playtime

Beautiful image and sad story.

Wow, what a fantastic image, Deb! Sad sad story though!

this so resonates with me,,,, beautiful image, powerful message,,,, well done Deborah

i can so relate to this a little also.
stunning feeling, beautifully executed the fine deborah parkin way. ;-) xox

love the perspective…cheers

What a beautiful image!! Childhood can be cruel can’t it?

Go on and pull at the heartstrings with your childhood story too Deb. :(

Beauty of an image though, the vigentting works better than ever here and the child’s feet at the start of the game completes the shot perfectly.

For me, the saddest part was always being picked last for football

This is so amazing – I love it!

Timeless – excellent

Nice shot.

great pic…...lovely feel to it… like it

outstanding work! love the textures and darker tones in this – very well done

So very powerful

Fantastic. Deb this is a wonderful image.
But don’t like the story to much. Hugs

i love this deb. and my daughter is going through this exact thing right now. your photograph was so meaningful for her. thank you so much for posting it! she was astonished that a “grown up” had experienced the same thing . . .

Absolutely fantastic image.. The DOF is amazing as is the clarity… Beautifully captured…

LOL its ok I would have been your friend and played with ya. :-)

Just beautiful, a wonderful shot and treatment. Sadly for people like us that same feeling really never goes does it – we are aliens amongst others, its a lonely existance. Except on the bubble :-)

I can relate… still have a hard time asking others to play :) – I enjoy the time to myself now anyway…leaves more time for creativity :) – fantastic image Deb!

Love this, Deb =]

love it. i can totally relate with your image =]

great work

awesome work !

very rarely is a feeling so perfectly presented in an image – this is one of those times. Great work!

With your image and story you have created such an honest and moving piece. Wonderful work :-)

Fantastic image and story; you captured the idea of loneliness really well Deborah!! I identify with your story too, as I had a similar experience at school. Thanks for sharing.

excellent image, what a great compostion, so much is said

This is very cool…... wonderful use of monotone, depth, composition, frame and lighting….

A fantastic image, Deb

such a sad but relative story! Lovely image, so representative. Love this, the tones just speak the mood… :) x

I USE TO PLAY THAT GAME DEB, THIS PICTURE IS FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Debs…..lovely emotive image that suits the narrative! I was often found alone, playing with my conkers in the playground (oooo errr)

fantastic,,,,,,,,,,,,,,great images

You have some of the best work on redbubble.

Excellent work and full of meaning.I sometimes like the alone part of life but I’m learning that even someone who thought they could be a hermit sometimes gets lonely.

You’ve really managed to capture the pure emotion in your story and image. Beautiful work.

Fabulous. Really powerful image. Love it!

Beautiful Deborah, and wonderfully composed. Being constantly moved by both schools and countries I too learned to enjoy my own company.

Your description for this image resonates so very deeply Deb.

This is like a time capsule Deborah…......and looks like many of us can relate to this in a huge way…....
Love your lighting and of course, the hopscotch looks magical…......almost feel like leaning in and throwing the stone :)

This work of art is brilliant Deb. I saw it 4am this morning and favourited it, but then the computer crashed, You always use light and image to make such entertaining and powerful statements.

Very evocative – know the feelings of being alone, yet surrounded by folk all too well – you do learn to enjoy your own company – but sadly, you also tend to keep that solitude even when you dont want it as you get older…..

Wow, this is really good!! The memories, contrast, perspective are perfect!

Lovely work – perfect cropping. Great stuff Deb.x

Marvellous and inspiring shot!

A fantastic shot, superb tones and composition.

So interesting. i love this. veryyy unique and original!

This has such intense feeling coming from it- an out of focus little girl alone with her hopscotch game. Beautifully conceived….

I think your perspective oi this shot was perfect//Love how the game leads back to her…Your tones have gotten to pure perfection. I am so amazed at your growth as a photographer and what you see and feel with your camera

Wow, Deborah! Another stunning photo

you do these b & w childhood memories so well… has a v. nostalgic feel…

such a sense of solitude captured Deborah – brilliant B&W – contrast & atmosphere – I remember the school yard days – the good & bad – shapes us as individuals & we can draw strength from both – you have such a talent for creating a sense of place & such stunning artwork !!

beautiful image

splendid image! instant fav

This is so beautiful Deborah, lovely work indeed!

good work

you nailed this

Wow we all like it, says volumes!

Very powerful and amazing image Deborah…..brilliant work :)

Nice work Deb.

beautiful, congratulations on the homepage feature 7/10/09.

Fantastic capture , congrats with homepage

Many congrats on the homepage Deb. x

congratulations gorgeous, a very well deserved home page feature! ;-) xox

Such a great image, amazing how it can say so much and resonate with so many people and congrats on the homepage feature.

I love this. My playtime experiences were exactly the same, but you are right, it teaches you about independence & how to love your own company :) Thank you.

Stunning image, and I love your words too. I remember that space from my childhood, and see my creative daughters experiencing the same now.
Congratulations on your homepage feature!

