Lights out. Still need to read the paper.
On vacation.
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Underground Exhibition
12 August, 2005 • Express Train
Photography © Travis Ruse • photoblogs.org • listed
That's a really atmospheric shot. Looks more like something from an arty movie than something you chanced upon on the subway. I love the way the four people are all completely locked into whatever they are doing to the exclusion of everyone else, and how they are all turned away from eachother.
Excellent work, feels like an idealized version of a subway car.
Again, the light and subject matter so reminiscent of Edward Hopper. Jim has mentioned the body positions and the "exclusion" factor of the riders. Living in a rural area, this is such foreign behavior. In a space where there are so few humans we acknowledge each other...always. One curious habit is when passing a car on a country road you raise your hand, or perhaps just a finger to acknowledge and say -"hey".
Ooooooo - the graininess is so nice!
Two things.
Yes it does remind me of a film still and the mood that is created by light alone is amazing. Take the same scene with a different light and you would not have a picture. It's not the quantity but the quality of light that requires our attention. With the cameras available today photographers can look into darker and record more life than seen before.
It is hard to fathom the "exclusion" factor in urban settings but it is a matter of pshycological survival. Most New Yorker's, despite appearances, are far from remote robotic beings. But you have to shut down. Imagine on that country road that you had a steady stream of bumper to bumper cars along your entire journey... you would never be able to stop waving. It would drive you crazy, you might even start to resent those nieghbors. So we need to filter and it is always made more uncomfortable when you are standing or sitting inches away from another human being. But when push comes to shove as we have seen in the recent crisis in the London subways or NYC"s power failure last(?) summer, humanity quickly raises it's dozing head and people acknowledge each other!
I like how you used available lighting to set a mood of alienation in this image.
There's an uncanny resemblance between the lady's shirt and the map on the wall.
artfully atmospheric.. well done!
The more I look at this one the more it gives me the shivers.