Remember when the moon went in front of the sun and it got really dark for three and a half minutes? And then the temperature dropped and it got chilly? You know, the eclipse; when 160,000 people paid crazy prices for a cot in someone’s backyard tent? Remember that? It was ten days ago. It was fun to be a part of that but I doubt I would have driven/flown or spent money to see it. I would have preferred to spend the money on some hot new clothes. But, that’s just me.
If you’re not into photography then you might not remember May 2, 1986. Too bad cause it was an exceptional day. National Geographic hired hundreds of professional photographers to go to specific locations around the country and photograph actual life in that specific location from 12:01 am to 11:59 pm. Thousands upon thousands of images were taken by some of the best photographers in this country. The images were published in one large publication, what is commonly referred to as a coffee table book. It was a very daring, pricey idea that had never been done before. It was a remarkable feat. I own it. I love it.
I was so excited to have that book having followed the planning for the project for several months. I salivated waiting for it. It was worth it. The results were exceptional. Photographers I had admired and followed for years had been assigned to very specific locations to produce exciting work in basically a twelve hour time period. To actually produce an image of quality as a street photographer given an assigned location within a specific time period takes very serious talent. I am not kidding. They earned every penny.
I am going to assume that you may not have taken photography courses in college where your assignment was to create a masterpiece of an assigned object. It might have been a building, a confined landscape, a city block or if the professor had a slightly sadistic bent, a specific door. Who can produce the next Mona Lisa photo of the assigned door? Twenty two students turn in the assignment and then we all get to cringe at each other’s work blown up on the classroom screen in the too large auditorium. The critique, it’s humbling.
The New York Times reached back into history and decided to replicate ‘A Day In The Life …’ using the Eclipse as the theme. All along the path of totality photographers were assigned to specific locations to photograph people watching the eclipse. Did you see the results of their photos on their website? I am going to confess outright, most of them were not stunning works of art but I do want to recognize their effort. I know this assignment only too well. Trust me, it’s not easy.
So in celebration of the eclipse which won’t come around again in my lifetime, I culled from the NYT what I found to be the best of the group for you. Here they are.
The first two are surprisingly of Burlington, Vermont. In both cases the lighting sucked … but still, it’s our town.
I’m assuming that this picture of the waterfront is at the moment of totality but really … where’s the lighting guys? I wouldn’t have printed this if I were the editor of The New York Times but, hey, they aren’t paying me the big bucks. Here’s another one of the waterfront, but again, check out the poor lighting. This could have been taken anytime for any celebration. It doesn’t scream Eclipse. For me personally it screams way too many people!
They get better, not fabulous, but better. I have to say right here that it’s truly difficult taking a monumental photo of a crowd. You have to choose an actor within the crowd that represents the crowd and then wait until the shot is right. It’s very difficult to be successful.
Why this phot is appealing: It’s the shape of her mouth that makes this image work, her endless tweeting as testified to her and her best ‘bud’ on the back of her phone, recording the moment in her moment - and how inappropriately dressed she is. That’s what makes the picture work.
This photographer likely hiked with all his/her gear to the top of a mountain looking for the amazing, unusual shot and found this young girl sitting on a chair which tells me there is a parking lot close by. Because the sun is behind her the photographer used a fill flash which was necessary under the circumstances but the washed out shirt tells me he/she didn’t have time to Photoshop the lighting. They needed to send the image asap. The shirt is a little over exposed, but good effort.
I actually like this one a lot. Her off the rack wedding dress tells me she is the type of person who would get married at an event with at least ninety nine other couples. Her made of honor with the see-through bridesmaid dress is in the upper left corner.
I include this one because the composition works.
But here is the Mona Lisa! Spot on. Great shot of a chicken with appropriately rated eclipse eye wear.
I just love this shot! Everything about this image works. The gentle caring of the child for her pet … how she protectively holds the chicken with her hands clasped around its body, and the comfort of the chicken being held. They are partners, a couple. You can feel it. MOMA should grab this one. It doesn’t get any better. I would be so proud to have taken this photo. It’s just perfect!