2009-10-22

Missed Opportunities




4 comments:

Ken Bryant said...

The depth of field feels unnaturally foreshortened -- it's like the effect you sometimes get shooting miniature railways/dollhouses with a macro lens. Is this postprocessing?

Tony Funk said...

Hi Ken,
I used a 300 millimeter lens and then did some vignetting. You're totally right, it does look like a miniature set. As a former formal theologian I found the deceptive depth-of-field and surreal nature more than just a little symbolic. Thanks for the comment! Much appreciated.

J. Evan Kreider said...

I enjoy the miniature-set aspect, and would like to hear more about what you see in this as being symbolic. Sort of an old-fashioned country parish church where all is well?

Tony Funk said...

Hey Evan! Do you want the beef?
OK, the picture. "Missed Opportunities". The title came to me because of the location of the church - basically in the middle of no where on the Fraser Canyon. The train track runs beneath and the wealth that it has carried has passed the congregation by. The death of a church makes me ask the questions "what happened? Were there opportunities missed that led to its present decay?" The miniature aspect felt to me like it was under a microscope (society is unforgiving towards the church when it makes mistakes); or it created an artificiality which in itself created a commentary about the church, especially in relation to First Nations people.