Sacred Spaces Photo

Photographer’s Note

I have been cleaning out my hard drive and have found some summer shots that I thought I still could show. This is one of them, from a series I took in Ottawa this past July in extreme hot temperatures, with children playing with water that spouted from metal tubes. Who wouldn't have enjoyed both their play and that of the afternoon sunlight?

What struck me most was that the children, perhaps unbeknownst to them, assumed graceful, almost ancient hieratic poses when they moved into the area under the metal tubes issuing the water, as if they had entered a sacred space of prehistoric times.

I already uploaded a similar shot in the summer. As there, here (as well as in the Workshop posting), I added no grain or noise--all that was produced by the drops of water.

delnaja, anes_lc, sevman13, golden, tigra, Nicou, Wanda1, ryno, chicken, cherryripe, m_s_s, isabela_sor, danos, AmiBe, AnimeshRay, SamB, Angelillo, luisafonso, s10001in, prezntime, Iuli, sabyasachi1212, bantonbuju, brevbrev14, pgorod, eleparc, lorienlorien, syd1946, Paolo, klauner, starbug, bach37, evanrizo, Mistral trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

joop (437) 2007-01-21 12:43

what an amazing shot. i love the light obviously, but her pose is perfect as well. your reference in your note makes a lot of sense. nice off-center with this dark edge on the right balancing things out. really like this. joop

teutza (10568) 2007-01-21 12:44

Hy Sarolta,
beautiful capture!!great shadows!
good choice for B&W!
TFS!
teo

sevman13 (553) 2007-01-21 12:47

Hi Sarolta,

what a lovely shot with brilliant usage of water sprey for the grainy look on B&W.. (or a coincidence??)
what so ever, congratulations for the impressive shot.
Thank you,

Serdar EVMAN

nwoehnl (120) 2007-01-21 12:47

Hi Sasa. Well, if this is what you find cleaning your harddrive, then all I can say is "keep cleaning" ;o) Amazingly artistic rendering of the child playing in the fountain in summer. The pose of the girl is lovely, and the water drizzle gives a particular punch that would be hard to achieve with any kind of post-processing. Great stuff.

anes_lc (14768) 2007-01-21 12:48

hye sarolta.
great shoot,i was wandering how?
i sow all your picture and only then i realise how you did it,how you could.must be an artist to be able to,and you are
congratulation for all your pictures.
my respect
anes

rhizomes (15325) 2007-01-21 12:57

Hi Sarolta,
Impressive shot ! The B/W is suitable to this nice game picture. All the water drops are perfecty captured.
Nice hot summer picture with the innocence of childhood.
Christophe

golden (791) 2007-01-21 12:59

Good evening Sarolta!
Fantastic capture. Great lighting and shadows.

Well done,
Chrysoula.

Clairedelune (4885) 2007-01-21 13:05

Oh! Oh! I feel you will have a big success with this one too! ;) I do remember well your first photo of this Summer. We were having, at the time, a heat wave and I had written: It could be worst, it could be... Winter! :))) Now, we are under a cold wave! But, it could be worst, it could be... Summer!
Ok, I'll stop the laughing and try to be serious. I would be very curious to see the original version in colors with no PP at all, just to see how you work. But, it is my curious me! ;) Very well designed and composed photos (yes, the "s" for the WS ones too!). Though this one is more "gracious" and I approve your choice as to be the main post, I really like the one with the little boy above the ground! Made me laugh.
I'm waiting for Summer to come. I will run around the town to find such a Fountain of Youth! ;)
Have a nice day Sarolta!
Claire

tigra (2968) 2007-01-21 13:08

Hello Sarolta
Wonderful series of captures of playing in the water drops!
I like all of them, so lively and impressive!
Katia

tonyp (217) 2007-01-21 13:12

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful picture!
I love the texture that the water droplets are creating. Perfect composition with great use of light and shadows, very very good!
Cheers,
Tony

Nicou (45429) 2007-01-21 13:16

Hello,

Superbe photo sur-réaliste et très bien caddré. L'effet est superbe.

Félicitations.

Nicou

Wanda1 (11015) 2007-01-21 13:18

Hi Sarolta,
This is a fantastic and creative shot. I love the texture and graininess that he spray of the water creates. The girl is framed so nicely by the curves of the tubes. Nice light and silohuette.
Regards
Wanda

ryno (4615) 2007-01-21 13:28

Hi Sarolta, this is a very striking image - I like the simple, clean lines on the right, as well as the child's almsot ghostly figure (and also the second shadow). It certainly works well in B & W. Excellent! Regards,
Ryno

chicken (1781) 2007-01-21 13:37

Great summer image. I really like the other images you've posted in the workshops, great play of shadows in the water. The "noise" is IMO a bit irritating (more so in your workshop posts than here) and could probably be reduced by restrict sharpening to the importan parts using a mask. Nevertheless, a wonderful series spreading some warmth in these monts.

cherryripe (19097) 2007-01-21 13:38

Hi Sasa
The combination of droplets, light and strong silhouettes and shadows is brilliant. Her hand almost looks as though it's against a window it's so strong. Well seen.
Regards
Nikki

noahsark (1092) 2007-01-21 13:43

Hi Sarolta,

I feel B&W is very efficient here.good composition and very good idea!

composition*****
subject*****
colors and light*****
sharpness*****
overall aesthetics*****

well done!

