this photo is dedicated to Nick,one of my friends that I have met over the net,he is always persistent,and at the same time an insistent fair guy,a character that I like in him so much,he was not at UF for a while,upon his return he input a critique to my upload at http://www.usefilm.com/Image.asp?ID=1484041 this is the original may be,and again just may be he changed his opinion about that crop. I have lived for 25 years under the church tower,and it was about 3 meters between my room windows and the wall of the church tower,the first night I spent in my room,the bells of the church start to ring at about 5 AM.I have jumped from the bed to see what is happening,I have realized that it is my neighbors call for the morning prayers, then I have returned to my sleep ,never to wake up by the sounds of the bells again for the next 25 year.
It must be stated as clearly as in your message, Saad! This invasion and demolation of Iraq was based on hollywoodian lies! I will add another fact to you list, a fact about which one sees no big headlines yet.
FACT: The investigators found nothing, absolutely nothing about the "terrible weapons" that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair were both talking about. They really searched everywhere, and found nothing, zero, nada.
Let's also include another related question in the list.
Question: Even if the investigators would have found some of those "terrible weapons", guess who sold that to Iraq. ;-) Errrrm, wasn't that the USA some years ago??? ;-)
And yet another fact: FACT: The big boy, USA, that has most of the most terrible weapons, arrogantly assumes for itself the right to invade everybody else that has less than 1/10000000 of the destruction potential of the US army. Considering also the fact that:
FACT: the USA is the *only* country in history that has used atomic bombs in a war
one can see what a farce this whole "defending of democracy" is. The recent farce is to accuse Iran for wanting to make nuclear weapons. Well, USA, how many of them do you have? ;-)
The facts list could be augmented with a long list of such invasions, which can be found at: http://www.krysstal.com/democracy_whyusa02.html The interested reader may conclude for his/herself.
And what I conclude is, that I really wish the USA to stand again for what it once stood for, when people like Washington, like Jefferson, like Lincoln were presidents. The politician of some country must not be somebody with such connections to all those inhuman lobbies that only consider their own profits. It must be somebody of deep humanistic attitudes, somebody with serious education and also knowledge of history, and somebody that learned to listen to other voices.
Or else... we see now in what a dead end all that has led. Now the next generations over the world, including people of the USA, will be paying the arrogant "mistakes" of just a few incompetent analphabets, that unfortunately knew how to hypnotize people.
BTW, while they were so fast in pumping billions and billions to banks at once... they still say that it is too much to pump 100 millions in projects that would solve the problems of poverty and undernutricion all over the world. Again, he who has understanding may recon what is going on.
Dear Nick, you have figured it, and in the right way,I have to say,or perhapas a better word to repeat what became facts in the history,and it all came from the state officials , The war against Iraq was built on lies, FACT, It was proofed that Iraq have no link with 9/11. FACT,Iraq has no link with Al Qaeda. FACT, Mr. Bush,the head of the state "accepts that he did a mistake". we just want to ask him then why you have done that crusader ? that was a tongue slip,as you have tole us,is the war also a tongue slip ? the history will never forgive you,all of you who have shared the state its war against the innocent, Saad.
You do what you do for the own steps in peace and quiet. The site is not really a "war". It is rather too much "expected acknowledgement" in the sense of "I say someting cute to you, you say something cute to me". You know, most people here think it is some kind of exchanging of flowery comments. But if one stays away from that and its representants, it is a good fruitful place, as you say. Like you do for example. I still wonder, by the way, how it comes that most people (not only in UF) are so eager for getting admiration. Why does this happen, what do you think? Is it some kind of... wishing to get the confirmation for the own self, or what is it?
As you say too, a friendship can be only honest. Dishonesty and friendship are incompatible things. This is also why I am so glad about you and some other really good guys here, that tell me what they see with all sincerity and directness. I think that this is more down to earth, simple and nice.
About the real war... sigh! I put my hopes on Obama, but... There must be a real change, and if Obama really wishes to introduce it then he will have to manage the biggest challenge ever: Convincing people of the US that it is not their business to dictate what they wish to other people. Nobody was waiting for them as salvagers that "bring freedom and democracy". Help and cooperation is good, but what they do is bludgeoning other lands to submission. They were ooohh, so shocked about the terrible loss of lives in New York, but what about the much higher number of dead and wounded people in your country (and neighboring countries)? What about the misery their troops caused? And now, after years of remaining in that path of war, after invading and destroying other lands, Mr. Bush, the greatest uneducated idiot of modern history, "accepts that he did a mistake". OK, and that was it? What about all those that lost everything by this "mistake"? The US should pay an incredible amout of money for the damage it caused with its heroic stupidity. It is not the banks where they should pump the money into, but to the countless countries they demolated with their bombings.
And we all should stop believing each and every Mr. Bush, that tells us to go fight frantically. If politicians want to fight, they should get off their armchairs, take the guns and fight themselves. Then we will see how much of their preaching for heroism remains. ;-)
Hi Nick,I have awareness of what happens at this site as a courtesy between people ,and very well acknowledged and certain about the facts of life,at least the knowledge of my life experiences and my study is applied here,there is no need to do experiment,just have a look at six pages of the UF,comments and you will have at least six examples of what you mentioned,for me,and me only,I have to satisfy with the results I have got till now ,because it is my pure decision to join this mixture of mostly fine people,I will admire their Pro,learn from their tutor,laugh with funny one,being friend to the one who accept my friendship,and will stay silent,if I am going to hurt some one,this is my way,and my decision. dear Nick,my reason for that should be obvious to you,if this site is a war ,I have to survive it,I have already survived three wars,the fire of the last one,being on for last five years,no one knows when it will be off, thank you so much for every thing,critiques even the hard one,advices,inputs,and your fine,and honest friendship, Saad.
