Standing Still
Almost Home...
Posted by Cricket (Somewhere, United States) on 3 November 2009 in Transportation and Portfolio.
The Shipfitter's Wife
I loved him most
when he came home from work,
his fingers still curled from fitting pipe,
his denim shirt ringed with sweat,
smelling of salt, and drying weeds
of the ocean. I'd go to where he sat
on the edge of the bed, his forehead
anointed with grease, his cracked hands
jammed between his thighs, and unlace
the steel-toed boots, stroke his ankles
and calves, the pads and bones of his feet.
Then I'd open his clothes and take
the whole day inside me-
the ship's gray sides, the miles of copper pipe,
the voice of the foreman clanging
off the hull's silver ribs. Spark of lead
kissing metal. The clamp, the winch,
the white fire torch, the whistle,
and the long drive home.
-Dorianne Laux
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jamesy from christchurch, New Zealand
fantastic shot and a great poem to go with it
3 Nov 2009 5:38am
@jamesy: This has always been a favorite poem of mine. I'm not really sure why, but it has always found a place in my heart.
@john4jack: hahahah...I think I was looking north.
Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 Nov 2009 6:15am
Paco Díaz from Palma de Mallorca, Spain
I like very much your treatment of color: this is a very beautiful image of the bridge, and the perspective with the boat passing is great.
3 Nov 2009 6:49am
@Paco Díaz: Hey there Paco Diaz. I took this image right after I had the fall from my horse. I had a scheduled business trip to San Francisco and I just kept my plans as usual. This image will always be a reminder to me of how lucky I am to be alive. The sky was perfect on this day, and the water was a vivid blue because of the high clouds. San Francisco is a favorite place of mine. Always a fun place to go!
Ekios from Une des Iles du Salut, Guyana
A bit hot no ?? But the point of view and the boat make it impressive !!
3 Nov 2009 8:30am
@Ekios: I guess we each have our own way.
@jpla: Thank you.
Judy from Brooksville, Florida, United States
Wonderful processing, and a meaningful poem to go with your image.
3 Nov 2009 9:44am
@Judy: Thank you Judy.
Angel Corrochano from Madrid, Spain
I like the force of the colors, almost of old postcard, of which they reddened manually.
Warm greetings
3 Nov 2009 11:17am
@Angel Corrochano: Hey Angel. You know, I've been to this very spot so many times in my lifetime. I guess this was the first time I had seen it on a clear and sunny day. I remember standing there in complete amazement when he bridge appeared so red. The moment of clarity didn't last long. The clouds moved in and the colors vanished. A hug to you Angel.
zOOm from Paris, France
Cool colors and an unforgettable point of view ! Nice and original post-processing.
3 Nov 2009 11:21am
@zOOm: Thank you so much Zoom!
jeff (aka dogilicious) from Millerstown, PA, United States
I like the "heat" of the colors in this. Nicely done
3 Nov 2009 12:11pm
@jeff (aka dogilicious): Thank you Jeff.
Miguel de Luis from Las Palmas, Spain
I love the *heart* of this ship, and makes me dream for a new job :)
3 Nov 2009 12:27pm
@Miguel de Luis: Miguel de Luis, a new JOB? I would think after all of that work, study, and testing you would be happy and content being one of he smartest men on the island! --------------------------------- I have to come back two days later ...and say thank you. I am a bit slow. I just adored the color on this ship.
@Mhélène: Thank you.
Tracy from La Selva Beach, United States
The photo is absolutely beautiful- The photo and poem together are magical!
3 Nov 2009 1:41pm
@Tracy: Thank you Tracy.
@Pepe Cabrera: Thank you Pepe.
dj.tigersprout from New York City, United States
another amazing dream -- faaabulous processing!!!!
3 Nov 2009 2:35pm
@dj.tigersprout: Thank you! xxx
Ajay from Pune, India
I am speechless. What should I really say what is best here? The angle, the tone, the composition... everything is giving competition to each other.
3 Nov 2009 2:39pm
@Ajay: Ajay....you are never speechless. Thank you so much.
Gordon Emslie from Scotland, United States
Tammy, this is just beautiful. I know you once again used ORTON on this image on a bright sunny day. This makes the photograph look like a painting. The boat seems as if it belongs in a child's room as a toy. It doesn't even look real. The bridge seems to be floating.
What really blows me away is he depth of this image. You cover so much from the angle in which you were standing. I review many of your shots and I see that you seem to always place yourself at the right spot. Then I wonder if you always CROP to the right spot. Either way, you are right on target with this one.
