Graffiti everywhere, a photo from Wielkopolskie, West

Photographer's Note

I proceed with photos left over from my journey to Poland early last summer.

This is from the city of Poznań in the western part of the country. Like most of my photos it is not a carefully arranged composition but a very quick snapshot, "planned" and made in a matter of seconds. I just happened to see this man sitting beneath a wall all covered with graffiti - official and unofficial. There is not really much difference between some illegal and commercial graffiti defacing out cities these days, is there?

I am sure this man is quite innocent. He just got into my picture because of his matching colours.

Here is a larger version.

Romano46, photographer_sg, ourania, tyro, mirosu, gervaso, COSTANTINO, Royaldevon, aliabazari, photoray, imageme, jhm, adramad, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Romano46 (18472) 2015-01-13 9:26

Ciao Gert
eccellente foto di strafa nella quale l'elemento grafico e quello umano si uniscono in maniera eccellente per comporre un ottimo fotogramma.
Notevole anche il fatto che essenzialmente i colori siano solo due: il nero e il rosso che interagiscono in msniera superba con il bianco delle scritte.
Bella cattura e ottima ripresa dal punto di vista tecnico.
Complimenti
Ciao e buona serata
Romano

mesutilgim (0) 2015-01-13 9:51

Hello dear Gert,
You have made this capture in Poland but it has some connections to İstanbul !!
The commercial add at back Zildjian is the name of a very famous company making topclass cymbals. The family was an Armenian family living on the Blacksea shores of Anatolia and came in the tewenties to İstanbul and established their company. On the following link you can sea some notes :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avedis_Zildjian_Company

The capture itself is an interesting Daily life Street scenery taken with good pov. The man wit red t-shirt adds a fine taste to your compo.
TFS and best regards

MESUT ILGIM

Fis2 (172083) 2015-01-13 10:15

Witaj Gert!
Excellent reportage shot!
Very impressive scene.
Good frame and color.
The man makes an impression.
Well done.
Good evening
Krzysztof

photographer_sg (6059) 2015-01-13 10:32

Hello Get
While it is true that graffiti and adverts can often be visually disturbing, in this case they have combined, along with your superb observation, to form a most compelling image. The matching red of the man's shirt and the JBL ad gives great strength and appeal to the picture. Awesome is the word to describe it!
Thanks for sharing and have a great day.
Satya

Antipodean (666) 2015-01-13 10:50

Kia ora Gert,
Graffiti & street art always makes a good shot, especially when people appear in just the right place - or, in this case, have the right expression! Cheers, Neil

ourania (51103) 2015-01-13 11:07

Hello Gert,
I agree that advertisements frequently feature a sort of graffiti and that they "deface our cities these days". Athens suffers from both kinds of graffiti and tugs have crept everywhere. The human element is very welcome in this setting, the written "messages" acquire a target and a reference even though his response is doubtful. He is so well integrated in the setting through the colours he chose to wear and through your composition, he bears no message, his attitude is neutral and maybe relaxing. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

pajaran (117201) 2015-01-13 11:10

Dobro vece.
Lepa fotografija sa tvog putovanja.
Dobar trenutak snimka i kontrast, lepo pokazano mesto i trenutak, lepe boje.
Dobar rad i kompozicija, lepo uhvacen trenutak.
Prijatno vece i sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good evening.
Beautiful photos from your trip.
Good time recording and contrast nicely demonstrated place and moment, pretty colors.
Good work and compositions, beautifully captured moment.
Good evening and all the best.
Paja.

tyro (30513) 2015-01-13 11:31

Hello Gert,

Yes, I agree: there isn't much to choose between the "ordinary" graffiti and the "official" graffiti of advertising really. Except that the unofficial stuff is perhaps a little more artistic and spontaneous.

No, I'm sure this fellow isn't the perpetrator of the graffiti but he is a welcome guest in your photograph, enhancing it immeasurably. Although the chap has a rather vacant look, his bright scarlet shirt adds a welcome splash of colour, nicely balanced by the "JBL" at top right. Almost as important is the red brick wall which "underlines" the whole image superbly well.

Very well seen and taken � la sauvette with exquisite light and colours and excellent details and sharpness.

Bravo!

