Re: [Leica] Online Photo Story:

[Martin Howard <mvhoward@mac.com>]

David Degner wrote:
>
> After a late night of tinkering I exit my cave with a rock to throw at 
> the world.
>

(OK, last message before I really *must* go to bed!)

I saw the photos, read the captions, and to me, they seemed to show a 
man who was disjointed with his surroundings.  A man who is separated 
from his new surroundings because his culture, his memories, and his 
experiences are different from this new place in which he finds 
himself.  This is how I saw the story unfold:

1: The reflection in the window with the flag establishes location -- 
but his expression and his turning away from the person in the dark 
coat hint at the uneasiness that lies beneath the surface.

2: The separation (laterally and size-wise) between Edin and the rest 
of his family again hints at this disconnect.

3: Surrounded by an abundance of consumer goods -- a culture shock, 
perhaps?  So many things, so many toys.  A look of slight bewilderment, 
"should I get this one I'm holding, or that one on the shelf?"

4: Beliefs and customs from the old country still alive.  Quite 
different from the beliefs and customs of the country they now find 
themselves in.

Given these readings, the next two pictures didn't seem to fit into the 
story that you appeared to be telling.  The fifth picture could be read 
as "Settling into a new daily routine", but then we get the caption at 
the end of the sequence "the future looks bright".

To me, that was not the story that was being told.  To me, their future 
seemed to be filled with hope, but trepidation.  With a measure of 
comfort, but uncertainty.  The future may certainly be brighter than it 
had been, but at the same time, certainly not one of unbridaled 
optimism, which is what the caption seems to suggest.

Now, none of this may make sense.  But I thought you might be 
interested in the idea that someone else (who hasn't been involved in 
the project) could see the same six pictures and see a very different 
story.

M.

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