civilized ku # 947 ~ a stop over on my way south
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 10:06AM 
Weather vane on tower ~ Albany, NY • click to embiggenIt's Monday AM and I'm NYC until Wednesday, when I will continue my journey south to my final destination point - South Jersey, where I will join the wife and host of other family members for Comagirl's graduation from college (Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia, PA) on Saturday.
While in NYC, I hope to visit some galleries in Chelsea and, of course, there will be the near-Pavlovian visit to B&H. Although, the B&H visit is intended to be for the benefit of my NYC friend - he's going to Europe at the end of May and wants to have a good camera for the trip. It looks like that camera will be a factory refurb Olympus E-PL1 w 14-28mm lens and a 40-150mm lens (also a factory refurb) thrown in for good measure, all for about $460US.
Note to wife: In the event that I pull out my wallet while in B&H, Robert has been instructed to snatch it from my hand and not return it until we are safely out of the building and a good distance away from the B&H neighborhood. At least that's the plan.
Note to everyone else, re: today's picture: I find this picture to have a distinctly European culture/geographic look to it. The picture was made from an elevated vantage point on Albany's Capitol Hill where the SUNY (State Univ. of NY) System Administration Building, also known as the Old D&H Railroad Building, looms alone above the trees of an Empire State Plaza grove of trees. In addition to the surround of Spring greenery, the Gothic architecture of the tower certainly lends an European flavor to the picture.
That flavor is tempered, some might suggest "destroyed", by the looming water storage tanks on the distant hill. But, of course, that "distracting" element of the real could be easily removed (in PS) by the pretty picture crowd in their never ending quest to sanitize (and embellish) the real world from all of its "imperfections". I would also guess that the same crowd would wish for the disappearance of the crane arm as well.
Me? I like the crane arm and the water storage tanks. Why? Because: 1) together they represent the real, and, 2) in doing so obliterate any false / abstract and romanticized depiction of an imagined / fantasized idyllic which, in turn, focuses attention on the distinction between the ideal and non-ideal realm.
an aside: I don't believe that it would be a stretch to give all of my pictures the subtitle, "Hey, people, get real and then deal with it." Or, for that mater, maybe I could use that as the over-arching main title for all of my pictures.
FYI, the tower is topped by a working weather vane which is a replica of the Halve Maen (the Half Moon), a Dutch East India Company ship - captained by Henry Hudson - which sailed (in September 1609) into what is now New York harbor and up the now aptly named Hudson River as far as the present day location of Albany, New York.
Reader Comments (1)
Took me a while to figure out how you got that shot. I have some familiarity with Albany and the beautiful old D&H building, but could not figure out where you could shoot over trees to get that picture, but Google maps helped me out. Nice shot and I like the composition.
The crane and water tanks are fine, but I think the photo would be better without them.
Many fine artists (painters) use photography as a tool to work out subject and composition. I am not saying all, but many painters WOULD selectively use the bits and pieces they find work best for their art. They are not (necessarily) out to document a scene, they are creating a vision that is an interpretation of the scene. I have a artist friend who talks about seeing with his "minds-eye" which is different that his in-fact eyes.
In your opinion is this the essential difference between a painter and a photographer? A photographer should be responsible for interpreting reality without distortion?
Of course I agree that a photo journalist must have high regard for being truthful, but is there a place in the world for the photo illustrator who can pick and choose his/her images as long as there is no intent of misrepresentation?