a photo that i want you to see

it is a nice portrait of an artist
i like the pant on his shoes

I don't think they look related. Maybe one parent in common, but they don't look similar at all.

I definitely see sadness, and yet strength. I like it. I really like the composition, too.

that's a great photo.

for me it brings good feelings. feelings of family, and sharing. i think it's cute. it makes me think of moments like that which my husband and daughter share.

thanks everyone for the feedback, it's been really helpful. i was trying to figure out why i found any sadness in the photo at all. for me, it's their expressions, a momentary disconnection between them. it makes me think about growing up, the space between childhood and (young) adulthood. still a lot in common, (brothers, cousins?) , sitting together, both eating yogurt, but the older boy's face is much more thoughtful, showing just a hint of the weight that age brings, as compared to the innocent and soft face of the younger boy, complete with yogurt moustache. for me, their respective body languages also show this disconnection.

but i see more warmth here than sadness, a little boy hanging out with his bigger brother, doing the same thing his big brother is doing. of course i don't know if they're actually brothers, but that's what i see in the photo.

i also get warmth from the environment of the photo, much evidence of individuality and humanity, as opposed to a sterile concrete wall and spotless catalogue clothing uniforms.

i have a second photo from this encounter. this is part of the smile that the older boy and i shared. for me, it is a completely different feeling from the first.





it's amazing to me how such subtle differences in a face can make such a huge difference in a photo. the older boy is smiling, and the younger boy is having a spoonful of yogurt, and he's looking at me. eye contact, especially when photographing strangers, is a major dividing line for me in my response to a photograph.

i see much more drama in the first photo. this one is much lighter to me, cheerful. i shot both in the span of only a few seconds. this to me is a good example of the power of image. i now look at news media images very differently, much more critically since i've started photography. i realize that a photograph usually doesn't tell the story of what actually happened, it only creates the possibility of a story to tell yourself.