Alone
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011
About this photo: We're sharing "after dark"-themed pics all week long, and you're most certainly invited. Click here to see what the fuss is all about.This is probably the worst and saddest photo I took while we were away. Worst because I literally shot it from hip-level, without bothering to meter, check focus or even compose. I practically closed my eyes and squeezed it off because I had no time to do anything else. It was one of those moments where you either shoot quickly, quietly and now, or risk losing the moment forever.
It's the saddest picture because it paints a visual of loneliness that I've always imagined in my mind's eye but could never quite touch. I can't stop thinking about the sound of the key in the door on that dark, shadowy concrete balcony, the stooped posture of the lone woman, the fact that I had seen so many like her in this place that they had all begun to blend together in my mind. I imagined what awaited her on the other side, a quiet prison of blank walls and loneliness. The sadness stayed with me long after I had put the camera away.
The result is grainy and lousy. But I can't stop looking at it or thinking about it. Which is I guess what photography is supposed to do.
Your turn: The saddest photo you ever took was...?
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3 comments:
Carmi, why are you assuming she is alone? She appears alone but that does not mean she is... Momentarily, yes... Her posture can be interpreted as being tired.... Alone does not mean sadness or without someone who is without someone... Many times it could be about choice...not rejection or ejection...A person could have or be seen w/others and yet they could feel alone but not give off the appearance of being alone.
Carmi, your imagination has run away with you. On the other side of that door, friends and family are crouched behind couches, tables and chairs giggling and shushing each other in the dark. They can't wait for her to come in and they jump up and yell, "Surprise"! It's the woman's birthday. Nice shot, but I like my story better.
Carmi, when are you going to publish a book of your photography, accompanied by blog posts? I'm being serious, I'd buy it (if you'd autograph it). Visiting your blog is a daily delight to my senses, a jolt to my emotions and a fulfillment of my almost hourly need for creativity and thoughtful processes in my life!
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