was it for increasing this isolation ? reality ?

edji (1368) 2004-06-05 6:57

Belle composition avec cette ligne de fuite créé par les bancs.

avigur_11 (22553) 2004-06-05 7:07

Gal,
a very good b/w shot. I like the way you have put the woaman very close to the left edge of the frame, and kept such a large blang area. I see that you like to take pictures of reading women on garden benches, a lovely theme..Good job.

manny (22032) 2004-06-05 7:25

You are a good writer as much as a good street-photographer. I like your notes. Like you, I also like to read and listen to music. And like you, I am finding less and less time to do these.

Now to the picture... very good composition. I won't have it another way. Maybe other would say to include more at the left. But this tight cropping there is appropriate IMHO. It allows us to breathe more air and commune with her in what she is doing.

[2]

spence (65) 2004-06-05 7:44

This is effective Gal - I love the way the road disappears downhill and the way you've cropped so tightly from the left. She looks very isolated and engrossed in her book and music. I can read and listen to music at the same time but I don't get the same out of either as when I do them separately!

vbourrut (32482) 2004-06-05 9:58

Cadrage audacieux et réussi, le choix du noir et blanc me convient bien et l'exposition a été très bien maitrisée malgrès de grosse difféence de luminosité

taivo (1843) 2004-06-05 11:58

This is a very fine composition. The pov is great with the bench straight up. The slope in the background create an interesting effect.

Ebbe (9625) 2004-06-05 14:19

A fine composition and I like that you left the building etc on the right in a bit of blur.

"Den inre resan" (the inner journey) is an advertising slogan for the Swedish railways as you are supposed to sit like that and watch the landscape roll by deep in your inner thoughts. Funny you had the same idea, are you in transport advertising?

sunny (3069) 2004-06-05 14:38

I admire how you always succeed to put some special mood or feeling, and let it radiate from your shots, Gal! :-)
Wonderful way of composing it, with the girl in left, together with the fine depth coming from the street/alley. What I love, is her posture, being a kind of "barrier" to the eyes so the look does not drift away from the main object. Quite artful way, Gal. Excellent job!

ps: I don't feel it tilted at all...;-P

hojper (2832) 2004-06-05 18:41

The fact that she is listening to music(?) at least made it possible for you to creep up and take this lovely shot unnoticed. And maybe that is why she is listening to something other than streetnoice and birds and amateur photographers clicking away. I really like the composition. The building in the background is as much part of the ensemble as she is. And I entirely agree with you about reading and listening at the same time.

Garry01 (0) 2004-06-06 5:07

Hi Galeota,

...I think she choose more the ultimate status of isolation ; insulated in his world with the reading and the music, she does not want obviously to be disturb by the external world. (I think that the distance which separates it from the other person on the bench reinforces this idea it is well to have preserved it ) its own reality seems to be enough for her.
In evry case, which concentrtion ... doing two different things at the same time ...

yesterday (9833) 2004-06-06 8:09

Good B/W, the light and contrast is very good, even the light is a bit overexpoced on the women back.
I like the composition, and it look very 'natural the way she sit.

regards kaj Nielsen

lost (694) 2004-06-06 13:57 [Comment]

Show Comment +

cmartos (242) 2004-06-06 19:06

Elle est très bonne, bien que du point de vue composition je préfère la précédente. J'aime le point de vue bas et l'espace négatif créé par le sol, mais la partie supérieure et les arches très claires me gênent un peu. Bon je sais je suis trop exigeant :-). Ceci dit l'illustration du propos est parfaite et vice-versa ;-). J'aime à croire que l'on ne peut vraiment apprendre et comprendre qu'en sentant les choses. Cela me semble évident. Tout comme semble évident le fait que l'univers lui-même est fait de paradoxes. Un paradoxe est l'unicité des opposés, le yin-yang. Voilà pourquoi je programme, lis, mange et même regarde la télé (très rarement) en musique (toujours).

cgrindahl (6113) 2004-06-07 3:02

I deeply appreciate your thoughtful consideration of what is presented in this simple image. Your eloquent note elevates this image to something out of the ordinary. My sense is that your prefer black and white because it takes away pretty to give us something deeper. I respect that intention. This is a very fine composition Gal. Thank you.

slara (371) 2004-06-14 18:31

This is one of those perfect moments in life.
Special moments, I say.
Great capture.
Regards
Sílvia

ma-tibou (4568) 2004-06-21 6:29

still a scene of the ordinary life but this blow the black and white emphasize the details. I like the black and white. Very pretty.

Oldtree (2457) 2004-10-16 17:29

Nice to go trough your collection, Gal.
Some women I know would say "Yes women can do more then one thing at a time, men not." (with some reference of tests made in this respect). How do I know? I tried reading a nice book while listening music I like but that took the fun from both things because I can do them only half.
Perhaps the women wants to signal here, "let me alone!", or she create her own background noise to concentrate better on the book not disturbed by sudden unexpected sounds. Who knows?
But as mostly, excellent combination of an intelligent and thoughtful note (well that sounds nice, doesn't it?) with a very good picture. :-D

FALLENxANGEL (0) 2006-11-11 20:36

I just want to tell that I like the picture and thank you for providing such an interesting photograph as well as quote...