Soul Searching Landscapes (8 pics)

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Comment by Devon Shaw on July 29, 2010 at 10:05pm

One of the greatest gifts in life is the ability, or at least the willingness, to look at your behavior or words and decide that your were wrong. To take responsibility for your actions and admit your mistakes. Change your thinking and change your life. Ask for forgiveness and move on.

I wrote a long comment dissing the photos in this article. The truth is I don't like mean spirited behavior in others and I don't like it in myself. Upon reflection, I can see that this attitude comes from being alone, lacking love, and seeking to strike out because I had been struck. The abuse I endured growing up is not only a burden but an opportunity to realize when I have become my attackers and to stop and change.

I usually treat people as I would want to be treated. I failed here miserably. I truly believe mean people suck. I am ashamed that I have become one. My attitude displayed for all to see here was sad and pathetic. My apologies.

Comment by Sean on July 25, 2010 at 11:19am

okay in regards to the art professor below me (devon): Art is an expression of the soul, it is what artist feels emotionally tied to. And honestly as long as the creator is pleased with his/her work then It is art, and for that matter good art. The way i see it you just didn't like this photography so you felt the need to pick at it, am i right? thought so.

By the way alice, i think the photos you posted are gorgeous. Please continue to take them.

Comment by MJ Rife on June 17, 2010 at 7:05pm

Dear Devon Shaw,

You are wrong. Most people understand that art is subjective. A piece may barely elicit a 'meh...' response from me while moving you to tears and vice versa. If this didn't fall in line with what you look for in art, so be it. Feel free to share your educated response. However, some of your qualms with the pieces above show a total lack of understanding of...well art!

Here's a blow by blow description of why you seem to lack basic knowledge.

Ghostly Passage
Oddly enough, I respect your opinion on this one. Your language is a little rough, but nothing worse than what a bad sitcom might churn out, right? Personally, I give it a 6 out of 10. While I really want to like it I've seen this done quite a bit.

Marymoor Cross
Do you always take everything so literally? Cross could be speaking of the X that the trees form, the bridge itself (as in crossing), or it could be speaking of a personal trial (as in it's his cross to bear). I give it a 7 out of 10. The switch in color towards the middle makes me want to go over and see whats on the other side.

Simple Contemplation
Your comment on this one was fine as well. I think you were trying to be funny, but...well humor is subjective too. I give it a 4 out of 10. This sort of thing is way over done.

Conversation with Dead Giants
Here you are wrong. This was what actually led me to write a response. Have you no concept of negative space and what it does to visual art? On further inspection the reflection in the water makes it so that the entire right side is light while the entire left side is dark. I'm unsure if the artist did this on purpose, but it's a rather subtle way to do the (normally) tired old 'good vs. evil' bit. By cropping he would've lost some of the texture of the ripples. Also, by having the frame extended to the left of the subject, he created the feeling that the child is more significant and powerful. That is a very common technique used in cinematics. Subjects on the left of your screen will often be portrayed as weak, wounded, meaningless. Keep an eye out for it the next time you watch a movie. Even TV advertisements use this trick sometimes. The effect can be lost if there's not enough room between the subject and the left side of the frame. I give this picture a 9 out of 10. All those reasons I cited; the artist did it right.

None Shall Pass
That actually sounds like a pretty good metaphor to me. "There are plenty of safety rails but you’re going to get your feet wet." With that caption I'd change the name of this piece to 'The Way Forward'. I also love how there's an 'Alice in Wonderland' effect here. There are all the things to suggest a pathway or bridge, but instead there's just a mirror. It creates the sensation of falling up. 9 out of 10.

Looking South on the Lake
I agree with you. This picture is not at all unique. 4 of 10.

Fog Wars
Again, I give this one 4 of 10, but your comment on this one is laughable. You just got done telling everyone how 'Looking South on the Lake' depressed you and then here you go on to talk about how "The planet is dieing with starvation, war, death, disaster, corruption and pollution". In this way you are inconsistent to the point of looking foolish.

The Epic Fisherman
Maybe you can't see it on your Mac, but if you look closely you can see that the fellow on the rock is, in fact, holding a fishing pole. 7 out of 10. Photography is a journey. You can't really make a photograph from your imagination the way a canvas/brush artist can, so I have to commend him for finding this location.

Overall I do feel that the artist is a little overrated in his review, but I like him well enough.

Comment by Ted Weddell on January 27, 2010 at 10:38pm

Steve? Is that you? Oh, I'm sorry.. Mr. Jobs, as you prefer. Now we told you to stop acting crazy every time you see the M word. Everybody knows your products are superior. In fact, Mr. Bouvier probably has a Mac at home, don't you think? So stop stalking these nice peoples' website and start acting your age. Oh, and by the way... I caught your seminar at Ted.com. Do yourself a favor and stick with software. And stop picking on people just because they work for Micros.... well, you know. And you're not fooling anybody. Devon Shaw? Only you, Mr. Jobs, could come up with a name like that.

Anyway, I think the images reflect the loneliness and haunting solitude the artist was going for, very well. Just don't mention the M word around Mr. Jobs, er... I meand Mr. Shaw (wink, wink).

Comment by Devon Shaw on January 27, 2010 at 8:53pm

After I read that the guy who took these pictures was from France and worked for Microsoft it all became clear. This is why Microsoft creates crap products. They hire expensive French “artists” to come to America to come up with crap like this. I think if this assignment was given to a class of 8 year old they could have come up with something with more meaning and a more varied picture scheme than just using a blue filter. Or was the blue added in the computer? It doesn’t really matter. I’ll review them by name:

Ghostly Passage
Ghostly? Why, because of gnarly trees and fog? Give me a break. The only thing I get from this picture is to remember my boots because of all the piles of horse shit all over the ground.

Marymoor Cross
Oh you mean the two purple blurry things that form an X over the purple bridge? Or should I be looking for a cross in the thousands of purple twigs on each side of the purple bridge. The garish yellow glow from the other side really makes me want to put on sunglasses instead of doing any “soul searching”.

Simple Contemplation
Is this contemplation because a kid is poking a stick into some wet dirt? Or is it because of the pole and the three water foul and the water? I think the only thing the kid is contemplating is “Why did mom make me wear this grey hoody under this hooded jacket.

Conversation with Dead Giants
Now if anyone is contemplating it’s this kid. I don’t see any evidence of conversation. Also the left side of the picture that is totally dark could be cropped off without missing anything. I thought he was looking at the mountain.

None Shall Pass
The only “metaphor” I see here is that the way forward is bleak. There are plenty of safety rails but you’re going to get your feet wet.

Looking South on the Lake
The mist rising from the blue trees on the blue mountain on the shore of a blue lake with some camps.
Now I’ve got the blues and I don’t want to see what lies north.

Fog Wars
Shouldn’t this be called “Looking South on the Lake Zoom”? If this represents war to the photographer, I think he needs to tune into current news to catch a glimpse of actual war. The planet is dieing with starvation, war, death, disaster, corruption and pollution but we’ve got fog at war with itself.

The Epic Fisherman
Ah blue again. Fisherman? I see a tiny person on a big rock in front of a waterfall. You can tell he’s fishing?
The waterfall may be epic but the” fisherman” is downright Lilliputian.

I probably wouldn’t have commented except for the glowing lead-in. “…Sparth creates a mood like no one else. Thank god, let’s hope it stays that way.

Comment by sAm on January 27, 2010 at 3:09pm

These are incredible! The first picture looks so dark its hard to believe its real.