
Do'nt you just love digital photography! - I was messing about in photoshop with this night shot that I took in the city a few months ago and tried a rather extreme b&w conversion of it, destroying any image quality in the process but leaving me with something that I found really interesting.
All of a sudden, quite unbidden on my part, those iconic images by Roy Schatt and Dennis Stock from the 50's of James Dean walking in New York City popped into my head.
http://www.hackelbury.co.uk/artists/stock/stock_pic06.html
http://www.jamesdean.com/about/photos/walking.htm
The title "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" came from an obscure link to Dean - so obscure that I won't bore you with it now, but I thought it suited the image.
There are also several songs by the same name but the lyrics to this version by Green Day are particularly beautiful. I'm not really a fan of theirs but Armstrong sure knows how to write :
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone
Read between the lines
What's fucked up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone...
Lyrics by Green Day
Like what you see here and are interested in photographic composition?.....the blog section of my website now has a complete set of 5 articles covering my personal approach to the subject: Ian Bramham Photography - Blog
For purchasing high quality archival prints of any of these photos you can send me an email by clicking here or by going to my website Ian Bramham - Fine Art Photography where prices are listed in the gallery sections under each individual photo.
@Lorraine: thanks Lorraine!
@yiannis krikis: Thanks yiannis!
@Kheoh Yee Wei: Thanks - I'm pleased that you liked the lyrics!
@tetsu: thanks tetsu!
@MaryB: Thanks - I'm pleased that you thought that the lyrics went with the image.
@Mike: You've certainly been digging deep into my old photos Mike!....I remember being really taken with this photo at the time but now.....mmmm!!!
FUJIFILM FinePix F31fd
1/42 second
F/2.8
ISO 1600
8 mm