Peter Roberts
Well-Known Member
Stuck on a train waiting outside Clapham Junction.
Olympus XA2 / Kentmere 400 / Rodinal
Olympus XA2 / Kentmere 400 / Rodinal
Critique Welcomed Nero going nowhere
- Thread starter Peter Roberts
- Start date
Gary R. Smith
Well-Known Member
Just goes to show that it's not just kids addicted to their screens.
Rob MacKillop
Edinburgh Correspondent
Rome burned, while Nero checked his phone…
Gianluca Drago
Well-Known Member
I really like this photo, but I couldn't say why. Is it the austere character depicted, is it the writing outside the window, is it the light, is it the balanced use of black and white? Or maybe the combination of things and especially the composition. Ten stars out of ten.
Peter Roberts
Well-Known Member
Indeed it does, Gary. Although to be fair when I first noticed him he was writing in a notebook with a proper pencil. How many people, apart from me, still do that I wonder? By the time I'd plucked up courage to risk a shot and fished the camera out of my pocket he'd changed to his phone. It adds a touch of incongruity I think.
Peter Roberts
Well-Known Member
Hahaha! I wish I'd thought of that, Rob. Looks like you're returning to form.
Peter Roberts
Well-Known Member
It was the combination of all the factors you listed that made me very pleased with this shot. I would like to think that it is nicely balanced and worth posting.
I'm glad you liked it, Gianluca.
Rob MacKillop
Edinburgh Correspondent
On reflection, it should be While Nero Checked His Phone, Rome Burned (or roasted). But either way, you are welcome to it!
Gianluca Drago
Well-Known Member
Oh! Only now do I understand your joke, Rob
How stupid of me. This is due to the language barrier. For us Italians ‘nero’ means ‘black’ while the Roman emperor Lucius Domitius Enobarbus, accused (perhaps unjustly) of burning Rome in Italy is nicknamed ‘Nerone’ not ‘Nero’.
Rob MacKillop
Edinburgh Correspondent
Nice to be corrected, Gianluca, though it spoils the joke! The phrase we in the UK learn in Primary School (though probably not these days) is Nero fiddled, while Rome burned. I had no idea about the correct version.
