Superman's Final Flight

[Don Ellis]

In a dramatic end to an often-illustrious career, Superman -- until this morning known as The Man of Steel -- met an untimely end after crashing into a paddy-field fence in the Hong Kong countryside.

Ace Durian, our reporter in Hong Kong, spoke with Mrs. Wong, owner of the rice field, who said, "I just came out this morning and found him there. He was dead and fit the decor so I left him."

Mrs. Wong's fenceline is a source of great pride for her and great consternation for her neighbors, who hate to throw anything away for fear it will end up patched into the fence. The barrier changes every day, but currently features an old refrigerator, two microwaves without doors, a large trolley, several tape players, a wheel-less barrow, a 10-foot section of someone else's fence, and, alas, Superman, adorning the usual bricks, boards and boulders.

Police investigators found several glowing green rocks beneath the moss and surmise that a Kryptonite meteor fell into the rice terraces, where it was found by the woman and added to the rest of the rubble. There is no evidence of foul play and police have classified the death as "inability to leap tall fence."

In the absence of relatives, services will be held in the local dialect, which presumably Superman could understand, and the heroic figure will be allowed to rest where he fell -- at least until Mrs. Wong gets tired of looking at him and replaces him with something more colorful...

[robekert]

Don,
I think you have acheived a milestone in your photographic career. You have taken a picture of a pile of junk and have made it interesting. Your commentary along with the shot has filled in a gap or two relating to one of your other series. Now I know the significance of the IR village shot with the microwave in it.

What I think is interesting about the shot is how you have handled the composition. The contrast of the textures: wood, fabric, and foliage, all handled with fine lighting and exposure. Some people may say, "Rob you are full of crap". Maybe I am, or maybe I just recognize genius. (Don blushes)

Rob
(The Don Ellis kiss a@@)................kidding

[stopbath]

Mrs. Wong is correct. He does fit the decor.

Great story and photo. Look forward to more of her fence as time goes on.

[Laziferous]

You a funny man. Great commentary Don, made me chuckle a few times

You took one of those "I guess you had to be there" photos... and took us there. Thanks for sharing.

[marie]

reading the story and seeing the picture was fun don

also want to say that I fully agree with all rob says >>

" What I think is interesting about the shot is how you have handled the composition. The contrast of the textures: wood, fabric, and foliage, all handled with fine lighting and exposure.
Some people may say, "Rob you are full of crap" (
the beautiful 'smooth as satin' shades of colour in the picture and the clarity of the stick and everything else is a great achievement. and lovely to look at
to think that it is rubbish !
(forgive the word in this case
but it is only rubbish )
and look what happened

[Conk]

You forgot to end it with "This is Don Ellis reporting from Hong Kong."
That has got to be the most interresting thread I've ever read from you don. Fantastic!

[marie]

I agree fully with you conk .
its wonderful reading.
hard to say it here always

regards
marie

[Don Ellis]

robekert wrote:
Don,
I think you have acheived a milestone in your photographic career. You have taken a picture of a pile of junk and have made it interesting. Your commentary along with the shot has filled in a gap or two relating to one of your other series. Now I know the significance of the IR village shot with the microwave in it.

What I think is interesting about the shot is how you have handled the composition. The contrast of the textures: wood, fabric, and foliage, all handled with fine lighting and exposure. Some people may say, "Rob you are full of crap". Maybe I am, or maybe I just recognize genius. (Don blushes)

Rob
(The Don Ellis kiss a@@)................kidding

Well, if I didn't like you for your good looks and fine manners, I'd have been won over by your artistic judgement and sense of humor.

Glad to have filled the microwave gap... you can't believe what goes into this fence. I live near it and I can't believe it.

You do have an eye... without the timber, of course, the shot would be meaningless. But it would lose a huge amount without the fern as well. And everything against the cloth was just too many wonderful textures to pass up.

As for details, it was shot at 1/250th second, f4.0, exposure compensation -2/3 to eliminate blown highlights on the reflective head.

A little other post-processing went into it to darken the mood in keeping with this sad event.

Thanks for your very generous comments.

Don

[Don Ellis]

stopbath wrote:
Mrs. Wong is correct. He does fit the decor.

Great story and photo. Look forward to more of her fence as time goes on.

