Challenge! Cameraderie Challenge #53: "A sense of Place, a sense of Time..." WINNER ANNOUNCED

Thank you for your entry, Mel. I'm using the singular form of the noun - entry - and not the plural, 'entries' - because in this Challenge, one can only enter one photograph - and, additionally, it needs to be a photo which you have taken yourself. I'm assuming, then, that the first photo - which you said is of your wife - is your entry? And that it is one you took yourself? Please correct me if I am wrong here.

And, for what I hope are obvious and understandable reasons, the 2nd image which you posted - and old WWII-era photo of your father with other people - is not an official entry. Each person who enters in this Challenge can only submit ONE official entry; although, as the Instructions state, everyone has the right to change their initial entry to another one, provided that they make it clear, in their second or subsequent posting, that the newly posted photograph is in fact their new official entry, and thus replaces the first or preceding one or ones.

To be clear, though I sincerely appreciate the multiple photographs you posted, for this Challenge, final judging will be made only based on the one photograph which is your official entry. I hope that's clear.

Thank you again for participating.
Yes, the one of my wife is the entry. The picture of Dad and his buddies was from an unknown soldier.
 
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Corona pre-Christmas emptiness
 
A compilation spanning ten years. The first instance of my son Gabe in 2011(age5), the second 2016(age10) and the last June of this year(age15). The place is the front of our house. The brick wall that serves as many things, brick wall test, handball court, dodgeball backstop, etc. I don't know that this qualifies or that it breaks the rule of time or that the entry shouldn't be a compilation but it's what I thought about when simply thinking about time and place. And I do love it.


Another arrangement of this concept I posted a few months ago.
 

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A compilation spanning ten years. The first instance of my son Gabe in 2011(age5), the second 2016(age10) and the last June of this year(age15). The place is the front of our house. The brick wall that serves as many things, brick wall test, handball court, dodgeball backstop, etc. I don't know that this qualifies or that it breaks the rule of time or that the entry shouldn't be a compilation but it's what I thought about when simply thinking about time and place. And I do love it.
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Another arrangement of this concept I posted a few months ago.
I don't know if this is as per the rules, but I like the concept as well as the execution :)

M.
 
A compilation spanning ten years. The first instance of my son Gabe in 2011(age5), the second 2016(age10) and the last June of this year(age15). The place is the front of our house. The brick wall that serves as many things, brick wall test, handball court, dodgeball backstop, etc. I don't know that this qualifies or that it breaks the rule of time or that the entry shouldn't be a compilation but it's what I thought about when simply thinking about time and place. And I do love it.
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Another arrangement of this concept I posted a few months ago.

I will partially echo Matt's comments, John, but in the first place - I like your image very, very much.

In my official capacity though, as the creator and also the arbiter of this particular Challenge, I don't believe this photo can officially 'qualify' as an entry, because technically a compilation is an image which is created in 'post' processing - in the old days, it would have been created in the darkroom - whereas the intent of the Challenge is, I believe, to have a photograph which, at the moment of its taking, reveals things about both the place and the time of its 'origin'.

Your image though is a truly great one. I like the alternate as well. My suggestion - to all those who have entered, and all of us who choose to participate in these Challenges - would simply be that, one of these days, weeks, or months, perhaps a future Challenge might focus on one of the (many) acts or processes of photography which can be achieved in post-processing (i.e. within our digital darkrooms, so to speak). Obvious examples might be a Challenge devoted to Double-Exposures - or another challenge, inspired by this image of yours, to center around Compilations. There are quite a few interesting possibilities here, once one starts to think about it...

Thank you again, not only for a fine entry, but also for your accompanying explanation of it. It's a great photograph.
 
Thank you for the kind words Matt and Miguel. I should've put more thought into it. Now it resides as a distraction. I think I'll replace the full size image with a thumb nail and if desired I will remove the post altogether.
 
Thank you for the kind words Matt and Miguel. I should've put more thought into it. Now it resides as a distraction. I think I'll replace the full size image with a thumb nail and if desired I will remove the post altogether.

No need to replace or remove any images, John, and I'm quite happy if you would keep the full-size image - both because it's a great image + a great story - and, in general, as an inspiration to all of us, myself included, who appreciate the powers of a photograph to both tell a story and to affect us, the viewers.
 
