Descent into the Past, a photo from Budapest, West

Photographer's Note

Back from Budapest. I dearly missed you--my exposure to computers was minimal.

I thought of starting with this shot I took in an underpass where large photographs of old Budapest were exhibited under plexyglass in dim light. The man going down the stairs evoked my own descent into my past. (Oddly, just a week before in Budapest's 3 old baths there were large celebrations of Sigmund Freud on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth, including actors as "soul-divers", dressed symbolically in period bathing suits, who read out seminal texts by one of the fathers of psychoanalysis.) The city as it was seen on the old photograph also reminded me of my father's extensive private collection of antique postcards of Budapest, as well as my childhood, surrounded by the old cards.

pasternak, eleparc, bantonbuju, KevRyan, nwoehnl, fabio_ts, fixed, luisafonso, kajspice, dolin, andante, starbug, jinju, Luan, AnimeshRay, Bien, AmiBe, Cuba-Junky, johnnymag, alekpet, Suensu, Mistral, Rinie_Hoff, robiuk, Galeota, syd1946, Clairedelune, tcht, michel_r, plimrn has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Aazragi (1927) 2006-05-31 8:16

Hi Sarolta G.
NIce artistic shot. Composed it very well.
Well done and keep it up n up.

My Best wishes are always with you.
M. Latif.

pasternak (15185) 2006-05-31 8:19

Hi Sarolta,

Quite an unusual and symbolic photograph. Intelligently done. Tells a story. Thanks.

Alexander

dolin (7369) 2006-05-31 8:26

Hi Sasa.
Content de te revoir !!!! Tu vas bien ?
Tu reviens avec une compo trèüs forte, j'adore cette ambiance glauque au possible avec cette silhouette dans les escaliers en reflets.
C'est très fort et à nouveau très bien fait.
Ton traitement est parfaitement géré et colle à merveille.
Bravo Sasa
Dolin

eleparc (24063) 2006-05-31 8:31

Fantastic return Sasa! You are really the best! i wondered what was the trick in this one... reflections! i almost forgot you are the queen of reflections;-) this one tells a story, your story, and it does marvels! looking forward to more stories from this journey in Hungary...
We love you!

Eric

bantonbuju (51815) 2006-05-31 8:31

i missed you, too, sasa, and with this post you are rewarding me :-))
this is a top notch - that old postcard style is obviously great but with the addition of the sasa-style reflection it is simply a masterstroke;
good to have you back;
best, j.

KevRyan (22956) 2006-05-31 8:33

A beautiful symbolic work of art Sasa - evoking so much - just as the heart was pining to breaking point you have returned! A very warm welcome back.....beautifully observed....well executed...great deep toning and for all the world an image spanning more than one era....love and best wishes Kev

nwoehnl (122) 2006-05-31 8:38

Welcome back, Sasa, you were dearly missed here on TE as well - hope you had a fine stay in your home country. This is one of your masterful plays with reflective elements (in fact in the double meaning of the word, as the vintage photo is a "reflection" on the old times in itself) - I like a lot the impression of the silhouetted figure descending into the classic scene, and the way in which the shape of the stairs blends/fades into the photo is quite pleasing, too. Very nice work.

fixed (3836) 2006-05-31 8:53

hi Sarolta
nice to see you here !
... welcome back ...
very nice picture turned in a old photo style
with your creatice touch ;)
cool one :)
nono

cobraphil8 (84) 2006-05-31 9:05

Hi Sarolta,
I have much difficult to understand your composition, but the result is superb, I adore these colours of another time, which return on TE, it is true that we missed your photographs, it should well be acknowledged...
One await the continuation impatiently
Cheers
Philippe

luisafonso (862) 2006-05-31 9:21

What a wonderful scene. It reminds me the mood of the film "Wings of Desire". The guy on the top is what really drives me into this picture. A timeless piece of art. Glad you're back.

jyraya (397) 2006-05-31 9:41

Nice reflection of the man on the stairs,
very cool composition.
well done

andante (7092) 2006-05-31 10:02

welcome back, from your trip, looking forward to see those wonderful shots. Again I like your integration of the old image and the used of the reflection on the glass a part of the composition. Excellent work, Sasa.

starbug (6924) 2006-05-31 10:07

hi Sasa, so good to have you back:-)I was really looking forward to seeing your photos from Budapest, if you can take a sentimental shot in modern streets of Ottawa,then how sentimental will your photos from old Budapest be...?like this one...lovely idea to begin the photographical journey with a journey to the past, reaching out to the roots (of your family, of photography, of the city itself)And the ghost of the past is actually seen in your photo....
welcome back and have a great day!
A.
p.s. where is this reflection coming from?