Mahmut K.

m_s_s (1649) 2007-01-21 13:47

Hello Sarolta,
that's amazing work of light and shadow. excellent composition. effect is stunning. these water drops might look like noise. excellent. nice work. my favourite.
regards

Framboisilla (5402) 2007-01-21 13:54

Salut Sasa,

Quelle atmosphère spéciale avec ce N&B et ces forts contrastes ! C'est vraiment très bien fait, très bien pensé aussi.

Amicalement,
Stéph.

danos (32994) 2007-01-21 14:36

Hi Sarolta,
what an amazing shot of this child who played with water that spouted from metal tubes.The water drops are perfecty captured.Imressive the sharpness and difficult the lighting of your photo.The choice of the B&W and the note are great.Good work.
Regards,Danos

jasmis (50841) 2007-01-21 14:56

Really impressive. Perfect composition, proper time of exposition. B&W works here very well.
Regards.

schekerli (234) 2007-01-21 14:58

Beatiful combination of composition, interesting lighting situation and a good eye on what just happens. COng.

faubry (32401) 2007-01-21 15:02

hello Sasa, SUPERBBBBBBBBB i like a ot, really great work/ you are one artist, bravo
soon
francine

AmiBe (6042) 2007-01-21 15:39

Hi Sasa,
you need to clean more often your HD ! Have you still a lot of shots like this one ? :)
Excellent, very good posture, good backlight, curves and silhouette.
rgs

AnimeshRay (8886) 2007-01-21 15:40

Another terrific image from your collection. Brilliant framing and the light through the mist of water sprout is beautiful.
While the contrast of your main post is probably better, I like the effect of the light streaming through the girl's hand and hair in the workshop version even more.

SamB (1948) 2007-01-21 16:09

Hello, Sasa--
Great work here, you played with texture well, holding the drops of water hard and sharp while leading into them with the crisp and smooth lines of the tubes. The simplicity is great, with the very simple tonal scheme accented by the beam of the light cutting through at a diagonal near the middle.
Thanks!
sam

Angelillo (9065) 2007-01-21 16:24

Hi Sasa,

Funny, original and... intriguing shot. We know is a boy, in the shot is only a shadow, inside in a real unreal ambiance, with a dusty frozened water and light. It's absolutely beautiful and mysterious. Good eyes, great sensitivity, and amazing ability to create stunning images! Thanks,

Angel.

luisafonso (858) 2007-01-21 17:53

I remember the first post... It's in my favorites... I am not going to repeat what I said then, but I love this landscape take. That black arch brings another dimension to the theme. That hand and the pure b&w produced a very striking result. Love it!

s10001in (1485) 2007-01-21 21:10

Sasa..
Loveely work..
I can feel the wetness..
Lovely image.
Regards,

prezntime (3945) 2007-01-21 23:42

I'm in awe of these photographs. I see you expressed that you "..thought I still could show" these photographs...that implies that your were unsure at first? Without a moments hesitation I would plaster my walls with this photo. A freedom is expressed here only known to children and forgotten by those that left their long summers far behind. Without a facial expression to be seen, joy permeates the whole photo. The strong graphical quality is so well done that the photo loses not one once of emotion and contains a quality reserved for some of the greatest expressive artwork.
So many times we see photos of an extremely high quality, but in the back of our mind we think, "I feel that I have seen this before." Now, it could be that sense of familiar recognition that brings somebody into alignment with some photographs. Here, on the other hand, this photo brings no familiarity (having anything to do with previous vision) to mind...it is completely new to me...I at once see nothing that I've seen before, but feel so close to this shot that I can only compare it to the warm and nostalgic feeling that comes flooding back when I think of my grandmothers house as a young boy.
I want to go on; I want to talk about this photo, I want to sit and tell people about it...I want to be the child in this photo.

Thank you.

