On 12/2/05, Tim Øsleby <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This image sets me 50-60 years back in time, making me think about how > people lived their lives back then. It was hard work, and many where lost > while fishing. > > http://www.photosight.org/photo.php?photoid=26026 > Olumpus 5050W. 64 ISO, f4, 1/400s > > Comments please. >
I like this a lot. Nicely composed, and I find the subject matter very poignant (more on that in a minute). I also like the muted, overcast lighting. It fits in perfectly with such a maritime theme. Another thing I like about it is that it reminds me of the area in which my parents lived in Nova Scotia, Canada. I'd swear that was taken about 2 miles from their home, up near Mader's Cove. Until the depletion of the cod stocks in the North Atlantic, that area of Canada depended heavily on fishing. It was a hard life, even with the advent of modern steel-hulled factory trawlers. But (as you said), up to about 50 or 60 years ago, when they went to sea in wooden boats to fish, it was a hard life indeed. I could go on about fishing techniques back then (long-liners from dories sent out from the main schooner), but suffice to say that it was backbreaking work. And, every year, each small community lost several men to the sea. The gales of August 1927 were most notorious, with four schooners from the town of Lunenberg lost in one day. Here's a list of sea tragedies (mostly fishermen) lost since 1900: http://www.lostatsea.ca/newspaps.htm Your photo evokes all of that, and also reminds me that some cultures (like that of the fisherman) transcend national borders. Thanks for a wonderful photo. Sorry for the longish rambling post, but some photos just do that... <g> cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