Luan (12971) 2006-05-31 10:08

Hello Sasa,
Wow, such a strange picture, difficult at the beginning to realize what is happening here. Complex and fascinating compo.
Great
Luan

rbcy1974 (20758) 2006-05-31 10:14

Hello Sarolta
Welcome back
excellent angle, I dont know where you get the inspiration to find such situations,
the image of the man looks like a visitor from another dimension.
Well done
Regards
Daniel

ben4321 (9875) 2006-05-31 10:19

Very interesting shot. At first I thought it must be a combination of two images, some kind of digital trickery, but I assume that the man descending the stairs is a reflection in the plexiglass.
Its good to see something different.
Ben

Graal (103040) 2006-05-31 11:24

Jó napot Sarolta,
good idea, excellent document and interesting note. Good remind of old Budapest. I like it. Good job.
Rgs, Aleksander

Paolo (41258) 2006-05-31 11:26

Hi Sasam welcome back from you Eruopean tour!
a good one to introduce your Hungarian next shots.
a good dobule image with old and new, with an amzing sepia tone and a really brilliant composition.
thanks, ciao

AnimeshRay (9089) 2006-05-31 11:40

Superb! That single touch of your personality on this ancient city is delicate yet profoundly haunting. Look forward to more posts on this city.
[Didn't know Freud was born in Hungary...always assumed he was Viennese...well Austro-Hungarian, I suppose]

Luko (14000) 2006-05-31 12:27

This is amazing Sasa, I love the rich tones of this one, which, very differently than the "normal" sepia, displays lots of contrast, especially on the stairs character.

As I don't know Budapest, I first stated that the ghostly descender and the huge stairs could vaguely remind of Prague, perhaps he could be Kafka coming down the stairs of the Castle. I was wrong but there's a deep feel of Central Europe in it, perhaps a taste of the Viennese school.

Anyway, a very evocative image that's giving food for thought, both for its composition and for its content.

flydragon (0) 2006-05-31 12:28

welcome back Sasa ;o)
did you took a machine to go up time
but with your special touch
this is again artistic work
hope u had alot fun there
nice to see you back
we missed you
regards
••flykisses••

Bien (4745) 2006-05-31 13:16

Hi Sasa, Well it is pretty obvious that we all missed you deeply and we get rewarded with this first masterpiece with many more to follow - no doubt there. The image is dripping with nostalgia, mystery, poetry, art and thoughtful symbolism. This is powerful stuff, with a soul that encompasses a whole lot of history. The master has reappeared, welcome back Sasa! Sabine

patriik (1935) 2006-05-31 13:35

Hi,

this is awesom picture!
Wonderful light!
I like this compo, colours and POV!
Well done!

Patryk

BrianGraney (1740) 2006-05-31 13:49

At first I felt cheated - surely not just an old sepia photograph?

But then on closer inspection everything fits together and makes sense - an atmospheric and meaningful image.
Welcome back!
best wishes
Brian

MiguelP (14470) 2006-05-31 14:13

Welcome back Sasa! Gosth scares me a lot, and this photo has a gosthly atmosphere that is very impressive for me. I dont know you but I suspect this photo is one of those that tells something about the persona that has created it. Sorolta and her magic reflections are back in TE. I´m happy about it. Take care.

naxius (16685) 2006-05-31 14:35

Hi Sarolta,
Wow! That's great!! Splendid atmosphere....
You work on this photograph is really good.
Bravo!!

