Print From Hell 3

Hell
Print From Hell
Print From Hell 2

One of the things we get graded on now in Photography class is how well our prints go together, and I think this is probably the first project where my prints really clicked. They've all got many things in common, yet each stands alone from the others; that doesn't change the fact that I'm not happy with any of them (I'm least unhappy with this one).

This is a bridge on a path that I used to walk by the Eno River when it was within walking distance of my house... since we moved, it's actually a pretty far drive, but I guess it was worth it. This is the only print from the project that I liked.

Composition? Terrible, I know. Depth of field? Blah. Nothing we haven't seen before. Detail? Contrast? Meh. Tweaked it a little to get the streaks from my scanner to go away.

So what do I like about this print? Well, unlike the others, which say "something's about to pop out and eat me" and "this place is mysterious, let's explore it," this one, to me, actually says "harmony". Everything is at peace in this image; Man interacts with nature, a balance has been reached; this bridge says to me that people take time out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life to go and interact with nature. The message in Print From Hell, whether I realized it or not when shooting it, turns out to be: Man needs to destroy nature to protect himself from it, or Print From Hell 2, which says to me that Man cannot be trusted with nature; he must be held back by a fence, or he will either get himself in trouble or destroy it, this one doesn't look to me like Man is destroying nature... he's modifying it, so it can be experienced. I like how the leaves were scattered everywhere; it's a common theme in the series, and I think it works best here. This bridge -- obviously man-made -- has been re-claimed by nature, through the falling of leaves.

Or something.

Next project will be better. I promise I didn't have fun with this project, and I think it shows...

Now rip it to shreds!