The Corner House, a photo from Chiapas, Southeast

Photographer's Note

As a child I had a particular fascination for a corner house. Our tiny apartment in the outskirts of Calcutta was just short of the corner but the adjoining one-room apartment, which was linked to our long corridor by a door that always remained closed, was the real corner. Then one day, that room became ours for a period of one year. That was a wonderful and exciting time. I spent innumerable hours looking down the exact geometrical corner of its balcony on to the crossing of the Grand Trunk Road with the Station Road. I waved to passing military convoys and ot trucks carrying youths to picnic spots during Christmas break. I used mats to make tents on the corner balcony and spent wet monsoon afternoons dreaming of starry nights under the shadows of Kilimanjaro. Then one day we moved away from that apartment, and since then I have never again lived in a corner house.

Did this young man grow up in this corner house? did he also put up his tent in the corner room thinking of Kilimanjaro? Why is a corner, a discontinuity, a sharp break point in an otherwise rectilinear life, so fascinating?

emjleclercq, Salil_B, bnallama, ahmetgedikli, Isabelle, designsoul, erthmuffin oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

emjleclercq (15778) 2006-01-15 1:37

Very good framing and very interesting note.

There does not seems to be so many windows on the right wall, where are they situated ? Do you have an inner space in this square building ?

All the best to you,

Emmanuel

h_sedghi (880) 2006-01-15 1:46 [Comment]

Show Comment

Salil_B (737) 2006-01-15 4:56

Brilliant point of view, Animesh. How you manage perspective and centering is amazing. The boy standing at the exact corner, dreaming, tells a whole intruguing story.
I guess we all have sat under makeshift tents on corner balconies waiting for our dreams to take shape.
I had dreamed of sleeping under the stars in a desert. That dream did come true in another corner of the world.
A fscinating note too.
Salil

jinju (14265) 2006-01-15 5:35

Nice, nice, nice. I see it was at 28mm, looks really really wide. So I wonder how this would look shot at 10mm. The b/w is of real good quality and it has a really enigmatic feel.

bnallama (3763) 2006-01-15 6:55

Wow very nice story Animesh! Childhood experience is always memorable one...!! I like the wideangle feeling in this one.. TFS Bala

rowanb (864) 2006-01-15 8:54

nice shot animesh, like the grimey feel to this one, the boy's pose on the corner is interesting.

ahmetgedikli (25609) 2006-01-15 11:00

Hi Animesh,
Very nice W&B working. Good perspective and sharpness. Good work. Have a nice day,
Ahmet

bantonbuju (51815) 2006-01-15 11:51

hi animesh, this is a great image, th composition of that corner house is so powerful, it emphesizes your words hundred times;
an awesome street life shot (just a crop on th left - redundant fragment of somebody - would help a little);
great work,
j

recepyuksel (18640) 2006-01-15 12:29

1 word only: excellent....

arindam_thokder (3987) 2006-01-15 16:40

Hello Animesh,

This is excellent catch. The corner house gives a nice geometrical composition for the picture. The boy standing in the corner gives the drama in the picture, reminds me one of the famous corner picture by Raghu Rai here-
http://www.magnumphotos.com/cf/htm/CDocZ_MAG.aspx?Stat=DocThumb_DocZoom&o=&DT=ALB&E=2K7O3RBQ95I8&Pass=&Total=63&Pic=43&SubE=2S5RYDZ64M1S

Arindam

designsoul (17843) 2006-01-15 17:13

Hi Animesh,
Our cat also loved to sit in strategic points of the apartment, always in a "corner" of sorts from which she could have the best of both worlds, seemingly in control of the entire space, ready for action at any moment. I think it might be similar, though in the world of fauna, slightly different from your experience no doubt. But the fascination of having both directions open, I would say, is one way to ponder this...
I LOVE your shot. It does give a sense of moving in either direction... the world of openings... beautiful. Very nice b/w treatment as well... observed with keen eyes for beauty.
sasa (sarolta)

jcandeli (40) 2006-01-16 13:22

Nice! I love it. the symetry and lighting are great. The guy too. very cool shot. JP

KevRyan (22956) 2006-01-17 19:10

This one speaks to me very strongly Animesh - visually - I just thing it's a real classic image - just really stunning - against that monotone sky it just seems to float up out of nothing. It also speaks to me as the former occupant of the corner house between Boundary Road and the Romans - we used to joke about it being the gatepost to the Celtic fringe - the Romans were certainly a 'cut above' - we were sometimes in the firing line - never a dull moment!

A great image and a really nice personal note1

best wishes Kev

tongapup (0) 2006-01-19 20:37

Dear Animesh,
How could I not love this photo? The way it spreads so generously across my screen like a marquee. This is a gorgeous, generous composition, and his placement is perfect. Beautiful.

Homerhomer (4080) 2006-02-01 14:21

This image reminds me of Frederic Pasqual and how he shoots, superb.
Peter

photosettle (1554) 2006-02-11 12:49

Interesting note. As a photograph I find it interesting with or w/o the note. I love the symetry and the transition of darks in the road to a light house to a lighter sky with nice local contrast as well. Well seen for sure. Thanks for sharing.

capca (0) 2006-07-17 8:32

It's excellent, i love this shot and i love your words. your point of view is poetic and fascinating, i'll see the corners with new eyes now.
The position of the man is great, he seems to be a bit sceptical. I think corners symbolize the different angles, viewpoints, which we need to refer all the time in life.
I like the feelling of loneliness to.