most personal photo

[FrankS]

What is the nost personal/powerful photo you have ever taken?

Aside form the private photos of one's spouse, the photos that mean the most to me are the ones I have of my children while they were just minutes old. Then there are the photos I made of my elderly parents that are pretty special.

But other than the family stuff, I took this one photo while I was still in university, must be 25 years ago or so. I had just started experimenting with photography. I had found my father's old German Kodak camera in a closet and had the sticky shutter repaired. My girlfriend at the time (a serious one) had just split up with me and I was really bummed-out. I went for a walk one winter day in a blizzard because it seemed fitting that the weather conditions matched my mood so well. So I was walking along the lake and who should I happen upon, but my old girlfriend waking with her new boyfriend, arm in arm. I was behind them and they hadn't seen me. (I guess they were too wrapped up in themselves to notice anyone else, or the weather conditions for that matter.) I don't know exactly why, but I took out my camera (luckily it was a rangefinder type so it was small enough to carry with me in a coat pocket), and took a photograph of them as they were (she was) walking away from me. After printing the picture I realized how powerful photography can be, and from then on I've been totally hooked! I've uploaded this picture here:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/575

 

[Rich Silfver]

Thanks for sharing Todd.
Agree - photography does indeed have remarkable power.

 

[wlewisiii]

Good Lord be willing that I get one like that in this lifetime. Thank you for sharing it. I've gotten a couple of really good ones; that one blows them away.

William

 

[hoppinghippos]

that's a damn nice photo you have there Frank!

 

[Doug]

I don't know that there is one particuarly most personally significant photo of mine, but there are some that I remember and think were particularly good.

During a project I did on store window mannikins, one shot has quite an unattractive dumpy young woman in an awkward pose looking (wistfully?) at the mannikin in the display window. There is no way on this Earth that she could ever look anything like that idealized icon of womanhood. Poignant I thought.

I need to scan several decades of efforts... 🙂

 

[Pherdinand]

That's a very good photo, Frank, even without knowing the circumstances. Honestly.

I think this is the most personal I've taken... there are a few candidates, though. But i can't be objective with this, i still remember the moments too lively.

For a definite answer, ask me in 30 years 😉

 

[Laika]

Impressive photo Frank even without the twist... I can understand why it hooked you into photography.

 

[jdos2]

Frank, that's beautiful. I've an affinity for older photographic techniques, and that looks almost like a tin-type- very attractive.

 

[Mike Richards]

Around 1982, I had an opportunity to visit a small village in Eastern Turkey. The people were very nice and hospitable, and I got a lot of good shots. This one of the village elders is my favorite. The URL should bring it up for viewing:
http://richam.smugmug.com/photos/popup.mg?ImageID=7773765&Size=Large

 

[Scarpia]

Frank, the photo itself is superb, especially as the eye is led from the fence to the trees and then the couple. When you add the story behind it, it becomes more poignant reminding me of the tragic song cycle by Schubert "Die Winterreise" (The Winter Journey). Outstanding!
Kurt M.

 

[KirkT]

Wow. Beautiful photo. I looked at it before I read your thread and thought, "very beautiful"; then after I saw it, it made me feel sad. Interesting emotional contrast for one photo.

 

[FrankS]

Thank you all for your kind comments. I was thinking of calling it "Frozen Tears" but then you'd know I was a girlie-man.

How about seeing more of your personal/powerful photos?

 

[Scarpia]

Thank you all for your kind comments. I was thinking of calling it "Frozen Tears" but then you'd know I was a girlie-man.

Not so, you are in Canada not California.
Kurt M.

 

[RML]

Pherdinand, that's a wonderful shot! I love the tone of the shot, the softness of it, the lovines of the woman, and the general melancholic (but not in a depressing sense!) feel to it.

My mst personal photo is the snapshot I took of my wife when I first met her. We met; we talked about this and that, though her English was very bad at that time; I asked if I could take her photo, just as "registration" of an experience during that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Mongolia, which turned out to be not so once-in-a-lifetime. She agreed, maybe just to put up with me. Those 2 or 3 photos are the amongst the most personal photos to me. I can loose all my other shots (and I almost did this weekend) but I would be seriously peeved if these shots would be lost.

 

[Mike Richards]

Frank,
Simple and minimal, it tells a story by itself, as any good image should do. The image and your explanation touches familiar memories and feelings for many of us.
Pherdinand,
The lighting and expression are just perfect. Are you going to tell us the story?

 

[Pherdinand]

RML, thanks - but why don't you show yourself those "snapshots"? you made me(us?)curious now🙂

As to my "story", Mike, there's no such moving one behind it like the one of Frank. It was a magic moment of waiting, enjoying being together, with the added value of a beautiful girl and -light.
After a long struggle of a half year with the authorities finally i got a "return visa" and i went for a few days to Hungary to visit that special lady. We decided to go to Eger which is a very nice town with a famous XV. century fort and an even more famous wine region with some 200 or more wine cellars. In that evening, she was preparing herself for a wine tasting tour in some of the cellars - stinky, wet and cold holes dug long long time ago into the soft rock of the neighboring hills one next to the other, along a beautiful valley, scenery of a fairy tale really. Nice friendly place with extremely good wine (for a price next to nothing).
No, there was no special occasion nor company( except myself) to "prepare" herself with such a care, but hey - girls don't need special occasions for spending an hour in front of a mirror😉

Funny - the valley with the cellars is called "Szepasszony-volgy", which means "the valley of the beautiful woman" 🙂