Pictures -- Moments frozen in time

Scavenging through old pictures has always been a hobby of mine. One of the most fascinating aspects of looking at old pictures is the realization that you are looking at a moment captured in time. Thoughts and emotions are captured and frozen in time -- always there to remind us of some former girlfriend, lover or friend.


[Picture Missing from Imageshack]

I took this picture while in New York City. This is the Chelsea Market located in none other than Chelsea. I don't know the person in this picture, but I'm fascinated to know what thoughts she was thinking at the time the picture was taken. Was that her boyfriend or brother with her? If it was her boyfriend, did they just start dating or have they been dating for a long time? Is she mad at him? Is he mad at her? Where are they going? Why are they there? Where were they doing before they got there? Are they still together?



Even the mood of a picture can be shifted by changing the hue, contrast and focus. There are certain feelings a high-contrast black and white picture can make us experience that a color photograph could not.

One of the coolest things I've always wanted to be able to do is step inside a picture and walk around and see things as they were frozen in time. It would be amazing to look at old photographs from the 1800's and be able to suddenly step through the picture and see everything in vivid color.

Pictures are amazing.

Here is an example of how mood can change. Just for the record, I am not a professional photographer. I photograph, edit and create art strictly as a hobby.

This first picture is one that I took while looking out of a toy store in New York City.



As you can see, it is just a simple picture of some ever present taxis. I edited this picture to give it a more "Hollywood feature film" look. Notice how the mood is remarkably different compared to the previous picture.



I altered the field of depth to place emphasis on one particular taxi. The people on the streets are now more blurry and distant. The overall feel of the picture is enhanced by the light blue and cyan overcast.

Here is a picture I took in London by putting my camera on a traffic box and leaving the shutter open for a few seconds. Notice the traffic is just a blur and most people are walking trails of light save for the one lady who was staring at me probably wondering just what the hell I was up to.