I remember many years ago when you would play around in your dark room, layers was something that you would spend hours working with. Many images, one after the other, then processed together. I've really enjoyed the soft images that you've been sharing lately.
Very nice. I would love to see what you could do with this in Black and White. I know you are a woman of color when images have color. On this day, the water, boat, shore, bridge, and sky gave you that punch.
3 Nov 2009 2:43pm
@Gordon Emslie: Yes, I remember the days in the dark room. I've actually been working on getting the room back into operation. I miss getting my hands dirty! I actually miss the time I spent trying to get the image just right. I think there was just something magical about this entire day. The sun was coming in and out and the water was this unusual blue color. Each time I visit this city, I stop to take a picture right here. This is the first time I've captured some vivid color. One day soon, I plan on posting some images that come from an old camera and missed dark room.
Craig@Random Ramblings from Herts, United Kingdom
Fantastic, despite the effect (which is great) the details leap out at me. I love that green of the water, if I couldn't be watching the sun go down whilst eating my fish n chips I think I'd quite like to be here taking it all in :)
3 Nov 2009 4:02pm
@Craig@Random Ramblings: Hey Craig...I think I could eat my fish n chips anywhere with a view. LOL...I hope you slow down soon to enjoy the beautiful fall weather.
@olivier Paillet: Thank you.
Steven from Chicagoland, United States
Great processing of this iconic capture and I love your vantage point here! You speak of so many opportunities that were hindered by foggy days. I feel so fortunate to have had clear days when I was last in San Fran.
3 Nov 2009 5:17pm
@Steven: You are so lucky to have had clear days on your travel. I get the chance to fly there on business a couple of times a year. For some reason, the clouds follow me. I'm hoping my next trip will allow me to try some images again in a clearer sky. Thank you so much for your comment.
@Steve Rice: Thank you Steve.
NADINE DERUYCK from KLUISBERGEN, Belgium
Fabulous Tammy !!!! as ALWAYS ......
And a bridge : nothing more fascinating to shoot
3 Nov 2009 5:35pm
@NADINE DERUYCK: Hey Nadine. Life has been nothing but a roller coaster for me. Marcel has kept me informed of your status with your injury. I hope you are doing much better. Yes, I love to photograph this romantic bridge.
Ronnie 2¢ from Atlantic Shores, United Kingdom
Stirring stuff and an image that reads like a page from a memory . .
3 Nov 2009 6:00pm
@Ronnie 2¢: Thank you.
Paco Díaz from Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Thanks very much for the link to the Orton effect. I've just seen your kind words and I will try to apply it.
Thanks very much.
3 Nov 2009 6:24pm
@Paco Díaz: Thank you Paco Diaz. I hope you get the chance to try it!
@Alun: Thank you Alun.
Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
Very cool shot.....my favorite bridge in the world, and from an angle that I have yet to see in person.....and try saying your title quickly!!! Doesn't come out very pretty !! :)
3 Nov 2009 8:34pm
@Susan: I know...I laughed when I said the title quickly. Each time I visit San Francisco, I stop and visit this exact spot. It is amazing how many pictures one can take of the same thing and each one turn out so differently.
@k@: It does look bloody! I get the chance to travel to San Francisco several times a year. Each time I go, I try to figure out a different way to shoot this overshot bridge. I think I need to get down low for the next one. We will see. Life has been so busy for me lately. I haven't been around on Aminus3 as much. I have followed your images each day...even though I might not always comment. It is usually when I'm sitting in a meeting and I am bored and I turn my computer on. I don't want anyone to know I'm actually viewing photography from around the world. :) You take care.
philippe from dijon, France
Comment ne pas aimer cette image..... superbe, bravo.
3 Nov 2009 10:50pm
Ivar from Indianapolis, United States
Like the treatment of this picture... very nice work
4 Nov 2009 3:50am
willow from Chelsea, United States
This is incredible processing! It looks like a classic painting. Well done.
4 Nov 2009 4:27am
Stephen Phillips from San Francisco, United States
Such an unusual feeling to this, Ms. Crickett - the image mirrors the feelings in the prose. A golden passage - a gift - seen in the ordinary - transcendent - moment.
4 Nov 2009 4:34am
dobbino from Cape Town, South Africa
Really like what you have done with this. And the words are just so perfect for it.
4 Nov 2009 6:24am
@dobbino: Hello there. Thanks...
