Urban Playground

Oh i love this! Very touching. Lovely in black and white. Great work girl!

Outstanding..the vulnerability of the child with the massive construct appearing to dominate and overpower..this is great work..

skill…. did you ever say that at school… skill!!! this is fab, love it, love it!

I recognise this place…. is it the refinery on Blyth Harbour by any chance? On Cambois side?

Spot on DOF. Brilliant processing – as usual

very nice comp!

lovely picture!

Great work Deb. Has a ‘Post Apocolypse’ look to it.

Makes a powerful statement

You should have told me you were in Blyth Deb? Could have put the kettle on for you :)
Great work

Ahhhhh. I see Abe has been to the Dalek factory in readiness for tomorrow nights Dr.Who! Yes I am excited! Just bought a new car AND Dr.Who starts again tomorrow what more does a boy want! Lovely shot Debs….lacks the Goth edge of your other stuff….is this an impending change of direction? I am watching the crappiest movie ever…I have stooped to watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

This is beautiful Deborah

What an amizingly beautiful image…perfect!

When did you actually come across to Blyth?

today Michael – it’s part of my college project – so will be going back no doubt :)

I love the message of this image. Incredible work Deb!

fantastic capture

I hope your car is still in one piece, the road is, well not really a road now :)

Very Nice!

beauutiful capture.

Great concept Deb

wonderful shot and expressio

nice capture

great capture…
having tried to take good shots with my own camera
i can really appeciate the skill that is behind what you do :)

Powerful image ,beautiful.

My goodness, what a thought-provoking image!! Beaut shot, Deb, love the way you’ve framed this!

not sure this one works as well as your other work, I think (and it’s only my thoughts) that the boy looks too clean & nice to fit into that type of urban area ! – two pictures which don’t quite make a whole. Feel free to say that’s rubbish Deborah

I think it’s well done

love it! love the title, composition, light, his lovely little face and ofcourse the b & w conversion is spot on – as always… great image!

Great illustration of the industrialization’s impact on childhood.

nice shot. makes me want to know the story here. good job!!

Fantastic shot…definitely evokes conversation. Great treatment.

So Clever. Despite B/W there is a warmth coming from the girl.

Stunning image for Gaia Deborah. A real stand out piece which is beautiful : )

I love the subtle dof. the black is blacker on Abe and he’s so much sharper than the rest of the image he jumps off the screen and seem to be in alien territory, but you made him still appear to be there, not like he’s pasted on, as too often happens with dof. His expression and body language add to the impression. great control, and excellent capture. low key Gaia statement that speaks volumes. this is wonderful! :)

this is awesome. maybe its the kids hair but it has a 70’s thing to it.. maybe that’s just me but a superb photograph b & w industrial playground.. kind of place footballers used to learn their game and the rest of us used to learn how to steal cars… top notch work

Love the look = ) I check out your book VERY nice.

Stunning. Gorgeous composition. Bravo.

totally perfect. I love the post processing, the framing, the look on the childs face…perfect!

Very stunning shot! Just remind me of where I work with children! well done! Lovely portrait and b/w!

Love it!

Deb…this one is really fantastic….what I love in this image is the innocence of the child and the background of this industril plant that is even fenced off…..”keep out”...the contrast between the 2 worlds is just amazing and I love her expression and you can just image what is running through the childs mind…...and don;t you wonder about the life….I do…..brilliant piece

Used to a DP leaving me eurphoric., but when I saw this I thought it has a real bite, and you’ve just explained to me why. Love seeing you showcase your versatility as an artist as you do in so many directions. Brilliant picture.

perfect!

Excellent image ….so impressed with your portraits Deborah !

Cool black and white image Deborah and I like your description to go with it. Its interesting to hear the thought that went into making an image.

Nice image.

We should be thankful that the child’s imagination shields it from the ugliness or squalor of its environment. Not so for the adult who sees it all (if he or she has any sensibility). We see the ugliness and we have to acknowledge the reality of the world that we have brought our children into.A visual metaphor of great power, Deborah.

Just read through your thought process on this image Deb and I think you did manage to convey what you set out to. He does look uncomfortable here…like he’s gone exploring like any kid does, but hasn’t found a fairytale. It feels quite tinged with sadness..a hint of disappointment in his distant gaze. A very thought provoking, atmospheric image..great work :)

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments – really appreciate them – sorry i can’t reply to each and everyone of them :)

This is a real thought provoking image, there are so many ways to interpret this.

To me he looks alone, possibly lost, in a place where he shouldn’t have gone in the first place. He is afraid, uncertain and maybe even guilty for wandering somewhere he was told never to visit.