I believe you also without examples, Saad! When you say something to me, then it is of course sure to me that it is this way.
About the success in such things... do you think that the spectators would automatically jump into your concept, like for example in the example image that you referred to, if you didn't had written about that? Show that image wothout any words to somebody and look how many of the spectators will recognize what you wanted to do. If you write about it in the about box, then of course many people of UF will say "oh yes, great", simply because many people in UF are not here for photography but for tapping on each other's shoulders.
Actually you could also write anything, really anything else about your concept and most people here would simply say "yes, great". Try that out. Make some images with some certain concepts of yours, and post them with something completely different in the about box. For example you could poist the image you referred to as "the nice lige in the city", or the "strong light on the walls", etc, etc, etc. Be sire then that most people would automatically "recognize" what you "wanted to do". Do the test and see for yourself.
Dear Nick ,thank you very much for this fine concept,and the ideas that you put here,but I can not agree with you totally,cause some of the spectators have do feels what I have felt,not many, but some of them do feels ,and share me that , the example of this is at, http://www.usefilm.com/Image.asp?ID=1481302 and it is the success of that make me repeat the trial,but you are right,with some inferior shot ,may be to the succeeded one,my regards, Saad.
This would enhance your idea if the moon on the mosque had been approximately as big and weighty as the cross is. You needed some lens that compresses distance - a big tele. And also a crop where the cross and the distant moon occupy really distinct points on the image. Perhaps corners or similar. There is not as much antithesis and synthesis on the image in order to convey what you wanted to convey.
This is a usual mistake that most wannabes do. They think that their inner impression is transferred automatically to the image, and everybody will see that, as if the world was waiting just for them. But the spectator doesn't see any inner "feelings" but only an image. If the concept is poor then the impression will be also poor, no matter what kind of "high philosophical" intentions hide behind it. In other words, you can't expect such intentions to be automatically absorbed by the spectator just because you thought of them. Better start with easy things - such "high philosophical" images are for the masters, not for us greenhorns. And no master falls form the sky, ey?
That is: Manage your composition well. It suffers still. Don't be lead by your "feelings" when you shoot, but rather examine thoroughly what you see in your viewfinder, and never forget: The spectator has no way to perceive the atmosphere that you perceive when you are in some particular place. And much less can the spectator detect your "inner world". You have to put all that on the image, and there is no better way than to pretend to be a spectator yourself, when you shoot. Detach yourself from what you see and what you feel.
just to show how the people are living friendly if they left for their own,you can not find a cross hanging in the sky beside the crescent ,each with it own call for faith for more than thousand year in so beautiful harmony,except in my city,I have thought that crop,will enhance my idea better than the original,my best wishes, Saad.
Nick,this is the original from which I cropped the shot you put your critique,may be you agree with me that this one is superior to the cropped one,I hope, Saad.
A nice place to live and a ncie image of it too! I like such urban places, which may seem chaotic but they are also more human than anything. I should really visit Mosul some day.
The perpective of the voew into the city does catch its atmosphere well. Much to see and much to enjoy all around, and the details are good enough for "walking" into the image. The lighting was hard here as it turned the sky so "washed out" for getting more details of the city. I think in this case I would do the same.
The composition seems a bot too unfinished to me. I don't know what would be a better choise of composition since cities are extremely hard for that and I don't know what hides outside the edges of the image.
Hi Harry,it seems that this is the silent,and counseled,complains that the peoples do not talk about,though in my about I haven't consider it a complaint,for me,it is only the first time that make a surprise,never to awaken again,of course during the day I have to listen for two churches bells,and five mosques call for prayer,four times a day till the last day I spent there ,I haven't heard of some one who complained from that,in Mosul till the present day,neither from the Moslem's,nor from the Christian, thank you for sharing that with me, Saad.
I have just had a similar experience, Saad. In Marrakech I stayed in a house only a 100m or so from a large mosque and was awoken at 5.00am every day by group chanting or praying. But it was relaxing and I went back to sleep easily. Now if it had been church bells, there's no way I'd be so relaxed... Regards, Gary
thank you so much Ivona for the visit ,and the nice input,it is amazing how the life of different people,and at different places,to be alike,my best wishes, Saad.
Woow, what a story..i can imagine sound of bell at 5am, early in the morning.. i lived near mosque for 11 years, almost same story like yours... nice photo...
Hi Harry,I wanted you to see this first,and comment on it first,and you have did,Ali does not count,he is from the same city,and he already knew the place, Harry,in this place I have spent the best years of my life,I have left the place to an other one at 1986,here,I have finished high school,and medical college,have my best friends,have met my first,last,and everything,it is the best years of my life in short. my best regards, Saad.
Very impressive to see Saad, Iraq is quite progressive. In kSA and Egypt it is not possible to build a church. So I learn Iraq us much more tolerant.
Our stories are similar. When I started to live in riyad a mosque was our neighbour house, The first week we were surprised by the calls for prayer. But after half a year we had our first ramadan and at night small mumbling was heard, we just went to bed ;-) Harry
عزيزي سعد لا اعتقد انه من الانصاف ان نرى مثل هذا العمل الرائع ونقف ساكتين لا نتكلم ، واعتقد ايضا انه مهما قلنا اننا لن نوفي بحق هذا العمل ، لكن هنئيا لك من كل قلبي على هذا الانتاج الرائع . تحياتي علي
Dear Nick,not a gesture ,but a friendship,and for the sole friendship, http://www.usefilm.com/Image.asp?ID=1476159 http://www.usefilm.com/Image.asp?ID=1474699 with my regards, Saad.
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