Kind Regards,

John.

lousat (140070) 2015-01-13 11:41

Hello Gert, here they see only part I think, but reading your notes feel some anger on your part, it seems that this city is overrun with graffiti and advertising signs authorized that disfigure its beauty.An original pic, but that artistic is also a civil complaint.Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

rbassin (27472) 2015-01-13 12:38

hello Gert,
Une bonne observation, sc鋝e contidienne bien cadr嶪;
Bon graphisme par la pr廥ence de tous les logos et textes.
Bonne soir嶪
Roland

Waylim (25436) 2015-01-13 13:31

Hi Gert

A very unique city shot. It depicts the scene and way of life in the city. I have seen many graffiti in most European cities and many part is almost consider art, but in the U.S. It is a violation, property damage.

W

saxo042 (38078) 2015-01-13 14:13

Hej Gert,
Du har uppenbarligen st鄟lt dig utanf顤 en musikaff酺, gitarrer och trummor dominerar reklamen! Texten i diagonal binder ihop den r鐰a tr鐱an med den r鐰a texten i motsatt h顤n. Mannen i bilden ser dock inte 饘erdrivet musikalisk ut.
H鄟sningar
Gunnar

carlo62 (81265) 2015-01-13 14:53

Ciao Gert
le tue foto sono sempre caratterizzate dall'elemento umano, una cosa che sto rivalutando molto anche io, del resto il mondo � fatto di piante, animali e uomini, per cui perch� evitarli?
Anche in questo caso la persona c'� e si vede bene, ma sembra quasi che sia sopraffatta da tutte le scritte dello sfondo.
Un bel contrasto tra l'elemento umano e ci� che lo circonda.
Saluti
Carlo

PiotrF (56188) 2015-01-13 15:15

Hello Gert,
A nice street life scene, beautiful details, exactly shown in the photograph.Interesting note.
Good work
Regards
Piotr

mirosu (16313) 2015-01-13 18:34

Hi Gert,
Splendid snapshot. Excellent view to the sitting man in front of interesting background.
All in very good light.
Greetings
Miro

kasianowak (17676) 2015-01-14 1:08

Hi Gert
I'm surprised you waited so long after your trip to share this image with the TE community! This is a masterpiece of street photography in the colour coordination category. It's almost perfect tricolore made in Poland!
About the ugliness of adverts and other "official graffiti" - my thoughts precisely. Even before I read you note I thought: "Gert really hit the nail on the head with this one".
Very best wishes
Kasia

gervaso (28437) 2015-01-14 1:43

Hello, Gert!

Very nice urban scene, captured with very good colors and sharpness and an interesting framing including this innocent man! Great composition! Well done!

eldancer1 (36343) 2015-01-14 7:03

It's really a shame how people destroys a scenery with ugly graffiti. The City of Los Angeles tried to solve this problem by designating a freeway wall for graffiti artists and their art works are beautiful. But other still continue to deface the city. Good documentary post and very well done, tfs.

COSTANTINO (117940) 2015-01-14 11:13

Hello my dear Gert
and thanks for your photos with
street graffiti
I prefer the graffiti instead of a dirty wall
or a place not well presented
the clever ideas are alwys necessary
for street graffiti and well accepted
nice street life scenery
regards
Costantino

Royaldevon (86564) 2015-01-14 11:18

Hello Gert,

He does have an anxious look about him.
I wonder who he is waiting for !
It does make an interesting scenario ... the first scene in a film!
You are right about the graffiti, particularly in this instance, where the official and the unofficial are difficult to discriminate.
The figure is well placed in the frame, whilst the brick wall right-angles just on the thirds line.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

emka (158962) 2015-01-14 13:41

Hi Gert, I am not sure if the guy looks specially nice, but he put on the red shirt and matches with the colours excellently. Riff are the shops with music instruments. It is very good photo and I like it, but I agree that the view is rather ugly. How I hate all these graffitis,
there is an action about the towns free of adverts, but I am afraid it will not work.

Warm regrads MAlgo

rychem (72187) 2015-01-14 20:16

Thats right, graffiti is everywhere, there can be pieces of art and daubs, very nice scene, the man is very well placed and shows a lack of interest
very well caught
regards Ryszard

aliabazari (23401) 2015-01-14 21:03

Hi Gert
Popular brands (JBL) Point your image is relying. Exposure well done. I like the graphics image. Thanks for sharing

Nicou (193814) 2015-01-15 3:33

Hlelo

quelle vue superbe ce personnage en rouge assis et en fond ces dessins et pancartes ce noir et blanc quel ensemble superbe.
Bravo et amiti�
Nicou

williewhistler (16606) 2015-01-15 8:30

Hello Gert,
without the red shirted man it is unlikely that you would have given the scene a second glance,so we should thank him for making a major contribution in not only adding a nice human touch but also in balancing a well scene.
As for graffiti it`s not something that we are inflicted with here in rural Devon,yet.
Warmest regards Les.

