This photo is striking even if you don’t know who the people are, where they are or what their relationship is, because of the variation of interaction, posture and expression and the dynamism the small boy creates as he breaks away from the group.
Each person wears a different expression: the man shaving his head is concentrating on his reflection in the mirror, while the woman is standing over him, looking intently at what he is doing. The boy is focused on something or someone outside of the frame, preparing to launch himself outside of it.
Compositionally, it is given structure by the curve sweeping from the line of the door in the bottom left and then around the feet of the three, out of the photo frame to the bottom right, mirrored by the curve connecting the positions of their heads.
Photo: Iain Parker
照片:伊恩·帕克
The Taipei Times contacted the photographer, Iain Parker, about the story behind the image. He wrote the following.
“The photograph was taken in Spasske, a small village in the Dnipropetrovsk area of Ukraine, in June. The image features the relationship between mother, son and grandson. Sasha, the one shaving his head, is preparing for a friend’s birthday party the same evening. His mother, Anya, is holding the mirror for him to see what he is doing.
“The photograph is the second taken in relatively quick succession, the dynamic in this image being much stronger than in the first frame. The younger boy, Zachar, rushing to the right really brought all the elements into play. What interested me in the scene were the strong visual elements already present before taking the image, showing the interaction between a close and tightly knit family group.
“I took one frame in which everyone was present, but the photo lacked drama. After I wound the camera, Zachar launched himself into action: that was the moment of the second and final exposure.
“What is the photograph about? That would be for you to decide.”
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
這是一張相當搶眼的照片,觀者毋須認得相片中的地點或人物,也不必了解他們之間的關係,即可感受到畫面的吸引力,這是因為相片中的人物有著豐富的姿態表情與互動,朝外奔離的小男孩更為畫面注入動感。
相片中每人表情各異:理髮的男子望著自己在鏡中的模樣,一臉專注,站在一旁的女子則關注著他的一舉一動。另有一名小男孩,正跨步奔向畫面外,他的注意力顯然放在遠處的人事上。
就構圖來說,從左下角門的線條、三人的腳、到相片右下角,形成一條向外延伸的曲線,與相片上方三人頭部所連成的弧線對映,勾勒出畫面主要的視覺結構。
台北時報聯絡了拍下本作品的攝影師伊恩.帕克,請他分享相片背後的故事。以下是他本人的敘述。
「這張照片為今年六月在位於烏克蘭聶伯城一帶的史巴斯克小鎮所拍攝,畫面中的人物是一名母親以及她的兒子和孫子。正在理髮的男子是沙夏,他打理容貌是為了當晚參加朋友的生日派對。他的母親安雅拿著鏡子,讓他能看著自己理髮。」
「我以此為場景接連拍了幾張相片,而這是其中的第二張,跟第一張比起來更有動感。畫面中的小男孩查卡向外奔跑讓畫面感覺更豐富。我覺得這張相片中最有趣的視覺元素是家人之間親近緊密的互動,那是原本就存在的,只是恰巧用相機捕捉到了。」
「我先為他們一家三人拍了一張合照,但那張照片沒什麼張力。我捲好底片後,查卡跑了起來,就是那時候,我拍了第二張,也是最後一張照片。」
「至於這張照片的涵義,觀者可以自行詮釋。」
台北時報編譯涂宇安譯
Tangbao are one of the most internationally renowned delicacies, that win the hearts of both locals and tourists. Their charm lies in the paper-thin flour wrapper that needs to be folded evenly almost 20 times. Folding a tangbao requires skill to deal with a bulging filling and a thin wrapper. Tangbao are served in a bamboo steamer in which they are steamed, not only adding to the visual appearance, but ensuring they do not get cold before reaching the table. The best way to enjoy a tangbao is to dip it in a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce with
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced a seismic change in direction on March 19, hiking interest rates for the first time in 17 years. The move represents an unwinding of an ultra-loose — and maverick -- policy aimed at putting Japan’s “lost decades” of stagnation and deflation behind it. The last time the BoJ raised interest rates was in 2007, but its war against deflation began in earnest in 2013 under then-prime minister Shinzo Abe. “Abenomics” combined generous government spending and central bank monetary easing. The BoJ spent vast amounts on bonds and other assets to pump liquidity into the
Have you ever wished for an extra hour to prepare for exams or finish homework? In some countries, people actually adjust their clocks to gain or lose an hour, all for the sake of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Specifically, clocks are set forward by an hour in March and then set back in November. One of the primary reasons for implementing DST is to make better use of natural daylight so that people can reduce energy consumption. The concept originated with Benjamin Franklin in 1784 and became widely adopted during World War I. Today, this system is in place
For the first time, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined a company for improper disposal of its defunct satellite. The satellite cable company Dish Network was fined US$150,000 because it failed to move an old satellite that was no longer in operation to a safe distance from others currently being used. The FCC had asked Dish Network to move one of its older satellites, EchoStar-7, 186 miles further from the Earth. However, the satellite had only advanced 76 miles before it ran out of fuel at the end of its operational life in 2022.