It is very sharp and I like the coloration here. Is that PP or did it turn out this way? Very interesting framing. Simple in composition but I am a sucker for simple geometric compositions. Nice one!

It's technically spot on, but I'd love to see a bit more of the book at the bottom. But it's being able to make out / read every detail of the subject that makes this shot quite such a pleasure to look at.

And maybe that's what happened. 1965! At least 4 decades without being touched. It looks almost tri-dimensional. Excellent work! :-)

nferreira: That's the date the act was passed... so the book is probably newer than that. Besides the shop didn't close down THAT long ago.

I love this shot though, one that truly made me draw breath.

Looks as if the accident book has had an accident. Interesting color tones. Lovely picture.

This doesn't convey much. It's a tattered book of function, left hanging. That is the value it has, it has been disposed. It is juxtaposed against a wall with a few lines but still, this doesn't spark the imagination. That besides, whatever the project is generating (in monetary terms), take it and be thankful. Somebody, somewhere, will always be engaged.

Constructively, I think the cropping is a little tight, no real context devorcing me from any sort of narrative relation...

divorcing

Yeah, well I think mooch is being too harsh on you here, but I have to say it does nothing for me either. In the context of the project, it of course, has value, but it doesn't stand up well as a single image. I love the crispness of the image though, the clean colours. Perhaps it can stand as an attest to a well run establishment that in all those years the accident book was never used...
Get some rest.

I can't believe the bad hype over this image. It's an excellent shot.

I agree with Mark. :)
It's not your best work, but I do like it.

I like it, particularly the tight cropping. It would be an old book indeed if it were from 1965. That's my vintage, and I'm no longer a spring chicken. :)

David, you're copping a bit of flak lately. Maybe you should post some typical chromasia images to calm the natives ;) But then again, naaahhh, don't do it. Keep up with the new directions. It keeps it interesting to see you working with new stuff.

This is nice!
I like the colours on this.

The color and texture of the paper are really striking. Nice shot.

It's a good example of the KISS principle, for composition and almost duotone in character. Although not the usual chromasia masterclass i do understand your new journey. We do appreciate your efforts in keeping us inspired - even though some nights you must feel like doing nothing more than being with your family rather than PP some images. Thanks

Hello everybody. I've lurked on the blog for a while now, enjoying Davids diverse output.

These pictures of urban and industrial decay are something I've been hugely interested in but have had very little time or opportunity to pursue. To really nail these images a little information is needed for the viewer - rather than just a picture title - so blogs are a medium suited to the subject.

I love this image in particular because not only is it in an abandoned place [more of that in a minute] but the subject also gives you pause to think of personal tragedy too. Does it hold the story of someone crippled ? badly injured and a miraculous recovery made or even of death ? Only the viewer knows.

Although it may be frowned upon I'd like to post a link to other pictures of this sort, complete with a commentary by the photographer which sets the stage. Apologies, David, if this gets me off to a bad start.

Regards,

Here's the link:

www.abandoned-places.com

I always thought that there were so many rules to follow in the composition of photographs. But thankfully it seems that that subjective opinions are amazingly wide spread and at opposite ends of the spectrum. It's a great relief to me, being a person taking updigital photography late in life. Things like tonal balnce and cropping shapes etc etc are great fun to play around with.... but I'm never sure whether to leave photo's alone as taken originally ...or initially to just crop and then maybe change colour saturation and tonal effects ..heck decisions decisions!!! But so much fun.

Hiya, just found this site...

Great shot!
Love the comp and the colours!
The subject is disturbing...
Postapocalyptic...

will be browsing your other work soon.
Cheers!

A very thought-provoking shot. I like this one. I can't help but be curious about what is inside...
Great job!

Thanks everyone.

Joe: the colours are pretty much as-shot, but I did alter the hue of the background slightly.

Neil: I did have another shot that included the whole book, but on the whole I didn't think it worked as well as this one.

mooch: for me, the value of the book is that it's a visual aspect of the history of this building; a part of the fabric of what once went on here. Oh, and I'm not sure where you got the idea from that we were being paid for this – we're not.

Psychodudu: yep, posting projects on photoblogs isn't ideal.

Geoff: I've always posted the best shots that I have at any point in time, so it remains to be seen what will come next ;-)

MeanGreeny: thanks for the link to abandoned-places.com – it's excellent.

R: sometimes the rules work, and sometimes they don't. If I were you I'd experiment wildly ;-)

Alice: I wish I'd looked, but I didn't.

I see no merit in this work then

Merit shmerit, it made me think for a moment and wonder how it got in that sort of state (mind you it is more than 40 years old)
So was worth posting in my opinion
keep it up Dave

awesome! love the framing.

LOL. As is customary for me when I visit your site, I browsed through your stream, appreciated many of your excellent photos, and then chose one to learn more about. This was it. I echo MeanGreeny's thoughts and perceptions about the possible backstory and resonance of this image. Love it. * BUT, I also love a good back-and-forth discussion and opposing views too, so when I read Mooch's comments, I thought I'd take a peek at his site to see what "photograhy with merit" would look like. ;-p Berries with bokeh. 'Nuff said. * Mooch: this is a good way to get folks to pop over to your site for the fall spectacular. Better get ready for guests.