Alex

AmiBe (6042) 2006-05-31 17:33

Hi Sasa,
I'm happy to see your creative and artistic work again.
Good start with an excellent PP which gives an old feeling.
I'm waiting for your other shots.
regards

vapours (8264) 2006-05-31 22:19

Great shot Sarolta, the way you have merged the shadow into the photograph is so perfectly done, and does appear you have actually taken a photo of the scene in the picture itself. Well done.

Cuba-Junky (2817) 2006-06-01 2:27

A piece of creative art.
Awesome picture
An

jinju (14265) 2006-06-01 3:40

My god,

you are back and with this?! I mean sure, I try to match people with backgrounds but my efforts appear amateur next to this. What a ghostly effect of this person coming down. It all merges into one fantastic and scary whole. This just rocks. It is SO great to see you back in full force Sasa.

Furachan (0) 2006-06-01 4:18

WELCOME BACK, SASA!
All your skilled oned in the more antiseptic envrinonment of Ottawa distilled into this Humgarian masterpiece. The figure of the man is haunting and so wel judged.
Simply stunning!
Francis

faubry (35447) 2006-06-01 4:53

hello Sasa, WELCOME BACK! i think it's not easy come back in another country.. this shot is according with your thought at tne moment, good creativ!!! artistic like usual, bravo
and take care
francine

johnnymag (490) 2006-06-01 5:09

Hi Sasa,
Wonderful to see you back. What can I say that hasn't already been said. Great work, wonderfully composed and presented. Great note that really sets the context. Excellent as always, Take Care, John

fabio_ts (13696) 2006-06-01 5:15

Welcome back Sarlota,
nice to see you phot... maybe is better GREAT photos.. again, :o)
excellent example of your creativity here, lovely result, BRAVA!!!

have a nice day,
Fabio.

cyril (2748) 2006-06-01 5:32

Hi Sarolta,
Great note with a wonderful shot.
As always, I love your composition and the way you shoot with all the reflections.
And again, I am glad to see your photos back.

Cyril

alekpet (4663) 2006-06-01 5:58

Hi Sarolta.

You are back with a bang!
This is classic Sasa.
Thank you for this wondeful compo.

Aleks

Suensu (11) 2006-06-01 6:57

Hi Sarolta,
Congratulation on this great shot! In takes time to discover the layers in the picture without reading your comment first, and that is what makes real art.
Thanks for sharing.

zsuzsa

roamermark (1592) 2006-06-01 15:01

Extraordinary...very artistic shot...I can't wait for the photos that are coming.
Cheers
MArk

Mistral (15416) 2006-06-01 17:13

Hi Sasa,
your images are the abode of reflections.
Really artistic and inspiring composition... but for you it's just normal!
A smile (and welcome back!!!)
Luca

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2006-06-01 18:43

This is great, Sasa, clearly the queen of reflection is back. I like this 'melting' of impressions, memories, and the fact that this all evoked so much to you. It is very well rendered into the picture.
It's a very symbolic one, and the sepia fots so beautifully!
Glad, you're back!

robiuk (10807) 2006-06-01 18:45

Oh Sasa,
your ability to see things is something extraordinary!
Welcome back!
Glad to hear you had a good time in Budapest and can't wait to see more!
Was it cold?
Excellent note to go to with this photo that is as if it came straight out from one's dreams or subconscience (can't spell the darn word!), so Freudian, so psychoanalitical and so arty at the same time!
Bravo!
Robi

Galeota (10352) 2006-06-02 0:11

Welcome back, Sarolta. Lovely tones, and I do recognize here your pleasure to play withe reflections. The ghost walking down the stairs seems to travel way back in his memories to join the streets of ancient lives.

sandip (3492) 2006-06-02 1:55

wow... what a powerful image Sasa..I cant imagine that it is taken by a D70 and has been shooted just sometimes back.. It just looks like a photograph of early 60's.. those kind of street signs and people ... just looks like that... full marks for your PP here and the mood...

Oh yes i just went through your notes... fabulous Sasa, just fabulous... this is something like adding another to you father's collection.. hehehe.... very nice one..

syd1946 (1167) 2006-06-02 8:11

Hi Sasa,
Excellent capture of this amazing scene.Very
unusual with fantastic retro atmosphere.It
looks like the time is stoped years ago.
The b/w is the most perfect format for this
picture.Splendid work!