One of my favourite images from 2021 is a B&W one I took in the paddock at Harewood Hillclimb back in August. I used to go quite a lot in the 70s and the site layout and the feel of the place hasn't changed much since. I love the racing cars of the 60's/70's and imagine that the drivers/mechanics/friends are talking about the "good old days".
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Olli

My dad was with the 3rd Inf Division, 15th Regiment and he fought from Sicily to Italy, to France, and finally in Germany. He ended his war heading south to the Berchtesgaden area and he passed through Dachau a couple of days after the Allies took the camp. He was horrified at what he saw. He told me that I MUST go there if I went to Germany. After college, I entered the service and was sent to Germany near Nuremberg where I worked in intelligence. I went to Dachau and have been back many times on trips. My kids have been there many times.
On my wife's first trip to Germany, her first stop was Dachau which she remembers vividly. Over many trips, pleasure, and business, I made it a rule to visit the camps and have been Buchenwald, Mauthausen and Bergen-Belsen, It is hard to try to rate the horrendous nature of the camps. They all are heart breakers but for some reason, Bergen Belsen really hurt me the most. Maybe it was the mass graves or maybe it was the headstone of Margit and Anne Frank that did it to me. My wife was overcome by the mass graves and it was quite a time before we could talk. Hard to understand how humanity became non-existent during that time frame. The sign at Dachau implores us to Never Forget but every day, it seems as if we have let it slip from our minds.
Thanks for sharing this Mel.

I lived in Munich for two years and visited Dachau a number of times. On the day I took this particular photograph there was hardly anyone else there and it had a very different, more somber and brooding, feel to other visits. On previous visits there were groups of schoolchildren there and I thought it was good that the authorities are still making sure the kids of today learn about the horrors of the past and what happened then.
 
A lovely theme which got me thinking. Several images in my portfolio quickly proposed themselves for the PLACE attribute, but TIME...?
Should light suggest it? Decay of architecture? Costumes? Age of person depicted?...
Eventually I settled for this one, taken in Ajaccio, Corsica in 2013.
The relation of bench, as a pretty direct symbol for place and some impressive greenery alluding to time - clearly it took ages to grow as much.
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P. S. I kind of feel a need to excuse myself for longish absence - we as a family got hit by Covid in October; my daughter and I got off the hook relatively easy and quickly but my wife have suffered longer and harder. Thankfully we are all well after the ordeal. But it was an experience and it disrupted all of my deadlines which meant I had to give up photography for some time.
 
A lovely theme which got me thinking. Several images in my portfolio quickly proposed themselves for the PLACE attribute, but TIME...?
Should light suggest it? Decay of architecture? Costumes? Age of person depicted?...
Eventually I settled for this one, taken in Ajaccio, Corsica in 2013.
The relation of bench, as a pretty direct symbol for place and some impressive greenery alluding to time - clearly it took ages to grow as much.
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P. S. I kind of feel a need to excuse myself for longish absence - we as a family got hit by Covid in October; my daughter and I got off the hook relatively easy and quickly but my wife have suffered longer and harder. Thankfully we are all well after the ordeal. But it was an experience and it disrupted all of my deadlines which meant I had to give up photography for some time.

Thank you for your entry, Milan, and for the words accompanying the image.
But more importantly, I am relieved to hear that you and your family are all well. I'm sorry that your wife went through an ordeal of sorts, but immensely relieved to know that she is better, though I imagine it must have been equally difficult, albeit in different ways, for each of the three of you. I know that deadlines have occasionally governed both my personal and professional lives, and there are good and bad things about them, but I'm pleased to know you are metaphorically taking up your cameras once more. I hope all of you continue in health this year :)
 
