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JamesBardolph β The Gate
Published: 2005-10-14 20:30:19 +0000 UTC; Views: 12236; Favourites: 388; Downloads: 947
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Description
European Photo Trip #2: Krakow, Poland. Day trip to Auschwitz.The entrance gate that prisoners called the "Gate of Death" was located in the main SS guardhouse building. Trains carrying deportees entered here after May 1944 on the railroad spur that extended into the camp.
Auschwitz II (Birkenau) is the camp that people know simply as "Auschwitz". It was the site of imprisonment of hundreds of thousands, and the murder of over one million people, mainly Jews.
The camp's main purpose, however, was not internment with forced labor (as Auschwitz I & III) but rather extermination. For this purpose, the camp was equipped with 4 crematoria with gas chambers; each gas chamber was designed to hold up to 2500 people at one time.
Large-scale extermination started in Spring 1942.
Text sources: auschwitz-muzeum.oswiecim.pl , Wikipedia
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Comments: 188
Thanks, Rob. That you find the photo so engaging shows I did what I set out to do: Capture the history & atmosphere of the place.
Much appreciated.
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20D used to it's full potential; cinematic thorugh still
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This is very scary picture. One of the best I've ever seen - I mean that place. Though I am Polish, I don't know if I will brave enough, anytime, to visit Oswiecim.
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Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it, and I'm glad you can appreciate the photo.
Do you have relatives who died at Auschwitz?
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At Auschwitz not (or who knows? almost every Polish family lost some of members there) but in other places like that yes, I have.
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lov d sky man! it's amazin....darn good work u dd..
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just taking another look. Plenty more where this came from when we go to Venice
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wow. Inspiring photos. Rally motivated now to get some great shots out there 
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The dark and gloomy sky goes along well with what happened at that place
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You are an amazing artist..
God, Im in love with this..
I am taking one look at it and Im in a dilemma..should I take a step forward..or..should I step back and leave?
Its taking my breath away, James..
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As a Pole I feel great sentiment to this shot and the other ones in your collection.
Though I've never lived there, I go back to Poland each year.
I've been to Auschwitz before and it was quite an experience.
The tones and the black and white format that you chose makes this shot.
Wonderful composition and point of view.
The mouth of the entrance resembles a mouth of death.
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It still amazes(and babbles) me how people get their images to look soooo good (contrast, mainly). Any hints?
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It still amazes(and babbles) me how people get their images to look soooo good. Any hints?
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It still amazes me how people get their images to look soooo good. Any hints?
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I duotone most of my B&W shots in Photoshop 
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One of my top 10 picks of 2005 [link]
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Wow, this is a f__king beautiful shot, the depth and b/w are perfect.
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this photo is wonderful, the position and what it has captured is personally impressive
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i've been there, felt the atmosphere. i was overwhelmed by how big the area was, and of course by seing the places i had seen so many times earlier, but only on tv or in books.
you got a great pic of this now almost classical object. the clouds gives this pic something extra though.. intimidating to say the least.
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auchwitz. reminds me of anne frank.
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That is one kickass shot, from the angle to the lighting - it's perfect. Favs for you.
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great shot. gives a good reminder to the world about the horrors of the holocaust. +fav
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Such a beautiful shot.
I really have a love for photographs like these. Wonderful depth and focal point.
Just starting to get back into comment. le'shit.
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I love the sky.. how one side is so doomy.. yet on the other side there appears to be half a heart..
It's a very moody/heavy piece.
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...
reminds so insane ("insensΓ©es" !?!) things but still, its sadly beautiful
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& atrocity always did seduce us into some morbid fascination.
This shot is stunning.
Iβm so glad that you chose a monochromatic view for this as colour would perhaps have distilled the purity of itβs effect, of itβs brutality and honesty. If it had been in colour, I would have been disappointed
There is something so effortlessly frank about this picture and yet beguiling all the same without pretence.
I love the angle as to which youβve attacked this drawing our attention to the journey as opposed to the destination so that we are always left with baited breath to count the rungs of tracks as perhaps those before us once counted their steps which would have once been as taken for granted as freedom, and yet both were bluntly stolen.
