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NY Times Interview •
Underground Exhibition
13 June, 2006 • Express Train
Photography © Travis Ruse • photoblogs.org • listed
Photography © Travis Ruse • photoblogs.org • listed
Photography © Travis Ruse • photoblogs.org • listed
my favorite of your latest, it says so many words. The look on the guy's face is classic.
It is an incredibly expressive photo. It's like a Norman Rockwell for contemporary times. The two sweet girls (in blades, no less!) sleeping so securely on Dad's shoulders, and Dad looks so terribly worried, like he doesn't know quite how to live up to the responsibility of taking care of them. Perhaps the "emergency instructions" made him nervous? A lovely shot.
I agree - what a shot. Dad looks weary. You could read lots of things into this photo. How much it speaks to the fact that the kids feel safe- that dad will provide and protect. The emergency poster makes me think about how dad would move heaven and earth to lead those kids to safety in an emergency. I agree about the Norman Rockwell reference.
I hope the family comes across this and saves a copy of the photo for the girls.
Nicely done.
Something about this is so NYC childhood. Don't know what it is exactly.
It's been a long day, Daddy!
What a great capture!!
This shot exemplifies my morning commute with my son every day as I take him to school. A sleepy child and a weary dad. Welcome to my life. Lol. - eric
Rollerblades on the Train. Dangerous.. Great Picture like always
indiffernt face
his children are clenching though
like it.
much has been said already. i will just throw in that you captured a great moment here. the tired girls and the tired father as it seems.
did he also wear rollerskates?
I'm discovering your blog...
What a nice shoot you are offering us.
Everything in the picture seems interconnected, every element pushes, emphasizes, or opposes the other elements.
I can’t say more about the feeling I have by watching this pics,but it makes me react, that’s a good sign.
I love your work and check it out every day but, in my opinion, this shot is at a new level. I don't want to repeat what others have said but I would like to point out 3 things.
First is the story of family and growing up that you have captured by taking the pic in just this way, at just this time. We can see a wonderful difference in the ages of the girls just by the way they are positioned; the younger one is clinging as a child clings, but the older girl has already acquired a more mature style; they mark the journey of 'growing up', which, as people have said, is the father's responsibility.
We can see the weight of that responsibility on his face, and in his clothes. He looks crushed. But, my second observation is the elegance you have captured in this pic. The angle of his head and the expression on his face show a mix of determination and desperation, of fatigue and quiet pleasure. The great writer Sam Beckett has a book with the great title (from memory) "I Can't Go On, I Must Go On" - and that's the way this guy looks. Everybody talks about 'heroes' these days; this guy really is a hero! Your photo honors him as such.
My third point is a suggestion that people get out the great books of sculpture and see the similarity of this shot to some of the expressive masterpieces of the past.
Thanks for one of the great works of our time.
Superb image, easily one of your best ever.
Melancholy... pensive... weighty.
I wonder if he's thinking about ...
I also like the obvious resemblance of the subjects.
Wonderful image, it doesn't need a description to get it's message across.
This event was sweet to capture, wasn`t it ? Oh , New Yorkers.. take example the man gives you... it`s so easy to look at and marvel so...;)
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Wow! Great capture.
For me, this picture is so painful to look at. This image perfectly captures why I recently moved my family out of New York City. In this man's face, you see how difficult New York makes it to raise children. In their faces, you see how exhausting it is to be a New York child, clinging to safety even while sleeping. I am keeping this photo for those times when I doubt my decision to move. Thank you for your website, and thank you for reminding me of those NY moments when all I thought of was escape.
Of course it's dangerous to assume too much from a single moment, etc etc, but taken in a vacuum the image suggests that this man feels trapped (and possibly depressed) about how his life has turned out. What dreams has he set aside to provide for his family? It's 6:30pm and he's just left his white-collar job only to be stuck collecting, safely transporting and acting as a human pillow for his carefree, rollerblading daughters. This fellow is weighed down by his responsibilities...literally. Very human & specific yet with a universal ring. Great photo!
A thousand words, and more...
We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
As I mentioned above this scene is familiar to me as I commute with my son daily. I actually don't see a child clinging to their father for safety but more out of love. Yes, living in NYC can add various pressures than living in the suburbs or in smaller locales but I don't think a shot like this justifies anything other than a recognition that this man is their father. Sam, to read more into it is only looking to justify a situation of your own making and experience. My son loves riding the subway and if we ever see Travis on our trains will probbaly pose outright for the camera showing off his daily adventure.
Travis thanks for another great shot! -
Judging from the comments above, most people feel that the man in the photo is really unhappy. One apt comment was he looks "crushed". Eric, however, feels that he's just tired, because Eric's son likes riding the subway. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, and "reading into" pictures is what art is supposed to be about. So, I feel completely "justified" in reading into this photo exactly what I did, especially with the emergency evacuation poster hanging over his head. Travis did a beautiful job of capturing this man's pain. Eric, I think you are completely justified reading into it whatever you like, or refusing to see whatever you don't want to see. For you to minimize the sadness in that man's face because you have a happy commute with your son is to justify the decisions you made about how to raise your family. And that is your right. Just please don't go around telling people what they should and should not read into art. But I'll tell you something...I was born and raised in New York City, and I know agony when I see it.