Cricri (176) 2015-01-15 9:18

Hi Gert
Excellent portrait naturel du monsieur sous un d嶰or de textes et de graffitis
Belle sc鋝e de vie et pr廥entation
Belle soir嶪
cricri

photoray (13981) 2015-01-15 13:50

Howdy Gert,

Interesting blend of commercialism wall symbols and graffiti, and the human sitting non committal.
In the U.S. we have many cities regulating commercial wall advertising and billboards, often illegal to advertise. Then vandals do their own graffiti, often advertising their gang and/or drugs for sale.

Thanks for sharing,
Cheers,
Ray

imageme (1790) 2015-01-15 14:03

Hi Gert, Another collection on graffiti from your gallery. Wonderful details and clarity. The man probably likes those colors and so feels comfortable to sit in front of this graffiti. Good idea to include the man to add another human expression in the frame. Regards
Anna

Silvio1953 (223103) 2015-01-15 14:33

Ciao Gert, lovely composition with lonely man and fantastic graffiti as BG, excellent clarity, wonderful colors and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

jhm (211738) 2015-01-16 4:58

Hello Gert,

It seem or the man is a little absent, on the moment that you took the picture.
No I see no graffiti painter in the man.
What a pleasant picture with all the excellent colours and lovely subject as advertisement.
Composition and presentation are perfect.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John

SnapRJW (31631) 2015-01-16 5:21

Hello Gert - This was well spotted; a DL scene where the colours add the extra cleverness to the shot. I bet you were pleased that the shirt of the man worked so perfectly with the oranges of wall and advertising. Simple and well balanced I like this.

Warm regards

Rosemary

adramad (73498) 2015-01-16 7:11

Hello Gert.
A magnificent composition, which combines well the graffiti, with ads, completely covering the wall with the variety of fonts, produces a curious feeling to the image, lonely boy puts the touch of life to the composition.
Perfect natural colors, very good lighting and excellent sharpness.
Well done.
You enjoy the weekend.
Best wishes.
Luis.

abmdsudi (95869) 2015-01-16 8:19

Hi Gert
The colours really sting! Isn't it amazing how this is created by the 'artists' to convey certain message which is so much better than the bare dull grey walls. A welcoming artwork, adverts & graffiti is a world wide expression these days, indeed a really good clear image but one thing we can't deny; the vibrancy in colors is so eye catching and influential to any passers by. It's entertaining, fun and nicely done with the guy to make it work, Congrats.
Best regards

Gigidusud (21679) 2015-01-18 6:59

Hello Gert,
Original capture of the graffiti with an excellent framing. Well done!
Have a nice Sunday.
Gigi

npecanhuk (79329) 2015-01-19 15:21

Hallo Gert!
Very interesting and attractive urban life photograph!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov and, above all, composition are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

daddo (28748) 2015-01-21 20:15

Hi Gert. A pointed combination of commercialistic graffiti and the unofficial. Both a sort of vandalism upon aesthetics, although I do like the logo top left. The man doesn't look impressed or is that the look of someone released from the Soviet yoke. Free at Last, and now what? Regards. Klaudio.

serp2000 (47063) 2015-01-23 8:46

Hello, Gert,
This photo reminds me some Wolfgang's daily life pictures. But I could not recognize graffiti and the advertising of the music equipments from the first sight. Good black&white graphic with a few red sections.
Have a great weekend!
Serghei

macjake (98544) 2015-01-27 4:30

Hi Gert
a couple of things here...
first, you make a funny observation about the graffiti and 'commercial' graffiti, i like that.

second, you and I are SO different in how we approach photography :) and thats ok, its not a bad thing at all. You are MUCH more like Tosca.

I take alot of time setting up my composition and my subject. I have a very hard time taking photo's quickly.

as for this scene, its a colorful display, and thats strange because the focal points are all white! haha

see you around
craig

claudeD (47754) 2015-01-30 1:20

Hello Gert,

interesting picture from Poland very well framed and with good sharpness. Interesting contribution to TE.Very well done.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

Matyas (0) 2015-02-20 0:40