Fantastic work Deborah! :)

really like your style of b&w

Thanks Deborah for the full reply and taking the time to do it, Having an insight into someone’s work can be very interesting & I enjoyed reading your idea behind the image, that’s great you achieved your desired effect. As you said I was only saying what I saw. It’s good to question things sometimes and I can see you like that. Regards Dave - --—-—-—-—-—-—-—-——- that’s your name off the Christmas card list …..

Deb, I checked out your picture, read through ALL the comments… actually Dave’s was the most interesting in that he puts this image in context with the ideas that most of us have grown up with, ie that ‘playgrounds’ like this are more associated with scruffier looking kids. As it happens, I think he’s honed in on the essence of your take. The kid looks middle class with clean clothes, clean face and no scars… yet he is captured with a perplexed and destitute attitude in this industrial site on the edge of nowhere. He should be romping through a woods or playing with his dog & frisbie on the other side of the beach that’s got the waves. Seems to me that there’s an increasing danger that the nice playgrounds are getting harder to find by the minute and children like this lad are sadly forced to take what they can get in our increasingly industrialized world. I’m not here to winge about that aspect of our society as I reap the benefits that it provides, and my only child is now grown up and fortunately never had to face what it looks like your boy here is going through. But I do fear for her children’s children. Your imagery makes us think and plants the idea in our heads without us even knowing you’ve done it. That’s the magic of your work and that’s why I think you are so f’ing awesome.

Fantastic picture. Yeah, we are all heroes that have to struggle in a tough world. This environment looks so unfriendly and unpersonal and cold. And places like this have such a strong atmosphere of lonelyness. It is as if he asks himself: ‘What to do with this dimension of life?’ The struggle with the uglyness of life … aarrgghh … Well, we have to go on. One foot after the other. Great soulart, Deborah.

Sensational image. A piece of brilliance!

Fabulous framing and composition. This image really does pose many questions about the modern world and our ability and desire to bring up our young in safe environments.

You never fail to astound me Deb, the focus is on the Boy, but I am drawn to the industrious area behind even though it is not the focal point, excellent!!!

:)

This one’s a little bright for you Deb and I like it.

The depth works particularly well. and the clarity on Abe, down to the details of the creases in his top, together with the shadows shows that. The landscape behind does look very industrial and nothing that I would associated with beach life (other than Dungeness, but I thought that place was a law unto itself!)

Very powerful image. Your images always pack a punch and this seems to be the more powerful for the lightness in it, which sounds contradictory, but the clarity in even the soft background just adds power to the shot.

I don’t get uncomfortable from the shot, just boredom, just feel like, “Can we play on the proper bit of the beach now Mum?”

Wow, what a great shot and as always very thought provoking.. kind of makes me think of what the next generation will do with our little land… you could almost look on it as a comment on how industry is being left behind…
Really great work and fantastic tones and contrasts in this… the story telling of your work never fails to disappoint. :-)

Fantastic shot Deborah…...your son has the best head of hair around, he is gorgeous !

Brilliant shot!! Great stuff!

amazing photograph…beautiful

Fabulous work. lovely black and white photo. cheers

So… first of all I need to ditto every single word in Billyboys comment.

Second of all I need to give you a big fat ole aussie girl hug.

Third I need to fave this image because he gets me… right here (puts her hand over her heart)

One hell of a reportage shot…Pulitzer comes to mind.
Really excellent work!!!!!!!!

Wonderfully composed Deborah. You are the master ..um, the mistress..hmm, yes mistress works for me :O)

great shot Deb – love the way the child’s emotion matches the landscape… Tones are so perfect!

nice lament

great work, well done

A very powerful image. I am filled with sadness.

lovely thoughtful moment captured

Deb, you already know i love the shot but I am curious as to why you haven’t vignetted the top edge in this image?

great capture
my dad works in a place just like this
the contrast is spectacular

superb, wonderful composition and as usual the image portrays a story, brilliant

I like how he completely stands out. Almost as if her were cut and pasted here-
it looks 3D, which is a sign of good depth. ;) What this image tells me (and what I get from
this) is his sense of almost confusion/longing..as if wanting to “fit in” here..but can’t-as if
he were in a dream and stunned. I get a real sense that his home was taken away..much like
the tribes in the rainforests losing their lands, etc. The title really does say it all. Fine work!
(I love a photo that tells a story!)

beautiful work. it feels like the landscape is reflecting how the little boy is feeling – lost.

Your work is brilliant!

Absolutly fantastic and intense bw! WOW!

Great shot!

I love seeing the mood you’ve captured.

If I’d known you were visiting Blyth you could have dropped by for a cuppa. I missed meeting you at David Taylor’s exhibition … it was good, wasn’t it. Oops … sorry … great photo :))

really great concept and coloring… fav definitely