emotional pictures

Surely this is an entirely subjective thing. The OP's post was about things that get you choked up, and I agree that photos don't always do it for a lot of people. It HAS however happened to me before though - but only in shots of people. Atrocities, sadness, beautiful moments in peoples' lives, all can and have made me choke up.

So I sympathise with cdi, insofar as seeing a photo of a hot chick feeling sad because she boned some douche can be pretty heartwrenching :P.

Nonetheless I also appreciate what airfrog says. I love landscape photography more than anything else, be it shooting my own or looking at others. It fills me with a kind of feeling that no other type of photography does, a feeling of wonder and awe I'd say.

HOWEVER, no landscape has ever made me cry! And like cdi said, I don't think it ever will, unless it's really out of this world or if there's a great story behind it.

Stocky wrote in post #5547861
I will be honest; I have had movies, songs and even books get me choked up, but never a picture. Is it me, where I just don't respond to pictures, or do other people find the same thing?


What is the most emotional or moving picture you have seen?

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daduls wrote in post #5551564
I take credit in no way, shape, or form for this image. It is posted as a reply to the OP's question.

Fantastic, moving photo there.

The Rocky Mountain News did a photo story a while ago on the wife of a fallen marine and the officer in charge of telling families their loved ones had died.

I almost had to stop looking - the photos were very well done, but so moving/depressing.

perryge wrote in post #5550929
Surely this is an entirely subjective thing. The OP's post was about things that get you choked up, and I agree that photos don't always do it for a lot of people. It HAS however happened to me before though - but only in shots of people. Atrocities, sadness, beautiful moments in peoples' lives, all can and have made me choke up.

So I sympathise with cdi, insofar as seeing a photo of a hot chick feeling sad because she boned some douche can be pretty heartwrenching :P.

Nonetheless I also appreciate what airfrog says. I love landscape photography more than anything else, be it shooting my own or looking at others. It fills me with a kind of feeling that no other type of photography does, a feeling of wonder and awe I'd say.

HOWEVER, no landscape has ever made me cry! And like cdi said, I don't think it ever will, unless it's really out of this world or if there's a great story behind it.

No landscape has ever made me cry either but I have more than one emotion and its kinda hard not to be moved in some way when standing in front of the Adams photograph thats 4ft X 6ft of the horse in the field being lit by a shaft of light the must have poked through the clouds and this almost abstract patterns on the mountains in the back ground. Theres a feeling that you get (an emotion) that you just can't get from seeing it in a book and whether you love or hate the subject matter anyone that has mastered or tried to master B&W darkroom techniques will be in awe of the technical ability of Adams to hold both shadow and highlight detail.
I have had photographs make me mad, sad, happy and I've had photographs make think.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #5552717
Theres a feeling that you get (an emotion) that you just can't get from seeing it in a book and whether you love or hate the subject matter anyone that has mastered or tried to master B&W darkroom techniques will be in awe of the technical ability of Adams to hold both shadow and highlight detail.

I'm wondering was it time of the month Air'

Just jokin' man

Yeah I guess us old jarheads always figure to be the emotional type

I'd say it's perfectly normal to respond differently to photos compared to a story, whether in book or movie form.

It makes sense -- with a story we are given a context and typically are led to care for a character or characters in some way, so that we would respond to, say, a death scene with not just, "wow, a death scene" but "oh no, Joe/Mary died!"

It's like comparing the work of the cinematographer to that of the director and the actors and the scriptwriter -- the cinematographer might do breathtaking work, which is what we as photographers would like to do -- but it's the story as a whole and the portrayal of that story that gives the whole emotional impact.

Think of watching a movie where at the beginning you see someone die. It may have a touching quality if it's well done, but aside from that, what emotion would you realistically expect? You know nothing about the person who died or what led to the death, so you don't have a context for a specific emotional response.

On the other hand, if you saw that scene at the end of the movie, and the character was someone you had come to care about, then a whole complex of emotions could be expected -- some kind of a tear jerk response!

