Don York
November 2023 - Prison Cell Door
About the Image(s)
My entry for November is entitled "The Prison Cell Door". It was taken with my Sony Alpha 7M2 at 1/160 sec, f3.5 and iso2500. I liked the tile floor and chipped paint. This was in Missouri State Penitentiary which was built around the turn of the century and housed some famous characters like Sonny Liston, Pretty Boyd Floyd.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
7 comments posted
Interesting! I didn't realise that Sonny Liston has been incarcerated, although Pretty Boy Floyd was a thug, it seems.
The picture is even more interesting, I do like it. It has all the hallmarks of great mono to me. I like the inclusion of the tiles, it makes it "real" rather than "abstract". Perhaps I'd have included a little of the wall above the door for balance, but maybe it wasn't suitable.
Posted: 11/10/2023 03:23:03
The picture is even more interesting, I do like it. It has all the hallmarks of great mono to me. I like the inclusion of the tiles, it makes it "real" rather than "abstract". Perhaps I'd have included a little of the wall above the door for balance, but maybe it wasn't suitable.
Posted: 11/10/2023 03:23:03
The posterisation effect works well to emphasize texture and pattern and the grungy mood is fitting for a prison scene. What I find works particularly well is the slight angle of the horizon line of the floor as it adds to the story portraying the less than perfect living conditions. Posted: 11/18/2023 03:51:11
Don,
I admire you efforts here. It is not particularly comfortable to view, for me, in this grungy monochrome...not even as an abstract. I rarely care for color decay images of chipped paint, but at least I get sense of tonal variation which I don't in this image. Here it seems to be a lot of blotchy areas without sufficient detail or ways for my eyes to engage with the image. I do like the tile floor. Posted: 11/18/2023 12:15:45
I admire you efforts here. It is not particularly comfortable to view, for me, in this grungy monochrome...not even as an abstract. I rarely care for color decay images of chipped paint, but at least I get sense of tonal variation which I don't in this image. Here it seems to be a lot of blotchy areas without sufficient detail or ways for my eyes to engage with the image. I do like the tile floor. Posted: 11/18/2023 12:15:45
I like the composition, the inclusion of the tiles and enough wall to make it dynamic. However, I am not sure about the posterization effect and the strong blacks and whites. It is a photo which for me, who suffer from migraines, was hard to see for too long. Posted: 11/21/2023 15:22:34
No posterization was used. Straight out of the camera with a little increase in contrast.
Posted: 11/24/2023 10:44:13
Posted: 11/24/2023 10:44:13
This photo makes me want to step back two paces. The grunge is over the top for my taste. The composition has some things going for it. The left and right door and wall rectangles are off center enough to add visual tension. Posted: 11/22/2023 14:51:27
I like this treatment for a prison scene. The grunge seems like the right treatment for the subject. That said it is hard to be critical of anything in this image unless it fails to get the story across. The bars should be enough to tell the story of what this is. Not anything I would want to hang on my wall, but a powerful story telling image. Posted: 11/25/2023 20:00:09