City - Dubrovnik State - CROATIA Country - UF Old Timers
About
by far i find Dubrovnik the loveliest city of those that i have visited, so far. It is beautiful, clean, and never boring in any aspect of its scenery, in addition all the surrounding environment- the shore of adriatic sea, the background rough stone surface of hills, and the mideval stone buildings and the castles and harbour-- are simply very attractive. I was glad to go and visit it during the time when there's less of the tourists with big red bellies straching all over like crocodiles in the sun. the city was pretty much empty, a very few people around, mainly locals, whome i found being tired of turists and visitors. I really do not blame them for that.
Billy Joel is one of the most underhyped musicians ever, Visar. It is exactly that: Do something special but don't cloth it in the fabrics of some "luxurious attitude" that scream "look at me!". Same goes also for people like Rory Gallagher, who never focused on "his own talent" but on music. It also helps to avoid the typical superstar-syndrome, that we unfortunately see so often here from many too many who think, that the whole world waits to see them in etherial posing on some miserably egomanic self-portait.
This "down to earth" is quite a thing to achieve, in photography too, since one must always keep an eye on what he/she does, and watch out that it doesn't drift to "superstarism". It is a steady self-reflection and awareness to question the own work, which is the best way to get better. And I see exactly that in your work - this down to earth attitude which I hope to be able to hold on.
Let Rory speak, and I can't do different than hearing the chors in my mind:
The picture on the poster, Raised an eyebrow or two, At fifty-five to seven, Lord, you should've seen the queue.
City slick and country hick, They came one and all, The traffic-light girl and the downhome kids, Assembled in the hall.
as i read your comment i remembered the song of Billy Joel- 'Just the way you are' that is a love song written for his wife Elizabeth; and after they divorced, Billy said that each time he sang that song he imagined what he'd have for dinner, what he'd do after the show- or even alternate the lyrics to avoid the 'love dizzyness'.
Any kind of "escapism" is just infinitely small in front of the real, in the sense that it is a real loss to overlook the miracles in front of our eyes by searching for "Hossana, Halleluyah" that never existed. The melancholic attitude of Dubrovnik... how could we "beautify" it in that sense? Isn't it for itself already more beautiful than anything?
Much like any of the cities where I have lived. Could Duisburg (in Ruhrpott) be ever as kind, and nice, and beautiful without its indestrial dust, its grey parts of the city, all the Kumpels that live there? (Kumpel = initially miner, then synonym for real down to earth pal that knows what life is.)
The fine jasmine doesn't have to be full of buds to be fine, I guess. It's just as fine no matter of looks.
ah, so you were in Dubrovnik on the year i was born :). Well, it gives me great pleasure to hear of that old melancholic mood of it not being changed eversince. that tells me that there are things that 'preserve themselves'- somehow, thus gaining character and much attraction for one to pass through. And i think this is a typical case for 'un-intervention' with what there is, and that we talk about many times! ;) a reminder for beautifiers/ escapists -- no insult to those who drift into thoughtful imginations-
For me the "unbeautified" depiction is more wishable too, Visar. I don't see any kind of "advantage" in trying to turn each and everything to some kind of "standard Disneyland look". That would be ripping away its own character, and norming everything down to a unitary look. We should rather discover conscioulsy the own special kind of beauty of, say, a city.
I am glad that Dubrovnik kept its melancholic mood. It was what hit me and still remains in my mind from my visit there, back in 1979.
Surely the tripod is always good to have, but even without it the details are sharp enough on this one for me.
you're right, i'd choose the second with a little heartache :) all because i would want that the work produced be not neccesarily apprichiated as much as known for what it is, and that mostly gets conveyed by the generally known qualities- which of course are not what most of the world knows, as many times we just pass through without taking any notice on where we're stepping- thus, i would choose the second, of the dilemma, whithout any dilemma. :)
here, i wished again for a tripod, even though got most of details in the foreground and the city i lost them all of the sky.
i wish i had a little bit of more time to spend there- i found it to be one of those cities that one could get along without having a companion to share the enthusiasm of this beauty. and beside, that melancholic mood was very much around; one could always meet someone in the benches around looking on the endless horison. ;)
Great shot dude with great perspective, natural colors and details. I am sure taht Dubrovnik is a great city and I plan of visiting it perhaps this summer.
A bit more contrast, I would say, and it would be one of those unrepeatable ones. Though still the light if equalisating quality does display Dubrovnik's essence! And here is my dilemma! Go for the generally accepted qualities of some image, or rather the fidelity of depiction of the unmistakable character of some place?
I guess you will choose the second way, Visar! You will choose what *is*. (Existential again??? ;-)) And this is Durbovnik! It does have always that "melancholic" atmosphere, but name it good or bad, this is its own atmosphere. At least it manages to have an own atmosphere unlike the many too many copies of copies of "appealing" places! Perhaps also... this jumps into my mind, perhaps they are only tired of tourists that expect to see the usual generally acceppted "city fun"? Perhaps the tourists should go to such places after freeing themselves up from any expectations at all?
Your composition puts that right on the image! Much of everything, and everything is so far away, and still only two steps ahead! I think that the plane of the pavement, then the trees and the sitting poeple, and then the city so real and so far away make the view very real!
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{K:127263} 4/29/2008
-- no insult to those who drift into thoughtful imginations- 
