The Moon and Venus

Like it or not, I would say that for most people who use cameras, most of our pictures have purely personal meaning. Take this shot for instance. You might find it mildly appealing as a domestic night scene, or you might not; but either way, chances are you'll have forgotten it completely by this time next week. It didn't start out, and it doesn't end up, as a picture that's much suited for public consumption.

It has meaning of a sort to me because it's my house. But believe it or not, the way I "see" this picture, it's mostly about my dog. You can see her disused tether lying by the back door—it's bolted to the other edge of the deck. Lying across the deck is the new $25 hose that she'd done battle with, and vanquished, earlier that day.

I had left the water on, meaning there was water pressure in the hose (new faucet, new hose, new nozzle, all splendidly non-leaking). As I was working that afternoon I heard a sudden hissing sound from out back along with much enthusiastic barking from Lulu. She had chewed a hole in the hose, which was now attacking her back. She'd backed off, barking, to keep away from the water, and was periodically attacking the living thing that was now dousing her, only to be driven back by the spray each time she got close enough to snap at it. I let this go on until she was thoroughly soaked, and not just because I was getting a good laugh out of it—it was a good substitute for a bath, I figured, and anyway I thought perhaps I should make a run at getting $25 worth of entertainment out of the now-ruined hose.

Lulu's ears are very distinctive—when she's "perked" or alert, the right ear stands straight up and the left one flops down. As a picture of the moon and Venus, a few of my later exposures from this string of shots are actually a bit better, technically speaking. Less garage, more moon, straighter composition, better exposure. But I like this one because it's a portrait of Lulu—that's her in the door, of course, with only the silhouette of her distinctive ears visible. She's peering out to see what I was up to out there. In the later, "better" pictures, she'd gotten bored and gone back to the living room...so of course I like those pictures that much less.

My son might appreciate this shot in something close to the way I do, one day, mostly because it's his house too and, more importantly, his dog. But it's probably unrealistic to expect anyone else to like it the way we would.

That's often the way it is with pictures...little slices of the view in a tiny sliver of time, they're also little vignettes of our lives.

_____________

Mike

Featured Comment by Mverjeslev: I can fully relate to this shot. This was taken from my balcony:

Mike replies: A gorgeous photograph, Mathias. Personally, while I like astronomical photographs for their own sake, it really adds a whole new dimension and a unique feel to see it in the sky in the context of the lit apartment, the umbrella on the balcony, the silhouette. The masses and the spaces are wonderful. To me the color of the sky looks a bit off, although that may be due to my monitor and/or the vagaries of small JPEGs. I would be very disappointed in a shot like this if it were a fabrication, but as a real photograph of a lunar eclipse in a truthful human setting it's downright magical.

Featured Comment by Ctein: Mike, yeah, some people can't read, and some so totally miss the point of a photo it isn't funny. For the heck of it, I downloaded the photo, fixed the tilt and keystoning and cloned out the sides to fill it in rather than crop down. So, here's the result. Does anyone really, truly think this is a BETTER photo??? Different, yeah. But better? More effective? More evocative? Balderdash! Gimme a break.

For the record, I'm someone who is preternaturally, insanely sensitive to tilt and keystoning in my photos. More than once I've corrected some tilt that looked horribly askew to me, and Photoshop cheerfully reported I'd just made a 0.1 degree rotation. And, really, I could see the difference. I'm the total opposite of Mike. Doesn't mean I'm gonna make art a slave to technical obsession.

Comments

[Peter]

Well it certainly is personal. However the way you describe it it gives me meaning and I can appreciate it much better.

[John]

Very well put, Mike. It's still amazes me, that power of a single image to rekindle a set of distinct, associative memories in the person who took it that would be completely different from what that same shot would convey even to another member of the same family. One of our dogs recently died (http://asiliconvalleylife.blogspot.com/2007/07/sad-tidings.html) and the picture I keep coming back to has nothing to do with technical excellence (far from it), the location or set-up (commonplace) but it does have a heck of a lot to do with the character, as I want to remember it, of the pet that's no longer around.