A lovely theme which got me thinking. Several images in my portfolio quickly proposed themselves for the PLACE attribute, but TIME...?
Should light suggest it? Decay of architecture? Costumes? Age of person depicted?...
Eventually I settled for this one, taken in Ajaccio, Corsica in 2013.
The relation of bench, as a pretty direct symbol for place and some impressive greenery alluding to time - clearly it took ages to grow as much.
View attachment 284607
P. S. I kind of feel a need to excuse myself for longish absence - we as a family got hit by Covid in October; my daughter and I got off the hook relatively easy and quickly but my wife have suffered longer and harder. Thankfully we are all well after the ordeal. But it was an experience and it disrupted all of my deadlines which meant I had to give up photography for some time.
This is very strong image for me, don't know really why. There definitely is PLACE to sit down and TIME has stopped, hopefully not for good, but at least in the moment. Excellent, but after we learned what you're doing Milan in your profession, this all makes very much sense 👏
 
Just a brief note: January 3 is THE LAST DAY for this month's Challenge - A Sense of Place, a Sense of Time. Any final entries must be posted at or before midnight of the 3rd - which of course is dependent upon where you may be on the globe, of course, so I'm willing to be lenient.
The entries so far have both surprised me and surpassed any and all of my expectations.
 
I'll enter the fray at the last minute. This is one I took while doing the SiJuly challenge, using the wonderful Kultcamera app on my Pixel phone. The wheel and (rather indistinct) coal trolley form a memorial to North Staffordshire miners. They are very definitely rooted in their location, which is a former iron ore mining area converted to a park; and to the time when mining was the dominant industry in North Staffs.
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Although several years old, this photo might as well have been taken yesterday.

I don't need to explain to anyone here, the impact of the smartphone on society. However, as exemplified in the photo, perhaps one of the most important, is how we communicate(or not) with one another....both from a distance and in person, as illustrated in the photo below.
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Before I announce the results, my thanks to all those who entered and posted images in this Challenge. Each image, in its own way, conveys its own sense of both Place and Time - and attempting to judge them or to select a 'winner' is, truly, a nearly impossible task. Each photo is meritorious in many ways.

First, a few quick subjective and personal comments on the entries, in the order in which they were posted.

Matt's (MoonMind) image of close-up transience, beauty and decay in the plant world is an exceptional one - and left me with a feeling of thankfulness, for the living things on our sometimes troubled planet.

Pierre's (pdurand) almost mystical photograph of Hindu pilgrims, on a river in northern India, also puts me into a mood - of wonder, more than anything else. It has a palpable sense of 'Place' which is quite remarkable.

Don's (donlaw) image of lifelike human statues populating an old railroad museum in Galveston, Texas, takes me back in Time to a bygone age when trains and railroad travel were the preferred form of transport. Something about the sightless face of the statue of the young woman in the foreground makes me feel she is really there, and if I blink my eyes, I will be a time traveler.

David's (emerson) cool monochrome urban photograph - of a clock on a pedestal, right in the middle of an vertical cityscape - also makes me feel like I am traveling back to an earlier epoch. The time on the clock - just before 6 - is both cool and mysterious at the same time: is the city just waking up? Or has the long workday ended? Either way, it's a great image.

Matero's photograph, taken in 2007 - of a crowded street, pulls us in to the faces of real, human strangers in the jostling crowd at the bottom of the frame - and, indeed, as we enter into the 2nd year of the ongoing global pandemic, it seems a curious anomaly at the very least. Will we ever go back to those seemingly simpler days? It's an evocative and compelling image in its own right, as well as an ingenious interpretation of the themes of this Challenge.

Gary's (lakemcd) photo - of pedestrians navigating a nocturnal snow-covered road to the trolley whose lights illuminate the scene - has an almost impressionistic or painterly vibe to it - something I really appreciate. In a Time and Place of visible coldness, humans are managing to navigate the world - or, at least, that's one of the ways this image affects me.

Rob Otto's (Robot) entry - of the protest signs carried by (not really visible) demonstrators, in front of a seemingly unfeeling backdrop of towers, buildings, stone and concrete - isn't just an arresting image: it's also a commentary on our dissatisfaction with many serious issues (including 'climate change' and 'austerity') to which, obviously, there have not been any quick or simple solutions. Yet. An intriguing thematic interpretation, and a compelling entry for this Challenge.

I find Chris's (fractal) photograph - taken inside a Greek Orthodox Church, of a ceremonial act (the ordination of a Deacon to Priesthood) very compelling for a number of reasons - but first and foremost is the light. The small illuminated section contrasts so vividly with the shadowy richness that surrounds it - and it all works to make me feel present in this space. Which is a huge part of this Challenge - a sense of Place. It's really a great image, Chris.

