Last fall took me to San Francisco (lucky me!). Getting up at the crack of dawn to make my way to Pier 33 and my trip to Alcatraz, I was rewarded with catching the sunrise through the archway to Pier 14, and as luck would have it, a lone silhouetted gentleman. The early bird and all that, you know … This photo (in color) is framed and hanging on my wall in my new apartment. It makes me smile every time I look at it.
Okay, votes have been cast and the choice made. And interestingly, while “Travel Weary” received an actual vote (thanks, Joe 😊) and a few nods in the comments, my final choice came from the write-in titles, of which there were many. I don’t know if you were all able to see what those were, but for fun here they are: Inside the Oyster, Belly of the Beast, On Arrival, Destination, Our Rush, Every Which Way, An Old Tradition, Oyster Bar, To the Oyster Bar, Oyster Bar Restaurant, Follow the Tile, Oyster Rush, Activity, The World is Your Oyster.
What did I choose? Belly of the Beast captured the fancy of both me and my hubby, though those not familiar with Grand Central would likely not get the reference. In the end, it came down to Oyster Rush and Every Which Way. I really liked the feel of Every Which Way, but it left out any reference to the Oyster Bar. In the end, drumroll please, I chose Patti’s suggestion of “Oyster Rush.” Thanks, Patti!
Thanks so much to all for participating. It is so true that we each see things differently and this made it fun to learn what you all “saw” in this photo. (FYI, I chose a different title for the color image. I won’t spoil the surprise, but if you’re interested in learning about that, pop on over via the Visual Venturing link below.)
Oyster Bar Restaurant, Grand Central Station, New York City
I’ve never had too much of a problem coming up with a title for a post. For some reason, this one has baffled me. I’ve always believed that if I can’t title an image, then my vision for it wasn’t clear, and therefore, neither will it be for the viewer. So I hesitated posting this one. Trouble is, I really like it. The reason for shooting was to capture the famous Oyster Bar Restaurant in the basement of Grand Central. It was a challenge as tripods aren’t allowed and the light is very low. Handholding with high ISO was the only way to go.
I loved the hustle and bustle of the area, but what caught my attention was the lone woman, head down, pulling her suitcase, making her way to the restaurant. That was the focus of my attention. As fate would have it, when I pushed the shutter, the young man entered the right of the frame – I love his motion. And in the color version, he’s wearing a blue shirt, which works together with the blue sweater the woman is wearing.
With that backstory, I then began to think about titles for this B&W post. (For the color version, “Blue” was the first idea I had, but when I asked my husband to look at the photo, he didn’t see that; he saw, instead, the woman, who was in fact the reason behind the photo. Obviously color is not an option here.) “To the Bar?” “Travel Weary?” “By One’s Lonesome?” After pondering this for far too long, I finally decided, hey, why don’t I ask all of you.
What makes this even more interesting is that I chose to post this photo in color on my own blog. If you’re up for it, head on over to Visual Venturing and see it. You’ll find a slightly different poll, with the inclusion of “blue” for a choice.
So, chime in and let me know if any of my titles appeal to you. Or perhaps you have a better idea. I’ll hold the poll open for one week and whatever title comes out on top is the one I’ll change the title to (unless I like someone’s “other” idea the best). It will be interesting to see if the top choices for both end up being the same or different. So have some fun and I thank you in advance for your input!
This was one of the last images I shot while visiting Alcatraz Island last fall. I was making my way from the prison down the walkway to the pier to catch the last ferry back to San Francisco and the simplicity of this vignette caught my eye. It’s actually one of my favorite photos from that evening.
Some of you may know that I’ve been in the process of selling my house and moving – downsizing from my suburban home of 21 years where my husband and I raised our three (now adult) children into a much smaller apartment in Washington, DC. We began this journey back in January, and last week Wednesday, we finally moved into our new home.
It’s been a grueling six months, and all the things I love to do (ahem, photography, blogging, connecting with fellow bloggers, walking, reading), have had to take a back seat. But this past Monday, the first day I was able to sleep in and relax since nothing was planned but unpacking boxes at whatever speed I chose to do it, I awoke to the sun streaming in our bedroom window and I pulled out my camera for only the second time since January. I have to admit, I was a bit rusty, tying to remember what settings I had assigned to which button. But then it all started to flow and I felt like I had reconnected with an old friend.
To all of you who have liked and commented on my Monochromia posts here and on Visual Venturing but have not received replies, my sincerest apologies. Likewise, I have missed seeing so much of all of your work. But that all begins to change as the boxes become unpacked and possessions put away. My heartfelt thanks for sticking with me.
By the way, anyone need a couch?
If you’re interested in seeing the color version of this photo, visit VisualVenturing.com.
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