Auschwitz (Part1)

[asaroha]

Hi all,
I just got back from a quick, rushed trip to Poland. Here are some from the quick first-sort I just did. Not really happy with these as I don't think I succeeded on capturing the full mood of the place. C&Cs will be greatly appreciated, especially regarding the bw conversion.

1.


2.


3.


4.

[Glen]

I think you did a great job of capturing the mood

[Oscar]

Abel, I think you have done a great job in capturing the mood you were after. Nice B&W conversion job too.

All good shots.

Cheers, Mick

[Jeko70]

Great job Abel!

#4 for me.

It seems taken from their point of view, I mean the gaze of the camera "is" the eye of the people inside the Camp, even more it concides with their sense of freedom, it's what they saw....

It remaind me the "Rossellini" way to make movies.

Thank you to share with us

Fab

[marc]

The 2nd & 4th one have captured the mood very well.

[sirhc55]

What makes these great images is simply being in black and white. To show a death camp in colour is contradictory to what happened in these places. Abel you have captured the sombre mood in all of these pics to perfection.

[spaz]

When were you there? It was Holocaust memorial day just over a week ago and my younger brother took part in a march between the 2 camps.

Sorry if I come across as being harsh, I have visited both Auschwitz 1 (where these were taken - "Arbeit Macht Frei" at the entrance) and 2 (Birkenau - the larger camp with the well known brick building at its entrance) after much Holocaust study so can be overly picky.

1. Very good composition and inclusion of an important element of the site.

2. Why did you choose this angle? I think it brings too much of a "fun" attitude into an otherwise haunting photo. (please don't interpret this question as a criticism as I am interested to know, it inadvertently comes across in a patronising manner but I am not sure how to word it better)

3. I'm glad that you've included this in your collection. The first thing that struck me in this camp was the abundance of greenery and how the entire area seemed too much like a village of sorts. It is important to realise how different the surroundings would have originally been.

4. Well captured, as mentioned before it gives a great sense of its location. The out of focus wires are also well placed within the frame, adding to the composition without detracting from the background.

As for the BW conversions (including your other post too), I think you have done very well regarding the deep, rich shadows but I keep thinking that the highlights lack slightly and are too gray, particularly in the clouds.

[asaroha]

Wow, thank you for all the positive comments. Like I said though, I still think the photos are not really substitute of really being in the place. I visited the place with the laid-back attitude of a tourist, thinking that it will be just another war memorial/museum. I ended up spending a lot more hours there than I originally intended. The place has definitely changed my view of history.

Spaz :
Thank you for the comprehensive comments. Unlike you was I did not really know much about the holocaust before I visited the camps. Since I also did not engage a guide, I must have missed a lot of the essential stories behind the camp.

With regards to #2, to be honest I can't really explain why I chose the angles. I only took several shots of the 'oven', the others being close ups, and they just seem to lack the impact of this one. The tourist fence really restrict the angles. Regardless, I have to acknowledge that I'm guilty of the shoot-first-think-later disease, something that I'm desperately working on.

You're right the amount of greenery there is quite surprising. For me though, it only makes it more chilling. Walking towards 'the wall' for example while hearing the birds chirping around you and being surrounded by green lush trees was a pretty freaky experience.

Now that you mentioned it, the highlights do look a little bit gray. I guess I've been concentrating too much on the shadows and midtones. I'll play around with the photos more and post the result. Thank you for mentioning that to me.

[Raskill]

Interesting images. They portray a moodiness to the place. I actually like the image of the ovens, and the angle you took it at, it makes the image seem unbalanced or dizzy (not unlike the minds who thought the place up).

Nice images of a tragic subject matter.

Thanks for posting.