John's (John King) shot is... well, I'm searching for the right adjectives to convey some of what it made (and still makes) me feel - and the first word that comes to mind is special. The second is personal. The photograph was taken by John in the 1950's, when he was a young boy, with a Kodak Box Camera - of another young boy, on a jetty, with his dog - and there is something about this image which just pulls the viewer in: all of a sudden, we are back in the 1950's, at the old jetty in the suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland - seeing what John saw through the viewfinder of what must have been his relatively new Box Camera. I've mentioned once or twice the ability of some photos to make the viewer feel like a time traveler; this one accomplishes that rare feat, in spades.

I truly appreciated (and still appreciate) Jens's (JensM) photograph of a snowy path bordered by trees and fence, illuminated by the headlights of passing autos and trucks in what looks like a thick winter fog. It gives me an incredible sense of Place - and almost makes me shiver with cold if I'm not wearing a warm sweater or muffler or both; I can almost feel the snow crunching beneath my boots as I trudge along the path. I also love the muted colors and the sense that I am merely glimpsing the world through the soft almost-out-of-focus effect of the blanketing fog.

AlwaysOnAuto's photograph of his Porsche 912 'running' on a portable dyno is an interesting shot: the car itself seems static and motionless, but its rapidly spinning wheels are a literal blur of motion, as is the spinning belt visible inside the open rear engine compartment. I can almost hear the engine revving and roaring...and almost smell the rich exhaust. The 912 is the kind of car which looks like it's going fast even when it's not moving - which of course is part of the intriguing paradox of this picture.

The photograph of the Dachau concentration camp, by Olli (olli), is powerful and compelling for a number of reasons, including the colorful commemorative wreaths, at the bottom-center of the frame, which stand out against the drab colours of the rest of the image. The dates, of course, offer their own compelling testimony of a dark period of mankind's inhumanity. There are so many reasons why this image is a complex and disturbing interpretation of the themes of this Challenge - and my personal thanks to you, Olli, for reminding me...to not forget.

Then a truly compelling entry, from will focus - a photo taken in 1980 with his old Nikkormat, of Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, during an election campaign stop in Michigan. There are so many reasons why this photo grabs my attention - starting with the expressions of the three people in front and center of the frame: Reagan concentrating on autographing a football - his wife Nancy staring at him with what can only be described as a quizzical look - and Gerald Ford whose attention is captivated by something off-screen. The faces of the uniformed Band musicians behind them are, in a word, priceless. Somehow, the photographer has captured a moment out-of-time which is very much a product of its Time - and though we may not be able to specify the exact 'Place' looking at the image, it's clearly taken during an American election campaign.

Mel's (jhawk1000) photograph of his wife, at the mass graves at another WWII German concentration camp, Bergen-Belsen, is another compelling entry in this Challenge. The image of a solitary woman, with the almost pastoral background of greenery and lovely trees, is a contrast to the horrors of the mass graves of the prisoners which the monument quietly commemorates. And I have to mention the other photo Mel posted, even though technically it is not an 'official entry', as he didn't take it himself - of his father, in the Alps, near the end of WWII, in a moment of celebration, many of the men holding up beer bottles, with the chap in the center grinning as he balances his accordion in one hand, and his lit cigarette in the other. No question that THIS particular photo embodies the spirit of this Challenge in a wonderful way - thank you so much for posting it, Mel - and for letting us see your father in what must have been a good moment.

Walter's (wee-pics) nocturnal image - of a brilliantly illuminated city center, with an enormous brightly-lit-and-decorated Christmas tree in the foreground - is distinguished by the emptiness of the square. Truly emblematic - of both Time and Place - of these complicated and sometimes troubled times we are currently going through. I really like the image a lot, the sense of brightness and darkness in it, and the fact that it is monochromatic, without colours.

