Roderick Chen (Untitled ?) -
What seems to be a panned shot of a man walking, with dappled shadows before and after him. His head hangs a little low, as if lost in thought, or in resignation. Note how the shadws behind him are much darker than those before him. Between them is a heavy, dark, vertical band (shadow ?) from which he is emerging. There is a portion of a window in the upper left, in the dark section behin d the man. He is emerging into the light, and even though the large part of this image is dark, and the "future" sill dappled, to this reviewer, this is an image of hope or a better future.
Richard Cooper, "Lines" --
A tele shot of a man in a fishing boat in the fog. There is a bridge/trestle towering in the background. I like the monochrome grays and the strong red of the man's parka/rain suit. The sense of stillness on the water comes across clearly. I have spent many mornings and evenings like this, meditating on the waters (fishing). The picture has a strong graphic quality, with a few, simple strong elements. Unfortunately, that piling in the foreground overwhelms the rest of it.
John Mason "Smoke from Burn Outs" ---
This picture made my olfactory bulb cringe with memories of acrid burning rubber smells. It captures the ritual and eerie aspects of drag racing well, and the car makes it seem like it was taken years ago. The tonal highlights on the rear fenders of the racecar make this image, and retain a sense of depth that would otherwise be all-too-easily lost in that smoke. I love the delicate tones along the right hand side of the car's motor.
Having been at many tracks like this in my youth, JOhn's picture has a mythic quality that brings the viewer both the reality and something of the essence of grass-roots drag racing.
Greg Fraser, "Reality" --
A boy and girl walk along a boardwalk over grassland (?), maybe dunes leading to a beach, in their bathing suits. The girl is carrying a stick or fishing rod in her hand. It is a sunny day, around mid-day. I assume they are walking to the beach, as children seldom have that much energy left at the end of the day when returning to the car. The superpositioning of their figures detracts from an otherwise pleasant, cute composition.. For me, there is a strong sense of sentimentality in this image. The feeling that childhood, no, these chidren's chidhood is fleeting comes across. Had the photographer moved to the right edge of the boardwalk, he could have separated the two figures. Sometimes only a few degrees make all the difference.