Sarito from Basingstoke, United Kingdom
Superb shot and great poem to match.. nicely done.
4 Nov 2009 9:14am
@Sarito: Thank you.
B. Thomas from Arlington, Texas, United States
Perfect composition, and cool poem to go with it. Well done.
4 Nov 2009 1:26pm
Anthony Morgan Lambert from Bielefeld, Germany
What a fantastic view and a shot to match !!
4 Nov 2009 3:05pm
hugo poon from hong kong, Hong Kong
What beautiful perspective and composition Tammy... and the treatment is bringing about a unique mood! Absolutely refreshing!!! Fantastic work my dear!
4 Nov 2009 3:19pm
@hugo poon: Hey there! Life is traveling by at a rapid speed and I haven't spoken to you in a while. I hope life is finding you happy, busy, and able to travel with a camera in hand! Thank you so much for your kind words.
Michael from Shell village, United Kingdom
This is more than a dream, it is like peering into a parallel world, a state of shifted reality, but what is real..
A very cool image.
4 Nov 2009 5:40pm
dobbino from Cape Town, South Africa
Sincere congrats on the Spotlight award - wonderful!
4 Nov 2009 6:00pm
6ft5 from stockholm, Sweden
Awsome colors. Brought something else to a very photographed, still awesome bridge :) Well done!
4 Nov 2009 6:44pm
@6ft5: I know, this bridge is photographed a great deal. I get to travel to San Francisco several times a year. Each time I visit, it seems as though I have different weather conditions. I try to go to this same spot each time to see if I can find something new behind the lens. We will see! Thank you so much for your kind words.
Marie from France
superbe post traitement, qui rehausse à merveille les couleurs de ce paysage.
4 Nov 2009 8:17pm
dj.tigersprout from New York City, United States
CONGRATS on the SPOTLIGHT Tammy!!! faaabulous!!! :D xxx
4 Nov 2009 9:21pm
@dj.tigersprout: Thank you DJ. I was happy to be there. xxx
Vikram from Chandler, United States
Congratulations on the spotlight!
Indeed it is a very beautiful image!
Love the colors and the effect!
4 Nov 2009 9:51pm
@Vikram: Thank you so much.
Levi from West Vancouver, Canada
well done on the spotlight! superb image indeed!
4 Nov 2009 10:21pm
Patricia from United States
the colors do truly catch my eye and then move me into the words WOW
5 Nov 2009 12:36am
Pavan Kaul from Mumbai, India
Wonderful color and frame...love the post and the white surf below!!!
5 Nov 2009 3:13am
bluechameleon from Vancouver, Canada
Gorgeous shot Tammy...the colours and the softness, the painterly feel in the post production really make this photo feel like a beautiful dream.
5 Nov 2009 3:58am
Stu from Kyoto, Japan
A beautiful dreamy image with lovely colours. I love the slight soft focus. Perfect Tammy, and congrats on the spotlight!
5 Nov 2009 4:37am
Chris Pereira from San Jose, CA, United States
great shot! i was just there this past weekend!
5 Nov 2009 6:06am
*MЯG* from Tehran, Iran
wow
what an extraordinary capture
dreamy and lovely,the colors,the details are great
really,i love this excellent capture
bravo *****
5 Nov 2009 6:15am
P J W Miller from Chase Terrace, United Kingdom
Cracking image super processing and POV
5 Nov 2009 10:23am
@P J W Miller: Hey, thank you so much!
Jean-Luc from Lyon, France
Tammy , Wow ! it's Art , with a big A !!!!!!
incredible processing , it's like a dream
thanks !
5 Nov 2009 10:47am
@Jean-Luc: Thank you so much.
Michael Skorulski from Cigel, Slovakia
A beautiful composition, Tammy. Love the vivid colors.
5 Nov 2009 11:01am
Lougris from Toulouse, France
superbe !!!
Magic and mysterious...
As Jules Vernes's novel...
5 Nov 2009 11:02am
Alivia from Saint-Etienne, France
as a picture of a dream that floats between two stages in unreal colors. One has the impression of an array of invented stories or help from the wonderful world of imagination. What a beautiful image, bravo.
5 Nov 2009 2:08pm
Tracey from Maryland, United States
Beautiful. I'm curious what type of processing you put it through to create such stunning colors?
5 Nov 2009 3:11pm
Tamara from Aarschot, Belgium
Marvelous view of one of the most beautifull bridges in the world ! I love the angle, the color of the ocean, the fog... well... everything I guess :) Really really well done !
