Wednesday, April 16, 2008

How I Spent Last Sunday



One more weather story - only this time I was right there. This past weekend my wife and I went to Miami to take part in the first South Beach triathlon. It was a truly great event - beautifully managed, perfect conditions, and we both did well. The start was at 7 a.m. and as the sun was rising over the Atlantic and the competitors made their way to the start, a waterspout formed well offshore providing the most spectacular start I've ever seen. (A waterspout is a small tornado that forms over water drawing water upwards to a larger storm cloud.)

I was curious to see if any newspapers would pick it up and kudos to Joe Caveretta of the Sun Sentinel (top) and Patrick Farrell of the Miami Herald (below). It's interesting to compare how different an approach each photographer took on pictures that were taken no more than minutes or yards away from each other. FYI - Cavaretta's picture is the more accurate in reflecting the true light and conditions, but I think that maybe Farrell got the better picture by a hair. Your vote?

12 comments:

Evan said...

Farrell by a mile. The lonely fragility of the swimmer against the immense ocean, the dark ominous cloud over the bright calm sea... It's spectacular. And it speaks to the triathlon "one person alone against the elements" mystique.

The other is too light, too crowded; the waterspout becomes scenery for a perfectly acceptable but mundane PJ shot.

Nothing wrong with Caveretta's. But Farrell's is transcendent.

Anonymous said...

a very big fan of your blog, and i just saw this video and the first
i thought was; danziger would love
this. though you might have already
of seen it....

http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/2008/04/21/080421_elevators

M.W. Nolden said...

Caveretta's is an interesting journalistic photo.
Farrell took it a step further & turned it into something a bit more mysterious ~ suddenly what's happening becomes ambiguous & open to interpretation. Am I over analyzing here? Let just say I agree. Farrell by a nose.

glass1/2full said...

The first is photojournalism, the second is Art.

stacy said...

farrell gets my vote.

gmg said...

Farrell by a schnozola. Very evocative. It's always interesting to see how different photographers approach the same opportunity. I'd love to see more.

Laurel said...

I love the second photograph, definately. The first is beautiful as well, but the second one captivates the audience. The solidity of the one swimmer's silhouette against the ominous clouds and colors in the sky leaves the viewers even more uncomfortable with the weather conditions. The water is also much more beautiful in Farrell's shot.

Anonymous said...

Farrell has the best capture of the Loch Ness Monster, no?

-- desertwind

frank_ezelle said...

I must not be artistic enough--I like Caveretta's photo far better. It's surreal to me with the the action and faces coming towards the camera and the impending danger coming up from behind.

Aunt Katie said...

Farrell gets my vote. Evan said exactly what I wanted to!

David (Snappy) said...

The second photo gets my prize, its dark and magical..

ChicChickory said...

Much prefer the Farrell photo. Has the feeling of a Mark Rothko painting of whom I am a big fan.