Untouched, a photo from Ontario, Central

Photographer's Note

My mother Cloverstar and I are entering a photo contest, and one of the requirements was a photo of a keyhole.

This photo was taken at the Peel Heritage Complex, in Brampton.

The Peel County Jail opened in 1867, and served it's purpose for 110 years. A total of 24 prisoners were incarcerated in 1867 for crimes such as assault, child desertion, larceny, maliciously breaking windows, stabbing, threatening to abuse and burn, and being a dangerous lunatic. Over the years, other crimes committed included concealing the birth of a child, manslaughter, rape, and running a gaming house.

The jail was built at a time when incarceration was punishment, not an opportunity for rehabilitation. Narrow single cells provided solitary confinement for most prisoners; the cell on display is in fact a double cell and could have housed up to four inmates.

The jail sat empty until 1985 when the Region of Peel began transforming it into the first component of the Peel Heritage Complex. Walls between cells on the second floor were removed to accommodate exhibit areas. Outside, the guard tower and baseball diamond were replaced by a parking lot and the enclosed Museum storage area. Only the jail gallery was left relatively untouched.

**Post Pro - contrast, dodging, burning, and USM.

Catcher, Galeota, Hanssie, odemira, sohrab, jmdaoudal, Dinyar, heck, Curioso, xevi, prezntime has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Catcher (845) 2004-09-01 22:41

If this picture entered a real contest of journalism about prisions or way of lifes i´m sure it would go far! Very good perspective and contrast between the sharp gate and the unsharp prisioner!

Very professional, and congratulations on the note!

[2]

Galeota (10352) 2004-09-02 0:19

I'm not sure yet if I understood your note... so he is not a real prisoner, is he?

But while thinking about it, I can't stop admiring yur photo technically, and I must say I like everything in it. The barrel distorsion on the bars, probably due to the use of the wide angle, give a very graphical mood to the image. Of course, your theme is a keyhole, but in this case the three elements (keyhole/bars/prisoner) make three different subjects on their own, and yet play together a very appealing composition.

I doubt your mum will match this one..

[2]

dom_inik_m (1717) 2004-09-02 4:31

The low angle is definitely most appropriate, even without the contest context you hinted at. Framing the dummy between the bars, right under the lock, expresses a strong statement on society, law and order, which goes way beyong the historical look and feel of this specific place (by the way, do you really think that nowadays, prison is considered as a way to rehabilitate offenders?).
But I'm not really sure about the barrel distorsion; the voyeuristic impression made me think of reality television.
So, trying to give more distance to this reconstitution, I corrected it in a workshop...

[2] [workshop] [compare] +

Hanssie (11022) 2004-09-02 13:45

I think, ( I hope ) it's not a real person...
I really like how you created this picture, Pamela, the man, wall and details of the lock in the right and three bar-parts empty in the left. The brown colours gives this shot a nice effect and there is a fine sharpness.
Good shot !

[2]

sohrab (7439) 2004-09-08 15:35

wow great photograph. it's highly underrated in my (not so humble) opinion :)
it seems like a was statue or something , but your composition seems to give it a lot of life. that extra bit of glow around the statue is adding something wonderful to this photograph , though i can't put it down in words what that thing is.
nice!!!
take care

[2]

jmdaoudal (82) 2004-10-25 7:10

In visiting your family (te, tl tn sisters and mother) found this one, and enjoyed a lot this is realy a good composition with a good choice of location of the subjects, coulors and progression is interesting.
Compliments
Jean Michel

agelaste (533) 2004-11-11 6:30

humm,i like the title if it changed to 'unlocked'...:)
nice perspective and black lines to creat a mysterous atmosphere here,cheers,and i find u and your mother Diana are all kind people...
cheers,
xu

sarju (5324) 2005-04-26 18:54

Hey Pam
thats a cool photo ... you had me there ...
very nice colour composition .. the only thing I find obtrusive in this photo is the key hole ... but i guess that was required in the photo
cheers
sarju
PS: I think I will have to visit this place on my next visit to Brampton

xevi (591) 2005-08-23 7:43

Fantastic and incredible work. I can't add nothing else. I agree with "dom_inik_m" about barrel distorsion, I like more his version.

designsoul (17843) 2005-10-20 20:27

Pamela, I hope you won!
This shot is nothing short of perfection. Wonderful composition and incredible force with which you convey confinement. SUPERB!!!
I am putting it into my favourites, right now!
Sarolta

Dis_Account (0) 2005-11-30 18:59

Nice shot Pamela, great composition. Good sharpness and depth too.

...tim

andrewgg (0) 2006-04-28 19:40

Hi Pamela.
At first, I did think it was a real person!
Photos like this, with a limited range of colours can look quite special, and that's the case here.
The presence of the lock and the barrrel distortion add strength to the photograph, giving it a claustraphobic feeling.
Well done, then.
Regards,
Andrew.

prezntime (3946) 2006-09-27 16:04

Hello Pamela.
The lighting of this photo first attracted me...then I enlarged and noticed the lock and some of the more intimate details. I enjoy the slight fuzziness of the person (mannequin), it helps distance the person from those of us looking in. Also the lock is a nice symbolic touch.
Good luck with the contest if it is still going on.
Regards,
Chris.

triptych2003 (1534) 2006-12-05 21:13

when i see this photo, i think of dostoyevsky's "house of the dead".. weird. awesome positioning and framing. there's a lot to look at here, good shadows and colours too. all-round great job. i can learn a lot from this shot. thanks