I love the detail of the grit and gravel as it almost scars and scrapes our eyes as they clamber upon it as crassly and desperately as bloodies knees. The grit itself gifting once again that sense of honesty of real lifeβ¦of -struggle- and of passion juxtaposition against the callous uniformed status of the rungs, as hard and straight as injusticeβ¦.as cruel as reality.
I love the way that the destination pans outwards forcing our eyes to open..forcing us to see this. Itβs as if the βgateβ itself is pinning our eyes painfully wide and forces us to look upwards as if we were already on our knees , oppressed and submitting.
& yet our vision tunnels, being vacuumed through the gate, itβs a forceful attraction that swallows usβ¦-drags- us through.
I find the βwindowsβ on the far left particularly interesting as the background is both solid and yet hollowβ¦absent of texture and of gradient which is evocative of emptiness to the point of hauntingβ¦.torturously soulless.
Finally Iβm drawn to the sky and the contrast of the busy cloud formations to the near eerie void below it which strips it of any romanticism and enforces a stark clarity dispelling and demystifying. Yet the darker more textured region is reminiscent of tyranny, as the clouds coagulate and thicken like fear. Thereβs an heir of restlessness amongst the cloud formation as loud as a car crash to the deaf.
..& let us not neglect to mention the gashes of light that streak bloodlike through the clouds spilling across the sky...very clever capturement.
& never had beauty been so ugly ..and ugliness so exquisite
I apologise if this makes little sense & i just wish i could do this picture justice but words fail me.
xxx
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p.s the -only- minor minor minor suggestions i could make would be:
1) i think the 'border' could do to be much wider.....i think it would complement the images depth and perspective.
2) i'd be interested to see a slightly darker version of this, nothing too drastic just a slight play with the contrast
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Man, how can I have not seen this before? It's stunning. I love the powerful, swirling sky; it contrasts well with the static buildings, and has great... er, portent. The only thing that bugs me is that it's not quite as symmetrical as it could be. I'm trying to work out if it's because of the camera not being dead centre on the tracks or just the cropping.
We had some guy come to talk to us about architectural photography on Thursday, it was awesome. I'll find his name for you. It made me realise how much more there is to that part, and all, of photography. He said some stuff about rising fronts that I didn't understand, but generally it was bodacious.
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great perspective and D.O.F
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Brillisnat photo.
Love the leading lines concept, really very very very well done
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The Long Slow Goodbye. All good work transcends the technical. And this is what we call art.
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Oh my God!! This is so pretty!!! All yours photos are cool!!!
Sorry but my english isn't well
XD
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Gotta say this is one of the nicest Photos ive seen probly ever. just looks so awsome. and the clouds dam.
Its so Beautiful
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Amazing composition, the cloud formation on the right side is somehow ominous. I've heard of your experience from other peope visiting Auschwitz, of feeling it just as much as seeing it. I think that this shot really captures the feeling as well as the visual impact. Thank you for sharing.
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I see, you have been in Krakow finally. This pic has such an heavy mood and atmosphere...makes you think, that the train with Jews will arrive in the moment...it really calls out the shiver, when you know, what happen behind the gate.
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Black and white photography at its best. I love the moody sky.
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Auschwitz yeah,
awesome piece bro, nicely captured and great bw !
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it looks like a set photo from a really creepy adventure movie..
Great shot. I kinda wanna visit it now from your description..
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Its moody, depressing and captures the esscence of the holocaust. Perfect
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D00d that is amazing. That sky is so atmospheric it hurts. The train tracks leading right up to the gate is very sinister.
I really like this. One of my faves of yours I think. I don't really know why either. It's just so... [insert appropriate adjective here]
I can't explain it. So I go off and hit the fave button, yes I do.
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repetitious but that doesn't make it any less powerful. well done, i have always wished to visit this place.
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very scary u succeeded to make it look dark...u just feel the horror behind the gate
one of your best works I think
niko.
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