Beautiful image and I’m glad your Happy!!! congrats on the Home Page feature…

absolutely love this. its my childhood.

REMARKABLE .

that’s very well done work, hope to see more of your works soon!... it reminds me the kids playing that game at school… hope my comment and all the over nice comments be a good start for us to break your loneliness work, if we may :)

Just brilliant I love the tones and composition and congrats on making the home page.

I’m not surprised this image and your description have touched so many people. If I could go back and visit 9 year old me in primary school I’d show myself this picture and all the comments below and then point out what a wonderfully talented artist the girl in your description became.

congrats on making the home page :) great image.

Great image.

This is very good! I love the mood you have created.

This is a wonderful composition… I love it

Great idea kinda creepy though.

a bit scary but definitely beautiful!

Yay!!! I know I commented on this already but I’m just so excited that this made it to the front page!!! =D The prominent feature is really well-deserved =] Congrats, Deb!

i love this.
very well done.

Beautifully composed image

Great shot Deborah, nice to see someone familiar on the homepage!

Very powerful work, I can identify. ( : Congrats on the home page.

an excellent thoughtful image, beautifully captured in BW…
please consider an introduction in the Inspired Art group !
my best, francis.

This is absolutely lovely Deborah. Congrats on your homepage appearance as well!

I wish I had read the description before I first commented on this image. Now your journal entry of the same name has brought me back here, and this time I have I read it, and now I can say that it’s not just a nice shot as I originally commented, but although I very meaningful image – obviously to you, and to me, and I’m sure many others.
I have too many memories of being in school, by myself at playtime because, well, I had no friends basically. Unfortunately I would suffer a similar experience in college.
I’m glad you wrote your journal entry because otherwise I would never have come back to this image, despite it being a great one, and would have never read the description and seen how meaningful an image it really is.
Oh, and by the way, congratulations on the homepage :)

You are welcome .

Thanks. You too :)

that would be perfect !
my best, francis.

many congrats on your homepage feature,dawn

excellent

Great work. Full of mood. Well done!

I hear you about playtime at school. Maybe we should have been in the same school. Great capture!!!!!!!!!!

Such a powerful image Deb. I was fortunate enough not to experience such loneliness at school on a regular basis however do remember some bully moments that came my way. Not really remembering how hard it is growing up, your image really reminds and resonates the lasting effects things experienced in childhood have on us. Having 2 young ones, one thing I fear is them experiencing these types of challenges and loneliness through out their school years.. You are a wonderful story teller..

Deb I missed this! I can see why so many have responded…such a powerfully emotive image. Love the way you’ve cropped the girl’s head…like she’s invisible to the viewer, invisible to her school-yard peers. It’s sad and dark and lonely. Congrats on such a brave image :)))

very good..

Deborah, it never ceases to amaze me how your work tugs on so many heartstrings. You have a gift of communicating emotion that is unique and I love that your style is so recognisable and unique to you. I would have spotted this as yours from miles away.
I think that maybe it’s because you leave her anonymous that so many can relate… almost makes me look deeper to imagine her face. Your clever framing and formatting makes the anonymity (sp?) work to perfection.
Typical you… blowing us all away with such a simple black & white image that goes straight to the heart.
Awesome work!
xo

bravo !
my best, francis.

(your vote is needed in this challenge !)

great shot

Oh my….......Deborah, I have just seen this…..its astounding the amount of emotion you have managed to convey here. It is my biggest hope that my children don’t feel the same way about school as I did and that they find real enjoyment in their school years! Beautiful Deb, you are an amazing artist!

oh wow !!! deborah this is just amazing
there is so much to think about with this one
a powerful piece that can have so many deeper meanings to it
thanks for sharing this !

One could read so many things into this incredible image. Really an awesome and powerfully evocative piece. Brilliant work!

BRILLIANT….......................Love your comp, tones, DOF….just so so impressive !!!

Wonderful image Deb. this takes me right back to chidlhood, when the simple games, were the most fun.

This is a stunning image…it does bring up emotions of my childhood…Well done!!!

I relate to being happy with my own company! What a great image!!

wow! this is more that great!

Amazing feel to this image, great work

love this-there are many worlds artists are happy to be in-speaking for myself mine.

This takes me back, Deborah. Wonderful capture, tones and mood. Well done. An instant fave. Cheers Elana

Great shot Deborah!

Fantastic shot …... nowt wrong with enjoying your own company.

Awesome shot!

I simply love it! There is so much mystery and significance to the hidden face.

impressive capture… =)

I can’t believe how good this is. I don’t mean to wax cheesy, but seriously,
um…I’m in awe of this. I now teach tutorials (at another site) regarding lighting and exposure, but uh…I feel stupid looking at this. Like a big hoax…heheh.
This is the ^%$#.......................!

Another thing-
I keep thinking that my gamma is too heavy, here and there.
You’re the only person that makes me want to go darker.

!

Brilliant work!

This is a picture of my world too, and the one of my daughter… Very well done!

Beautiful.

love your B&W conversion, the loneliness mood here as well… fantastic feeling! and point of view