Photo Challenge 6 – Temptation

My journalist friend, Veena, gave us a tough theme this time.  Almost everybody rose to the challenge.  Almost.
I don’t think I put enough effort into mine,  so don’t be afraid to get stuck in to me for that.  And I haven’t heard from Ken so we’ll run with four images this time.

Temptation means one thing to most people, and many things to the rest.  To creative people like us (cough) I think it can mean thousands of things, and I’m glad of that because I didn’t want to be posting five images of young hunks and spunks at the beach or the like.  So, do we keep it simple and present a direct connection with the theme?  Or do we go for something far more subtle, that might be a little left of centre and promote discussion?

Let’s see what we’ve done.

Steve’s submission

I struggled for two weeks to come up with something, and failed miserably. In the end I decided to portray one of my cats – Mushroom, trying so hard to resist his natural urge to explore whatever is on the other side of his fence.  Watching him in live action portrays “temptation” far better than my still image ends up doing, as he prowls, stares, moans, whines and murmurs, begins to wiggle his tail in readiness to jump before turning around to pace the fence once more.

My thoughts:

The thoughts running around my head at the last moment, as I was getting some selection input from Joepi (i.e. cheating) on my final two-image shortlist follow:

I like the aesthetics of the first (the image above), but perhaps the link to the theme is too subtle and requires some creative thought.  I like that he is staring directly through the gap.  But if you weren’t told the theme first you could think it was simply curiosity.

The second (cat is in initial stages of a leap) is more obvious, but it could still be interpreted as something else – like escape or opportunity.  He does actually jump on this attempt, so even though he is only poised at the photographic moment, it would take some prompting from me to have the viewer imagine him as being tempted, and not already have made his decision.

I don’t think temptation should be directly associated with action. As a state of mind, I think it is definitely more closely related to curiosity, so that’s the image I chose.

Katy’s submission

Katy says:

As soon as I laid my eyes on this month’s challenge, I thought of an apple – the shape the word ‘temptation’ has taken along the years, at least for me. But then I gave the theme more careful thought and came up with something a bit more original than simply placing an apple against a plain background and shooting it macro. Anyway, next thing I did was to get my spice-things-up dice out of the drawer and roll them to see what my luck was.

So get tempted…

P.S. : The word displayed on the first die is the Portuguese for ‘kiss’. 

My thoughts: This is why I love having photographers from distant lands involved in this. We are treated to broad interpretations along with somewhat alien concepts and experiences.  And I get to learn a new Portuguese word!  The out of focus question mark on the second die is brilliant, and I love the red rich sensuality of the scene.  This image  makes me try harder to be more creative next time.

Mat’s submission

Mat says:

This is my good friend Max (from top Aussie rock band Asleep In The Park) posing in front of a Melbourne shoe shop. I experimented with a few different shutter speed settings to show other people as a blur while Max held perfectly still. This one at 0.6 seconds and f/22 turned out the best. I adjusted the levels and curves in Paintshop Pro and cropped to highlight the Soul Sale sign – after all, true temptation always costs us our soul!

My thoughts: Mat’s on a roll. This is a wonderful image that could well be used commercially. The blurred passers-by are exactly as they should have been treated.   The composition, particularly with “Soul Sale” adding to the number of ways we can interpret this, appeals to me. The shoes and boots are well arranged, creating a space in front of Max who is playing the role of the “will I or won’t I” shopper to perfection.  The entire image may seem a little claustrophobic at first – there’s a lot going on in a small space – but I kind of like that.

Joepi’s submission

Joepi says:

Temptation by my own thought is the act of wanting what is Naught.
Not yours to keep, Not yours to feel. Not yours to see and what’s Not meant to be…
Temptation by my own thought is not following what is taught.
It’s not yours yet you touch. Don’t touch yet you reach.
Close your eyes…Yet you peek.

 

So here’s the thought behind the image: Fishnet stockings have always been a symbol of sensuality. They have a “come hither” quality about them that is absolutely irresistible and yet their naughty taboo reputation also keeps a number of folks away (some even with raised eyebrows ;-D) This pose of seated, raised and closed yet slightly spread legs also screams “come hither.” But the notion is being waived off as the legs are closed with hands to cover and the instructions to not peek should be enough to deter you from coming closer… right.
f5.6 47mm focal length 1600ISO 1/20sec

My thoughts: I think Joepi’s image is a poster ad waiting to happen. Just have to figure out what is being sold – perhaps a new perfume called “Temptation”?  Hard for me to fault this shot. Great lines and exceptional imagery.  I hope it tempts you readers to weigh in with your thoughts…

Next Challenge

Hmmm, let me dig into my old calico bag of themes and see what I can drag out…
And the winner is… Sydney!  No no no, wrong announcement thanks Juan Antonio!  Try again.
Ok, the winner is Joepi so our next theme will be her suggestion – “Technicolor“.
Please have your photo to me by Sunday February 1st.