Thanks, Antony... considering the continuing evolution of this fence, I'm sure I will be drawn to it again and again. Every time I go down there, I think, "Oh, glad I captured that last photo -- it's no longer there."

Don

[Don Ellis]

Laziferous wrote:
You a funny man. Great commentary Don, made me chuckle a few times

You took one of those "I guess you had to be there" photos... and took us there. Thanks for sharing.

Very well put and very kind... thanks. Laughs were what it was all about.

Don

[Don Ellis]

marie wrote:
the beautiful 'smooth as satin' shades of colour in the picture and the clarity of the stick and everything else is a great achievement. and lovely to look at
to think that it is rubbish !

Thank you, Marie... I really have to admire the artist in this case... I just captured the photo, but someone with a lot more sculptural talent than I have put it all together.

Don

[Don Ellis]

Conk wrote:
You forgot to end it with "This is Don Ellis reporting from Hong Kong."
That has got to be the most interresting thread I've ever read from you don. Fantastic!

Hi Colin,

A picture is worth a thousand words -- but sometimes you have to supply them.

Thanks for the huge compliment... now I've got something else to live up to (I'm not too worried, however, because I routinely forget to live up to anything).

I couldn't say "Don Ellis reporting" -- Ace Durian would have gotten mad.

Don

[marie]

Don Ellis wrote:

"


Thank you, Marie... I really have to admire the artist in this case... I just captured the photo, but someone with a lot more sculptural talent than I have put it all together"

Don

Don
I am sorry for saying this , bringing it up again
AND seeming one of 90% stupid people
but even so ... taking that risk ... and reading your reply here I have to say that I didn't realise the lady had put all the rubbish in such a way , very cleverly put together, like as an art exhibition more or less,
but deliberately. I had thought it was stuff thrown out and it had landed in a way which caught your eye .
I must have missed something you said in a former post
thats why I say sorry because then I would have understood more of what the pictures meant. and what you meant also.
and what mrs wong is expressing.
it was only when you said 'someone with a lot more sculptural talent then I have put it all together' that it made me think a little more as to what you meant.

many thanks don

marie

[Don Ellis]

marie wrote:
I have to say that I didn't realise the lady had put all the rubbish in such a way , very cleverly put together, like as an art exhibition more or less,
but deliberately.

I had thought it was stuff thrown out and it had landed in a way which caught your eye.
I must have missed something you said in a former post
thats why I say sorry because then I would have understood more of what the pictures meant. and what you meant also.
and what mrs wong is expressing.
it was only when you said 'someone with a lot more sculptural talent then I have put it all together' that it made me think a little more as to what you meant.

many thanks don

marie

Hi Marie,

Never be sorry... I can be obtuse.

Besides, I'm just guessing that we have a seasoned sculptress here... for all I know she just comes out, heaves things on the rock fence, and turns her back on them.

But since they do catch my eye, and there is so much moving and rearranging going on, I like to attribute it to artistic talent -- it's the most generous explanation.

In reality it could be talent, obsessive behavior, dementia, or coincidence. Whatever its cause, it's freakishly fascinating and I'm happy to be the observer and occasional recorder.

Don

[marie]

"Besides, I'm just guessing that we have a seasoned sculptress here... for all I know she just comes out, heaves things on the rock fence, and turns her back on them.



But since they do catch my eye, and there is so much moving and rearranging going on, I like to attribute it to artistic talent -- it's the most generous explanation.

In reality it could be talent, obsessive behavior, dementia, or coincidence. Whatever its cause, it's freakishly fascinating and I'm happy to be the observer and occasional recorder.
unquote

~~~~~~~~~~~
not right about you being obtuse

but yes
and thanks don

I wonder is there any chance of you asking her about it ? it should be interesting.
even to know what's going on in her mind.
about this particular subject I mean,
not to delve into past experiences

but she could be a lost genius.
or completely mad
and a lot of the time 'they' are lost genius's
wonder would she mind anyone stopping to talk ?

but thats ok if you would not wish that don
so no worries,
I really do understand...
why one would not venture into some connections more fully
so I have no problem with that at all either.

( and I certainly don't want you ending up as another lost hero in the ditch )


many thanks again

marie