104 Experiment – Image 009 – The Shop

The Shop

 

I made this image last December during my monthlong obsession with the shop. The lighting is always so low key and mysterious in there!

Aesthetic Elements

I’m just going to point out a few things about this photo that I like. First off, the light coming through the window gets to the edges of nearby objects with lots of intensity, but falls off fast. I really like that in a photo, because it makes for very defined and obvious edges. Next, I like the restfulness of the image. The repeating pattern of horizontal and vertical lines make it very “rectangular” feeling, which to me is restful, as opposed to diagonal. I also see the entire greyscale in this image, from the bottomless void of black under the counter to the heaven-like whiteness of the window, it’s all there. There are lots of interesting textures that I see. The fan cage is nice. The smoothness of the ceiling contrasts the clutter. The closet curtain on the right is very 3-D. The clamps lined up in front of the curtain are very contrasty.

Metaphorical Elements

And then I notice the clock, hiding in the shadows on the left. Especially being in the shadows, could it symbolize that time is not considered in this environment? But why even include the clock if it’s not considered? Though time can be ignored [to a certain extent], it’s always there, happening, passing, making people and things age, whether ignored or not, like a train with no brakes. Even when full attention is given to a task, at some point it will be time to stop for the day. The other symbolism that I see with time is the location of the clock. It can be pushed off to the side of the work/play area, relocating it to the boundaries of perception, but that’s as far as it goes. To the edge, but not past, because we’re always going to be subject to it. Could life be possible without time? I don’t think so. So without time, maybe there would be no life at all. The consequence is simply this: our time bombs are ticking away.

 

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