This should be fun, and you gotta be in it to win it.

PS – I was thinking that if this challenge  thing continues to hum along nicely, I might have to introduce some incentives for you readers to submit the most thoughtful, incisive or enjoyable comments. I’ve a heap of crap in my back rooms that I could give away – books, CDs, stuffed toys, old sporting trophies etc.  You know, stuff people really want.  Let me know what you think…

Asia Part II – Ginza in Tokyo

Time to post a few more thoughts about my recent travels.  For this second trip through Vietnam and Japan I packed both my Panasonic FZ18 and my Canon EOS 350D with the 50mm F1.8 lens.  This was so that I still had the overall flexibility of the Panasonic whilst adding the ability to shoot at night and in low light without flash. I am so glad I did, as shooting at night with much less camera noise was a joy.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

I’ve already posted the shots from southern Vietnam, so now it’s time to catch up with Tokyo.  Today we have Ginza. This is shopper’s paradise – assuming you’re from a rich country and have a very large credit card limit.  Whilst I didn’t go overboard on shopping I was entranced by the brands, colours, lights, people, and general intoxicating aroma of credit card plastic.  The watch zone consisted of six conicular elevators full of watches, that took you to their specific brand store.  I got into the Swatch lift, as it was too colourful to resist.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

I happened to be doing my Ginza thing on a national holiday, which coincided with the opening of a new fashion/department store named H&M.  I’ve never heard of it, and I couldn’t understand why there was a queue circling the very large city block to get in.  Police were managing entry into the store, and only allowing two people every two minutes to enter. This was clearly going to be a long day for the waiting Japanese, but it didn’t seem to bother any of them.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

To make the day into even more of an event, the streets were closed to cars, and outdoor settings were placed along the roads so people could sit and pamper their pooches under cover.  Taking small annoying dogs for “walks” (meaning carrying them in designer pooch pouches) seems to be the done thing on a Ginza sunday.  I spied this cute dad and daughter ensemble playing with Lego in the middle of the street as if this was a normal day for them.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

Heading towards the sunset to see what garish neon signs I could find I looked back to see a sight that only need Paul, John, George & Ringo in frame to complete it. Happily, this thoughtful businessman stepped into the breach.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

Next time we travel to the Tsujiki Fish Market – the largest fish and seafood market in the world.

Hello Malaysia

After many ups and downs in Thailand, I was actually quite sad to leave. I had come to understand the place so much better since I arrived, and although I still don’t like certain aspects of it, I can at least be comfortable there now. The people are not like anything we have at home, and if this level of friendliness keeps up whilst I travel, I’ll find it quite difficult to deal with the indifference on Melbourne’s streets when I return.

I landed in KL through quite a turbulent sky, and discovered once we were under the clouds that it was absolutely pouring.  Phuket was only an hour away and was magnificent when we left.

On arriving I found the place to be very modern and clean.  The trains are easy to use, and their paper money is very similar to ours. I took an express to KL Sentral where I met two of my many hosts whilst in KL.  The free internet in Starbucks made up for the bad coffee, which to be fair is the best coffee I’ve had since leaving home.

Exploring the shopping complex in the Petronas Twin Towers (tallest twin towers in the world) led me to a shop I’ll have to return to later. Malaysia’s electronics prices seem to be cheaper than even Bangkok, or from what I am told, Hong Kong.  I am very likely to pick up a pocket-size waterproof camera for those upcoming typhoons once the big Malaysia sale starts next week.

Outside the towers, and over a cold beer (which doesn’t stay cold long in this heat, so I have to drink instead of talk) I noticed a couple of guys that I thought were fishing with nets in the large pond.

They were, in fact, cleaning the pond on their daily schedule.  A few minutes later on went the fountain.

Eventually I jumped on the overnight sleeper train to Butterworth, Penang. I left at 8:45pm and arrived at 6am. I was supposed to share a cabin, but the other passenger didn’t turn up.  I’m thankful for that because there was barely room for my luggage, let alone another person.  It was tough to sleep because this train is not a smooth one.  There were many times when it felt like it was about to rock out of it’s tracks!  I also ripped the two things I bought in Bangkok – shorts and cabin luggage. That will teach me for buying cheap things. The shorts ripped on the cabin ladder as I made one of many trips down to answer a knock on the door.  The staff don’t seem to want you to sleep at all, and the train stops at every station along the way. I was advised that the other passenger could get on at any time, so I really couldn’t fall asleep.