Angst. Despair. Grief.

Posted by Daniel & Jessica (Melbourne, Australia) on 28 June 2007 in Abstract & Conceptual and Portfolio.

It's strange that although this is a hard, cold, unfeeling statue made of bronze, there seems to be so much emotion emanating from it.

The guy's desperation is almost tangible. The clenched fingers, the forced arch of the neck, the pained tilt of the head.

Sometimes is hard to capture such emotions from real people. Real people tend to shun or stiffen when faced with a camera lens.

Image acquisition details
Camera model: Canon EOS 30D
Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS
Image date: 20/12/2006 11:47:12 AM
Pixel size: 2185 x 3504
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/20
Exposure bias: -0.3ev
Focal length: 17mm
ISO speed rating: ISO200

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Comments (8)

{H} creatives from Santa Clara, United States

Nice capture! Love your interpretation of the statue...it does convey a sense of hopelessness - "help!"

28 Jun 2007 5:28am

@{H} creatives: Thanks, pal. He does seem to be screaming help, doesn't he? I shot a close up of his facial expression as well - probably post it at a later date :)

Rahul from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Nice pic and the background perfectly matches the bronze there. :) And the description of it is just fantastic. You are a good photographer and a good writer too. :) EXCELLENT.

28 Jun 2007 8:20am

@Rahul: Heheh thanks. Although all credit goes to Jess for the write-up. I capture, she captions :) Reverse roles and we're in trouble. Speaking of which, we intend to swap roles next week. Let's just see how we go.

Nick Passantino from Bronx, United States

Agreed! who would think that a stone statue could give off any sort of emotion. nice capture

28 Jun 2007 11:06am

@Nick Passantino: Come to think of it, sometimes the world of art is the only place we can see such exaggerated emotion. I mean, seriously, if I was in despair, I'd probably just put a frown on my face and bark at people. My actions won't be like the statue's.

kairospix from Singapore, Singapore

great capture!
and i agree with your write-up about how people shun being photographed...some even hide their true feelings

28 Jun 2007 5:25pm

@kairospix: Thanks, kairo! Yeah, I always feel conspicuous when 'sniping' people. They tend to freeze. I mean, I myself dislike being photographed. I prefer to be the one behind the camera, taking the pictures!

Kara Pesznecker from Estacada, United States

it is truly talent when you can make a statue a cold hard subject have life. The angle lighting and detail in this image captures that.

29 Jun 2007 1:05am

@Kara Pesznecker: Thanks, Kara! I think the sculptor did a fantastic job here.

MaryB from United Kingdom

Great angle. wonderful colours :)

29 Jun 2007 2:16am

@MaryB: Thanks, Mary! Glad you liked it

Wayne from Melbourne, Australia

Nicely done...is this from the Arts Centre?
I know what you mean about the lens affecting people's behaviour...at dinners and functions I usually snap away at nothing to get people used to the idea of a camera being around until it becomes invisible to them.

29 Jun 2007 6:47am

@Wayne: This guy's permanent home is in the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Hahah, persistency is really the key isn't it?