5 Nov 2009 3:28pm
Bishop from Houston, United States
Amazingly beautiful colors! I know you used the Orton process here but the colors in the water?! Are they really like this in real life? WOW! :)
5 Nov 2009 4:48pm
Val37 from Tours, France
Very beautiful shoot with nice colors ! five stars for me !
5 Nov 2009 6:30pm
zOOm from Paris, France
Bravo and congratulations for your SpotLight Tammy ! Well done !
5 Nov 2009 7:04pm
@yiannis krikis: Thank you so much.
Michael Rawluk from Williams Lake, BC, Canada
Very cool. It looks like an old Polaroid.
5 Nov 2009 7:35pm
elaine- from Canada
what beautiful colors!!!! well done you!!!! and yes home is my fave place to take pictures too
5 Nov 2009 8:00pm
@elaine-: I'm in San Diego at the moment...on a business trip. Stuck inside with no way to get out! I want to be HOME!
Dulcie from Danville, CA, United States
A dynamic photo of the ship arriving under the Golden Gate. It tells a beautiful story, especially paired with the touching poem !!
5 Nov 2009 9:03pm
Stephane Themeze from Maryland, United States
I Love the colors of the bridge, sand and ocean. They so perfectly map the way you can embrace the whole photograph and go for details following the light as well. A great circular composition.
That poem cries tenderness.
5 Nov 2009 9:52pm
Em!ly Ng from Residing in: Adelaide, Australia | Home:, Singapore
i love the soft, yet vibrant colours. A v pleasing composition <3
5 Nov 2009 11:01pm
John Maslowski from Dallas, PA, United States
Love everything about this image, the stunning view, the beautiful vibrant colors and a great composition.
6 Nov 2009 1:31am
John from Geneva, United States
Wonderful job on hitting the spotlight kid - keep on clickin'!
6 Nov 2009 4:36am
Seraphine from San Francisco, United States
i never get tired of looking at the golden gate bridge. or how you can make things look like toys. awesome and really fun colors, cricket.
6 Nov 2009 5:06am
@Seraphine: Hello there. I hope this one is brighter and more cheerful for you.
@Zing: Thank you Zing.
Anina from Auckland, New Zealand
WOW!!! Fantastic shot! Great colours and composition. Fantastic processing.
6 Nov 2009 7:58am
B.Held from Santa Fe, United States
a completely beautiful amalgam of art and poetry ;-)
6 Nov 2009 5:46pm
@B.Held: Thank you so much for your kinds words.
bronzebilly u.k. from Barry,Vale of Glamorgan, United Kingdom
Fantastic creation Crick...processing superb,and a wonderfully created image...you'll be pleased to know,I've awarded this beauty the Billy Oscar...check your e-mail,pal.....Be Proud...!!!
Billy...
6 Nov 2009 11:44pm
@bronzebilly u.k.: Hey there. Thank you so much for the award. I have displayed it proudly on my desktop! This made my day.
@mikael bergling: Thank you.
@nommie: Thank you Nommie. Welcome to Aminus3!
Susan from United States
This is just a beautiful image...the processing is perfect-wonderful tones and colors. I love San Francisco.
8 Nov 2009 8:54pm
Marie-Jezaria from Paris, France
Gorgeus composition !
The saturation of the colors (tones) are fabulous and give a splendid atmosphere to this shot !
Well done and bravo ! :-)
9 Nov 2009 11:45am
Philippe from Pertuis, France
Very nice pastel colors, But how gives you a blurry appearance to the photo ??
10 Nov 2009 7:18am
Fabienne from Quelque part ou ailleurs, France
Congratulations for your spotlight Tammy, a great work !
10 Nov 2009 8:17pm
flyingwind风飞扬 from Bridgetown, Barbados
Exaggerated toning! Many congrats on its spotlight!
11 Nov 2009 3:01am
Bill from Pacific Northwest, United States
What a lovely soft image that contrasts with the hard steel of the bridge and ship. The poem conveys the same message--the tenderness of their relationship contrasted with the hard circumstances of his work. Nicely done.
11 Nov 2009 3:53am
Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand
Congratulations on your Spotlight for this image Tammy...well deserved!!
12 Nov 2009 3:28am
Luis A. De Jesus R. from Mexico City, Mexico
Love this unique take on what must be one of the most photographed landmarks in the old U.S. of A.
18 Nov 2009 5:33pm
