I was feeling sad when I took this image. It was my first time out with my camera, 2-3 weeks after someone very dear to me passed away. I was shooting flowing water with a slow shutter speed when some crows came by, flying right to left. This crow stopped in mid-air and twisted its body to face back the way it had come. This image expresses for me the transitory nature of life. Someone we hold dear is no longer here physically, yet we still see, hear, feel them. This blurry image represents the not quite here, not quite there nature of things. Also, I edited this in black and white, to express the starkness of the emotions I was feeling at the time, and to honor the spirit of this black Crow!
Specific Feedback Requested
Do you think this image will only ever really appeal to only me? I submitted it for a Crow art exhibition and it didn’t make the first cut. Maybe the blur is just too much for most viewers (although NPN members here were super supportive when I originally posted this)?
From my perspective it works quite well. I think there’s a nice convergence between monochrome and blurred shots, in that they both rely in part on the emphasis of shapes. And your crow shape is wonderful. The jagged ends and undulating lines of the tail and wingtips make the image, IMO. I think the long lines to the right are necessary as well, as they help lead the eye through the rest of the frame.
You might consider a slightly higher contrast/structure rendition to emphases the dark shape even more and make its edges more distinct, but in general I think it’s a successful shot.
Thank you Mark for this beautiful and meaningful photograph. In answer to your question, you cannot judge the value of an image based upon what an exhibition or contest makes of it. Often they have such closed ideas of what they are looking for, anything this expressive, and this meaningful is lost on them.
First and foremost, this image means a lot to you: That is enough, that is everything. To you it is the celebration of a life and the representation of your grief. That cannot be undermined by external opinion, or lack of validation.
Should a Japanese poet write exquisite lines in their native language, it may represent the very essence of their soul. To someone who does not read Japanese, it is meaningless. If you translate it, then it still loses the essence of what it is. Some art does not translate, and must remain personal.
BUT, there are people who read the language you speak. Their are those who have lost loved ones too young, or under tragic circumstances, they know the grief the Raven represents. I love the spiritual ethereal nature of this image; blur, out of focus, rapid movement, fleeting emotions, on the edge of dread.
Honestly, this is an excellent and highly emotional image. It goes so far beyond mere reportage it is no wonder that some cannot understand it. I love it, and you should feel proud and content for the love you feel and the sadness of a memory.
Mark, I totally agree with @Alister_Benn . Many of my photos I take today are full of memories. I often look back at the photos I took on a photo workshop in the Smokies and I can feel for the moment that I’m still there. I really like this image. The more I look at it the more it moves me. Forget the contest, the emotions attached to this special image is what counts and many are going to love it too.
Thank you @Max_Waugh and @Donna_Callais . I appreciate your feedback! I do believe I am done with contests! @Alister_Benn , Thank you very much for your kind and sensitive comments. I loved your example of the Japanese poet and how some art doesn’t translate and remains personal. This is surely a personal image. And I especially appreciate you saying “there are people who read the language you speak”. Thank you!
Mark! I loved this image when you first posted it over a year ago. And I think I love it even more now that I’m more into abstract looking images and ICM. You know I’m a fan of your work anyway but I think this one is very unique and different compared to your other images, maybe because of the sorrow it conveys. It truly is a work of art and I really like what @Alister_Benn had to say about it.
Hi Mark, very expressive indeed and artistic as well. I like the lines leading to/from the crow and the splayed feathers really accentuate the mood. well done.
Mark, this is really stunning. I don’t think I saw it the first time around. The story is also an important part of the context. I can appreciate and emphasize with the sentiments you’ve expressed. It is a starkly meaningful image and it is wonderful.
Also, Contests be dammed. I have submitted images that I was sure would be chosen for publication and they were rejected out of hand. I was hurt at first, but then realized that the images were meaningful to me and I didn’t care what anyone else thought. So, no more contests for me either.
Hi Mark
Before I read the story behind this photograph, my comment would have been, you have presented us with an interesting art from and as always expanded our out look on photography. After reading the story behind the photograph, I have changed my interoperation and value of this vision. The Crow’s transition in direction, is also your dear friend transition in our time line to his or her new time line and journey. The value of this photograph can not be set.
Peter
I missed this one the first time around but I’m loving it now. You know me. I love the artistic value of blurred images done right and this one you can tell is a raven or a crow the first second you see it and yet it’s very blurry. Nicely executed. The fact that image has so much meaning to you sets it apart…more for you than perhaps everyone else but it also helps give us some interpretation and meaning to the image. The black and white treatment was well chosen. It gives it an other worldly feel with deeper emotion and perhaps a higher contrast. This is something to be proud of.
Hi Mark
I am glad it helped. Having been there and possibly in the not to distant future going there again, your story and photograph had meaning for me.
Peter