John (mnhoj) gets a seriously Honorable Mention for his entry which, alas, didn't 'qualify' for the Challenge as it is a compilation, created in the 'digital darkroom', of his son Gabe, at 3 separate ages (5 years old, 10 years old and finally, 15 years old) - all in front of the brick wall of the front of his house. It's a truly wonderful photograph - which in many ways conveys senses of Time (multiple, different times) and Place (the same place!). I urge all of you to revisit the photograph, as I have, and both study it - and, simply, appreciate it. There are many reasons why each of us picks up a camera to take a photograph - but in this 'shot', John has created something which, for many reasons, can both stay with us - and inspire us, photographically speaking.

Ken's (kae1) black & white photograph of the 'paddock' at a 'hillclimb' (a type of auto racing) is simply a damn cool image - and as Ken pointed out in his accompanying text, one gets the feeling that neither this particular place - nor the particular cars which fill the frame - have changed all that much since the 1960's. Of course, this is partially due to the fact that most of these vehicles are in fact 'vintage' racecars from the 60's/70's, but nonetheless this qualifies as a strong and interesting entry for me.

The entry from Timo (Iron) shows what would have been a commonplace scene some years ago - a crowded Famer's Market where participants crowd in close together to eat food, with (apparently) nary a thought for social distancing or potential infections. Of course, the catch is, the photograph was taken in March of 2020, right when the Covid pandemic was first becoming part of our public knowledge - a more innocent time, if you will. The heart of the image, for me, is the lady in the center of frame, who is heartily devouring her food. There is, to me, a certain irony to this - but it's an excellent entry for this Challenge.

Milan's (pictogramax) photograph is a different and very cool interpretation of the themes. A bench, behind it the stone wall which seems to surround this space, and over the top of the wall, a profusion of plants and greenery which have obviously taken some time to grow to their present state of abundance and maturity. The Space - and the implied Time - are subtle but quite strong nonetheless. Most important, for me, it's simply an arresting photograph; I found myself coming back to it again and again, trying to understand why I like it so much. (And no, Milan, it's not 'just' the beautiful processing of the image.)

Steve's (drd1135) entry has a documentary feel to it (for me at least): a line of people, bunched together on a street, on Martin Luther King Day, in 2017 (as the street banner informs us). Another commentary on how (and how much) the 'times have changed', since the new age of social distancing has come upon us (nearly 2 years ago, but sometimes, it feels much longer). I like the image a lot, though I'm not certain I could specify why.

I have to say, I really like Martin's (theoldsmithy) image. I recognized the telltale signs of the Kultcamera app, but this particular photograph has a very vintage feel to it. The discoloration, the apparent scratches, all the small details add up to make me feel like I am looking at an old photograph, of some old piece of long-disused technology that somehow is still standing, a rusting industrial dinosaur. It's a fine entry - and one which, as I look at it, manages to transport me to another Time and another Place.

And, finally, the last entry - David's (aKilter) shot of the three dudes, having a conversation about something on their smartphones, is definitely indicative, as David noted in his accompanying text, of the evolving and changing nature of how we human beings communicate with one another - and how technology alienates us. It's a great image, David, one that grew upon me the more I looked at it. It reminds me of when Gandhi was asked the question, "What do you think of western civilization? His answer: "I think it would be a good idea."


The entries to this Challenge are so strong, so varied, and so original and unique, as I said earlier, it's very hard to put on my judge's hat, and name a winner. But, ultimately, the one photograph which I really have kept coming back to, is John King's Kodak box camera photo, taken in the 1950's, of a boy who, if he is still alive today, would be in his late 70's. You mentioned you've never entered a Challenge before - but it is my pleasure to inform you that in a field of truly fine entries, your photograph is the winner of this Challenge!

Congratulations, John! And also please remember that it now falls to you to create and post a new Cameraderie Challenge, of your own choosing.
 
What can I say, Miguel. I am truly floored. Of course, the photo has special memories for me, but I didn't expect to really convey that to others.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of all the images. I am deeply touched and moved that my amateurish photo conveyed some part of my childhood to another.

Thank you also for your kind words about my image.

As for the poisoned chalice ...

I will have to spend a day or so thinking of a topic. I've got all sorts of medical and other appointments this week (and another next week).

I also have serious doubts of my ability to live up to the extraordinary judging standard that you have set. I will just try my best.

Thank you again for your careful and thoughtful comments.
 
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