http://michaelkenna.net/gallery.php?id=14
“Hoboken Station NJ”
1. The photo I chose to me has a very private feeling, some what of an outsider that is looking in. It is a stand alone image that can be creatively incorporated into an ad. It can also be portrayed as lonely or even perhaps enlightening. It created so many different and contradicting feelings and this is why i liked this image.
2. When I see this image I get a feeling of melancholy and isolation. But after seeing the title I get contradicting feelings. One side maybe the photographer is trying to say how NJ even though so close to new york is really isolated. It is a well transited station yet the image shows no signs of organic life. Or maybe he is showing how NJ is able to break through and the time and effort it takes to do it. That may explain why the photographer chose to capture the light breaking through the clock.
3. The emphasis in the photo I think is the bench. Light breaks through and shines on the bench, which can also translate to a shining light to the people of NJ.
4. I think technical matter helps the image because the angle at which it was taken (floor) allows him to capture both the bench and the light breaking through the clock.
5. Perspective in this image was key for dramatic effect. Because the photo was taken from below the view point the bench has a sharp angle towards the vanishing point. This drives your eyes down the bench and essentially makes you focus on the light hitting the bench.
6. Although it is not possible to know what the photographer was trying to say unless we spoke to him my guess is that it invokes more than just a bench. As I mentioned earlier, I believe the photo speaks volume of the people of NJ. As only a human would sit in a bench on a train station, this could mean that the people of NJ are isolated or that light on the bench can be interpreted as the people of NJ being able to break through.
7. To me it induces sadness, isolation, disconnected and melancholy.
8. I believe this work in this particular portfolio section is all about an industrialized society. He never shot an image of a single human and even when there was a tree involved, it was shot in the winter when trees are dead. Therefore it is a sight of industrialization but the one image which was the “Hoboken train station” was the only one that was not part of NYC. This tells me that maybe the photographer sees NJ as a far second in this industrial world when compared to NYC. As whole I do believe that it all goes very well together, it keeps the same mood throughout the photos and yet distinct enough to stan as an individual image.
This is a classic high contrast image. Most of the tones are either very light or very dark. This use of high contrast and as you note a low angle and strong perspective takes something pretty ordinary and makes it look dramatic. The photo shows the old station as empty. In fact, most of the commuting activity takes place right outside the station as the ferry, NJ Transit, the light rail and the Path all have stops. Right outside of the doors of the station it is very busy! I don’t know if Kenna is making a statement about New Jersey per se or something simpler about the old station itself being past its prime, no longer useful in the way that it was or even a more general statement about the passing of time.
Interesting. I guess I was just reading too much into it and missing the simple stuff.. Thanks for shining light into it.