And glad to see you up and about with a camera in your hand again.

[RobinP]

Mike you really do have a way with words - the story behind the shot should be enough to make anyone forgive the fact that its crooked and looks rather "digital".
Please keep posting these little domestic saga photos, always interesting to see the back yards of people half way round the world.

Cheers, Robin

[Dan Dill]

This is simply a wonderful story and picture. Send it to Flak Photo.

[darr]

Thanks for making my day Lulu (& Mike).

[charlie d]

I'm with Darr...made my day. Especially since I just put a pee-soaked rug on my back porch. My bladder is fine and I am potty trained. Must be one or the other dog! It's pouring rain and my Mac just got an overhaul. Running Tiger and CS3 and I now have a external HD to back-up my photos. I think I'd miss the dog pics the most.

Life is good.

[G. Sarri]

The best piece I've read on your blog.

[Balaji]

It's very true that often the real interest in a photograph comes from the story behind it.

This is a wonderful example - of how an otherwise ordinary photograph is elevated by the joy and laughter that surrounds the moment.

Love it!

[Albano García]

I think this post is more than anything about how words affect how we read a photo. Without your text, I wouldn't cared too much about the pic. After reading it, I understand it and even more, I really like it.

[Stan Banos]

Gotta disagree with ya here Mike, this shot shot can compete with much of the stuff hanging on any gallery wall today.

[misha marinsky]

I agree with Stan Banos...this belongs on a gallery wall.

[Reinis]

Right bottom corner should be corrected via imaging software. Door wall etc not straight. Spoils the whole thing. Big job done - night, tripod, waiting etc and .. investment lost.

[Helcio Tagliolatto]

It's just a picture. What amazes me, Mike, as ever, is your personal and poetic way...it turns anything mundane into a high grade one.

[nicholas Von Staden]

Remines me of the book by log ago U of Miami Professor Wilson Hick "Words and Pictures" you need the cutline and yours was very good story....leads me to today as we are now shooting video with sound that is just as inport as the visual...pick up that point&shoot and use the video feature...that would of captured what you saw in your story...and post it on your blog or uTube..food for thought

[Don Jagoe]

Only question Mike (and I agree with everyone else, it is a wonderful vignette): why not take a minute to straighten the image in PS? Likewise, very glad to know you are up and about and thinking cameras through the malaise. Don

[Paul Amyes]

1.6 sec exposure. Man that image stabilisation really works well.

You've got a love a photo with a dog in it. A lot of photographers have made a career out of that.

[Mike]

"why not take a minute to straighten the image in PS?"

I have to admit I don't care in the least if the image is straight or not...that has never been any sort of priority for me in looking at pictures.

Mike

[Player]

Mike, there's so much going on in that picture: you got the moon and Venus, the hose, the leash, LuLu, LuLu's floppy ears, the tall tree partially obscuring the moon, and the crazy man behind the lens. ;)

Nice work!

[Svein-Frode]

This proves two things: You, like me, find that the subject being photographed is more important than the technicals of the photograph. If it isn't interesting it isn't successful in the eyes of the viewer.

Secondly, knowing the story behind the photograph will almost always increase the value of a photograph for the viewer. Knowledge is everything.

And last, but not least, you litte essay is superbly written. They way you made me read a few lines, look at the photo, then read a few lines again, until I finally discovered Lulu behind the door... BRILLIANT! I will not forget that photo for a while, so you might be wrong after all!

[Jack Morrison]

"The best piece I've read on your blog."

Ditto.

--
Jack

[Mike]

"Right bottom corner should be corrected via imaging software. Door wall etc not straight. Spoils the whole thing. Big job done - night, tripod, waiting etc and .. investment lost."

*SIGH*...I hate it when people comment without even reading the the post....

Mike

[Greg Christie]

Its always good to see a dog with a great home!