End of a winter's afternoon
London, ON, March 2008 [Click to enlarge]
While driving to pick our daughter up from a friend's birthday party, I notice the consistency of the sky and decide I like it. I don't spend a whole lot of time staring at it, though. I'm driving, after all, and photographic composition can't take priority over piloting a kinetic vehicle at relatively high speeds.
But as I pull into the hotel where the party's being held, I find myself staring into a late winter, late afternoon sun that's painting the mostly cloudy sky with neato shades of yellow. It's not a typical sunrise/sunset scene, but it stands out just the same. I'm a little early, so I park on the deserted west side of the parking lot and get out, camera in hand.
At first, the antenna that brackets the left-hand side of the image bothers me. (As an aside, it's the aerial for London's A Channel, the city's main television station. Wait, make that only, because the little cable channel that "competes" against A Channel and features bored housewives trying to be Oprah just doesn't count.) But I realize without heroic Photoshopping - which violates my photographic voice - any picture I take is going to have this giant metallic , phallic-looking thing in it. So I roll with it. I find it ironic that some of my work has been broadcast from that very place. There, it's my antenna. So I'll shoot it.
I look around and realize how plain this place is: The back of a hotel parking lot overlooking a sea of suburban homes. It could be anywhere. I climb an 8-foot snowbank to try to get a better angle through the trees. I almost fall - how would that play with the insurance agent, I wonder - but manage to get off the shot before I destroy my equipment. In the end, I get an image of a memorable moment in a forgettable place, and then head inside to pick up one of the four treasures of my existence. Life is once again good.
Your turn: An extraordinary photo taken in an ordinary place. Please discuss.
One more thing: This moment reminds me of this old photo as well. Blowups available.
Make that two: I lied. It's not too late to submit your caption for this week's Caption This image. Click here to see what the fuss is all about. I promise it won't hurt. Much.
Hello! I found your site through Beeker's blog... and I'm a little too drunk to read your post right now, but I just read your mini-profile and I just wanted to say Thank you for believing in random acts of kindness - we need more of you around!! I will try to be back tomorrow to read your blog. :D
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, Carmi: I would say that before my 30-70 mm zoom camera was stolen with my car about 7 years ago, I managed to capture a parked jetliner through a cyclone fence by carefully placing the zoom-out lens through a link in the fence and angled the small camera to get my shot. It was a victory of sorts, since I was allowed this shot, but was not allowed on the tarmac. Ha!
ReplyDeleteHave a good day, Carmi!:)
Hey Carmi--
ReplyDeleteI snagged your header gif to go with the link to your blog in my sidebar, but it's not a great graphic, especially all mixed in with the others I have. Have you thought about creating a button for Caption This? Better yet, could you create some kind of link alias so that the button always shows a thumbnail of the current Caption This image? (I have no idea how to do that BTW).
Just a thought!
I don't have anything to say that's nearly as long as prior commenters, only this: Thanks for sharing the picture and the story.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post because it makes the ordinary so interesting ... glad to hear you didn't spoil your equipment ... that could have been nasty ;)
ReplyDeleteI love it. :)
ReplyDelete