That being said, there are some basic responses that good photography can elicit -- maybe a "WOW" response from a big print from a gorgeous landscape or a beautiful bird in flight, or a heart-rending response to someone suffering in some way, or a smile and a little twinge of the heart to seeing a young child in gleeful play or a mother caressing an infant, or two lovers in an embrace. As a photographer, those are the emotional responses I could aspire to.

Also, some photos have an understood context -- I can barely look at a scene of the Viet Nam War memorial in Washington DC without gettting teary-eyed, or a scene of the Kennedy assasination, or of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Without the context, though, what would my "emotional" response be? The emotion comes from the (his)tory, not from the image alone.

hmm... well i'm a sap. pretty much a bleeding heart liberal but i've seen tons of photographs that have evoked emotion in me. whether i'll openly cry, rarely but what would be the point of taking the photo if not for someone, or yourself to have a reaction to it. Photos of people will always hold more than landscapes or still life. But, that doesn't mean that a photo of natural devastation isn't emotional your wrong think of all the images of 9/11, the Oklahoma city bombing, New Orleans sometimes the absence of humanity can be as profound as humanity itself. But, it's incredibly subjective as all art is. I remember being floored by a Monet painting of his wife on her death bed that changed my perception of art permenantly, There are still songs that remind me of memories that will bring me to tears and there are absolutely tons of photographs that have brought an emotional reaction..

Sari

I'm sorry, I'm awful when it comes to sad pictures. Today, I watched "P.S. I Love You" by myself and cried the whole time. It's ridiculous how much I am affected by good acting and good photography.

I like Picasso's b/c everybody and their mamas told me he was great.
I also like Picasso's b/c rich people buy them, and rich people understand art the best.



I agree. My brain is not wired that way. I evaluate a piece with total disregard to who created it. I'll go to a museum (usually forced by my wife or friend:lol and go look at these "great" pieces and go "uh huh...next"...my wife would cringe and say "what the heck do you know?".

My reaction is "listen, I don't care that it's a Picasso. I don't like it and that's the only thing that matters to me. I would never hang something that ugly on my wall. If you like it that's great. If you don't want to hear me dismiss an art piece then don't ask how I like it." She's usually quiet after that.

I do the same with music. My wife will always ask "how do you like it" and usually unless the music really pulls me in, which is rare, my reaction would be "nothing too interesting, but they do what they do well".

cdifoto wrote in post #5548304
But I have seen it. Jut not in the way you insist is the only right way. I'm sorry but some things just don't "speak" to me and I don't need to go to a gallery just to confirm it. A tree isn't going to get any kind of response out of me.

Maybe it's you who needs to try to understand something...and that is that not everyone enjoys the same things in life, is going to enjoy the same things in life, or even wants to enjoy the same things in life.

I think there are definitely photographs out there that are able to touch people on a deep emotional level.

The most "emotionally moving" photographs I've seen recently, are probably from the 2006 Pulitzer prize winning Todd Heisler. They are from a compilation documenting the return of Marines, killed in the line of duty in Iraq.

Not sure If I'm allowed to... but I've included a few of my favorite examples of his work.

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About six months or so ago a lady/photojournalist from CA (she won a pulitzer for this work) did a photo storyline on a young boy dying from a rare type of cancer. I believe it was in American Photo, but don't quote me on that as I am at work and the magazine is at home. The photos started when he was first diagnosed and went through to his funeral. As a father, seeing the images of this young boy and his family was very emotional.

When I get home I will post the magazine name and issue along with the photojournalist's name.

EDIT: After a little googling I found the photojornalist's name was Renee C. Byer. Here is a link to the images hosted on the Pulitzer website:http://www.pulitzer.or​g …eature-photography/works/

Most recently, some work by photojourno (Mario) of a National Guard Unit returning home to their families.

http://gravina-productions.smugmug.co​m/gallery/4955325_KoVJ​x

Heres a good friend of mine

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=oLevnL0msko

http://www.toddhochber​g.com/see.cfm?imageNum​ber=2

http://www.momentsheld​.org/

Powerful stuff...