Chris

jinju (14265) 2007-01-22 1:20

stunning one Sasa! And I must say you waited long enough to upload it:) Now with the space of time this again seems fresh. Fantastic light, I love the grain-like effect of the eater, the beautiful silhouette. Bost though, the hand gesture. Awesome

sabyasachi1212 (19546) 2007-01-22 1:26

Hi Sasa,
Wonderful composition, perfect silhouetted effect. A real artistic combination.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

Kenggaroo (805) 2007-01-22 2:06

G ood POV.
R ich details
E ffective lighting
A mazing shower effect
T errific shot
G R E A T !
kenggaroo

bantonbuju (48770) 2007-01-22 2:42

for me it looks more like a scene from sci-fi movie about dna manipulation or playing god's role and changing the nature...
very powerful, very strong...
and the "natural grain" look terrific!
best wishes, j.

pittdesign (276) 2007-01-22 3:20

Fantastic effect ! Noise without Noise. LOL

Ulishna (2246) 2007-01-22 3:37

Wonderful photo, Sasa!
So nice, so art! Perfect idea with curves!
Julia

brevbrev14 (372) 2007-01-22 4:53

Carissima Sasa, not words here...only one.....a mastepiece!
ciao!
Valeria

delnaja (7849) 2007-01-22 5:01

and it creates a beautiful and artistic effect....
The light is amazing...
Pure Art Sasa...

(be back...)

Faros (12) 2007-01-22 5:24

Hy Sarolta,
Beautiful shot, water drops are making a dreamy mood,

Phil.

ciec (1081) 2007-01-22 5:58

Hello Sarolta,
It would have been a real pity if you hadn't shown this wonderful series.
A balletdanser couldn't be better.

nicoz (1963) 2007-01-22 6:06

Hi Sarolta,
I remember some of your earlier shots in this serie. By the time, they were refreshing, but now that it's winter, brrrr, they make me freeze ;-)
There's something quite tribal in this photo.
Good shot!
Nicolas

coco (28012) 2007-01-22 7:33

Hi Sasa.

Your photos have an unique an different touch. Is your own signature.
As this one.

Better than the WS and lovely photo.
Different. Has your own signature.
And lonely kid is lovely.

Thanks for share.

isabela_sor (42317) 2007-01-22 7:40

Ohhh,100% art!!Incredible photo!I dont have words to express my admiration!!
THANK YOU,Sasa

pgorod (1122) 2007-01-22 8:12

The summer photo, called Supplication had a bit of an extra-terrestrial look, the human shape was a bit weird... even so, the photo had a huge strength and beauty.

This one seems more angelical, it's a real accomplishment... how can you keep stuff like this for months without posting? :-) Unbelievable.

eleparc (24059) 2007-01-22 8:30

fantastically graphic! it seems we have been doing some cleaning at the same time.. i just found some old pics that I took the time to process. this one is really good! the curves of the fountain is adding a lot of softness to the overall photo , and the chikld as you said has a very graphic and danceful position

Eric

aralda (1240) 2007-01-22 10:46

Hi Sasa,
What a pose, and what an atmosphere! This to me seems taken from a movie about the last humans to live on earth -- there are a few spots of white in the image which could be interpreted as aliens :). Well, besides my ramblings, the point is that the posture of the kid, the droplets, the quality of light and the architectural elements all point to a symbolic meaning about the essence of being human: something that is both pure and concentrated in that kid, diffused in the whole image, pure again as those spots of white, quiet and unspoken as that kid...
One could also see the shot as a document of a rite of passage, with the kid entering a new, sacred territory as you suggest in your note.
There is a lot of poetry in your shot. I have seen the one you posted earlier and am glad you came back to this scene because it's worth showing again.
Raluca

syd1946 (17945) 2007-01-22 12:30

Very artistic,so beautiful and mysterious approach!
Very rare scene,captured in an amazing way!
Bravo Sasa,this is a pleasure for my eyes!

Thomas

broglia (3349) 2007-01-22 14:34

Hi Sarolta, another very special image. I especially like the strange shadow on the ground. Is it human ? Who knows ? The lighting is superb. And the tubes provide a wonderful frame. Regards, Roberto

pady (4800) 2007-01-22 16:46

Hi Sarolta,
A nice atmosphere. Droplets give an noisy aspect I like very much. Silhouette is great
Congratulations for this one
Cheers
Pierre-André

Polonaise (5638) 2007-01-22 17:13

Beyond our reach...Ever..!
--------------------
Is this even possible...?

They said it all...Who Am I to even open my dirty mouth?

g.

PS: The stuff you put into WS...
You know Sasa, that there are guys on this site, that will make a career posting the pictures you are throwing into the abyss of workshop' nonexistence...