Best wishes,

Thomas

Clairedelune (4923) 2006-06-02 21:53

Hi Sarolta,
This is a very good one. I do appreciate the link you make about Freud and the psychoanalysis. Your picture would fit totally on one of his book. Maybe his more obvious one, "The interpretation of dreams". Or, "Civilization And Its Discontents". Well, we have the choice! Very remarkable work with the PP. The picture is good, but more than this, this is a photo with a very strong story, a strong power of evocation. The kind of photo that the person who look at it could be moved inside in a strange way, like if it is in resonance with some hidden inner chord. Very difficult for me to convey my feeling in English. Hope you understand...
I see that you find it a bit difficult to come back to Canada. I hope that you will feel better...
Claire

sarju (5324) 2006-06-02 22:00

Hi Sarolta
Just when I thought that I had enough of your reflections on the glass photos, you post this awesome and innovative piece. Cool work and informative reference to Freud, infact this photo seems like a good candidate for one of those outdated projective techniques they used to do employ for studying personality.
I think it was good that you were away from Ottawa for a while ... I don't think you missed much as the tulipfest was more of a rainfest ... lols
have a fantastic weekend .... cheers .... Sarju

eco (112) 2006-06-03 3:30

Hi Sarlota

fantastic postprocessing, I like this work
perfect arystic shots
good work, best regards, rafal

verde (957) 2006-06-03 12:07

wow, really well done. the figure decending the stairs is amazing. very thought provoking.
I like the sepia treatment too, I have been struggling to find a place for toned shots and to understand them better. This is a good one to study for me.

welcome back
b

markoci (3933) 2006-06-04 9:28

o.k. let's try to get this up to 100, it's definitely worth it.. just love your treatment here, you absolutely nailed it.. hard to add to all the praises, a great photo..

nagyon kiváncsi vagyok, milyen volt otthon? (mikor voltál utoljára?)

tcht (7565) 2006-06-04 15:47

Hi Sarolta,
welcome back! this is really cool image. love the conflict of abstract & reality, and of old & new...
...I dont really know how you did it but it works super! Congratz for the magnificant compo.
Good evening,
CheukHin

michel_r (1118) 2006-06-05 12:12

thanks a lot for this one Sasa. Very impressive. Everything's in place and you perfectly express what's in your note. The man seems to have a trail of fire, bringing into light old past & memories.
amicalement, michel

everlasting (19680) 2006-06-06 6:40

Welcome back, Sasa! You were also dearly missed here on TE. I hope your visit home was as rewarding as this first shot is.
This tells your story --- in your masterful reflective way. I really like the silhouetted figure descending into scene.
------------
PS. Thanks for your kind words, I am home now from China, James leg is way on the road to recovery, he is swimming a few times a week and using the cycling machine. Say hello to Mirko.
hugs, Elaine

pilpel-adom (3018) 2006-06-06 12:15

Very good composition, Sarolta! Well seen and composed, with the staircase and the sephia tone that adopts the old picture and gives the whole composition a feeling of history coming back together with the present...
I like it very much!
Well done!!
Chen

PeterC (2242) 2006-06-06 22:44

Wow,
Sasa your are back with a bang. Awesome reflections shot i lvoeo the way you used the stairs and the shadow. Super work.
Cheers
Peter

plimrn (21344) 2006-06-07 10:40

Hi Sarolta,
What a symbolic title and shot!! I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing Budapest through your eyes...Pat

ALSOM (6616) 2006-06-19 11:50

Hi Sasa,

It tooks me sometime to appreciate this one.

At a very first and quickly glance w/o reading your note I thought this photo sent us back to the sad years in this part of Europe.

I've had the feeling to hear the soldiers' shoes knocking the pavement (or the steps here) at a regular pace, noise from which any inhabitants were scared to hear and run right away to hide themself. A very nostalgic story reminding me "The Dairy Of Anne Frank".

I'm not sure my perception of this photo corresponds to what you initally wanted to convey but this is what I feel from it.

Thanks, Alain -