Great Black and White Photographers Part 3 -10/14/14-

The first photo caught my attention because of the odd position the photo was taken from, it would have been much easier to take the photo from the ground but the height gives it an extra element that makes it interesting.

The second one caught my eye because I think of the violin as something that is always kept clean and neat and yet it is being played amongst the dirt and dust. It makes the photo interesting for me, though maybe not for some other people.

This photo, taken by Robert Doisneau, was probably shot off the balcony or roof of another building. It allows me to see the cafe below and the old beauty of the building. It shows me the big buildings in the horizon and the surrounding community of smaller buildings.  I can see the people eating and the cars moving by and the flags suspended by the string that holds them up. And I can smell, I can smell the freshly cooked food from the cafe, smell the exhaust fumes from the cars, the dust of the dirt and rock below. I hear the chatter of the people below as they eat, talk, and laugh. I hear the cars as they go past, the chugging of the engines and the sighs of the wheels going over the cobblestones. I can taste the smell of the food and the dust on the air. I feel the small breeze blowing strands of hair into my face and I feel the the solidity of the building underfoot.

In this photo I see a man playing his violin while walking with two children. I see the dust rising off the ground, I can smell it, heavy in the back of my throat. I can hear the sweet sound of the violin and the laughs of the children. I taste the tang of the dirt as I inhale. I feel the rough material of the mans coat and the soft, silky, almost stick feel of the dust and dirt that cover the ground.