KevRyan (22418) 2007-01-22 18:04

Another stunner and another winner from this lovely series Sasa - I agree with Norbert - 'keep cleaning' - a fantastic catch and half!!! The movement is just perfect...as if she is touching the edge of an invisible skin that contains her reality of the moment.........

a big hug for this one!!

kev

entrelec (8342) 2007-01-23 5:18

a wonderful image, make me think to a foetus in his matrice and ammiotic liquid; according to the naked child, the water and the circular shape of the place.
The treatment is the best that can be done to enhance this mood.
a fav, no doubt!
take care.
Ps: the javanese girl is on my today post as a WS.

joel
Powerful

delkoo (34578) 2007-01-23 5:46

hi sarolta
The frame is flawless as you have captured everything in the proper way; great one; wonderful, I never get tired of seeing shots from you, especially when they're as well taken as this.

regards
didier

Paolo (40751) 2007-01-23 12:08

Hi Sasa...what can i write about that masterpiece?!
it's wonderful?
it's fantastic?
it's...perfect!

not...it's just anther picture made by Sasa.
and that's all!

many thanks for that great image.
ciao

klauner (1020) 2007-01-23 15:50

Hi Sarolta,

Superbe ta photo. Parfois un petit retour vers le passé permet de retrouver des photos splendides et hors du commun. Tout y est !
No comment !

Françoise

devimeuxbe (56110) 2007-01-23 22:45

Hi Sarolta
I really like this picture. The light throught the drops is beautifull. BUt also the composition and the gesture of the child is great.
Congratulations
Bertrand

tibervince (781) 2007-01-23 23:17

Hello Sasa,
What a picture... it looks like... a memory... of a perfect moment... a memory of childhood... you can not picture every detail... you only remember shadows, lights... but you remember all the feelings... the senses... touch, taste, sound...
You captured this feeling amazingly...
Vincent

sebinho342 (18744) 2007-01-24 16:33

Hi Sasa, i remember a similar picture you uploaded some monthes ago now ... wow this one is terrific, impressive skills you have, amazing eyes, everything is good and you succeed in technical way and artisti way ... those 2 factors combined lead to a tremendous picture.
Thanks a lot for sharing, that kind of picture is part of TE treasure

somkiat (1096) 2007-01-24 21:03

hallo sarolta,
a very attractive photo.
the figure is interesting.it was captured by the good moment,at the special lighting.i like the composition,simplicity.
regards
somkiat

starbug (6924) 2007-01-26 7:04

hi Sasa, what your note may suggest is that there is some basic, inherent grace in children, in its purest form. well, there may be, the girl's pose certainly is certainly more noble and proud than merely playful. wonderfully presented, as usual, so strong thanks to the strong contrast, and this "water grain" looks excellent.
best regards
A.

RGatward (19749) 2007-01-27 2:33

Well, you can certainly show this one, as you can see from the response. Nothing really to add to that, except to reflect that curious that you didn't think of posting this one at the time, sometimes it's hard to evaluate our own photos clearly.

vapours (7913) 2007-01-27 9:53

Wow how did you let this one slip away onto your hard drive. A beautiful image with the millions of water droplets, and quite similar to some colour versions I have seen previously which David Smeaton did.

evanrizo (456) 2007-01-27 12:12

Wooooh what an excellent photo, very effective, very artistique.
Thanks for share it.

rbcy1974 (20746) 2007-01-27 12:57

Hello Sarolta
The view is amazing,
the kid seems to be performing some kind of artistic ballet,
the water drops provide a natural grain which enhances the photo.
Really well done
Regards
Daniel

Darren (6819) 2007-01-29 8:52

This is really nice. the arc on the right hand side is a really good balance to the girl on the left and the toning is very apropros. The drops do look like noise/grain and they add to what makes this shot work. NOt that it would be better, but I also would like to see all of her shadow. This might not work as it might bring other things into the shot. Nice one.

Furachan (0) 2007-01-30 4:34

You cal this cleaning out your hard drive? I cleaned out my drive, I'd get 3 points, one of them from darren (joke!) and about 50 poeple mad at me for the contents of my note, LOL!
Man, if this is the dregs of your collectionb, we are either in for a treat, or a world of pain (groan...)
Marvelous shot, deserving of all praise...
Francis

filidor (573) 2007-01-31 4:11

Another great shot! framing and frozen diffuse water gives this picture fantastic atmosphere - especially in B+W. Regards. Mac

everlasting (10938) 2007-02-03 12:00

I cant believe that i didnt leave a comment here, i saw this days ago.
The pose of the little girl is lovely, Sasa and the spray of the water gives such a rich texture to the canvas

recepyuksel (17786) 2007-02-04 16:52

An original work.. It seems a scene from another world.
Best wishes,
have a nice week...

Mistral (13740) 2007-03-07 14:31

Hi Sasa,
nothing to add not already written... I can just repeat again and again that you are a fairy and your Nikon is your magic wand!
A smile from rainy Italy!
Luca

sekl (2017) 2007-06-01 4:00

Just breathless. Thanks

Javid (1198) 2007-11-02 1:07

Amazing
your apprentice:
Javid

sultana (1418) 2009-06-25 7:07