Thanks, George.

You'll be interested to know that this is my brother (i.e., not myself), caught doing his Sisyphus act 30 years ago on Enchanted Rock, Texas.

This original Kodachrome slide had deteriorated over the years, having something like green mould growing all over it and lots of embedded dust. It took quite a bit of Photoshop cleaning to get it to look this good, but that famous Kodachrome sharpness suffered a bit in the process.

Funny...the reference to Sisyphus, not the green mold...although I gotta say that's kinda funny, too ;-) I find it interesting that you have a lot of work to draw from taken over several decades (in this case, the red hightop converse should have been a dead giveaway! d-oh!). In many cases it's an interesting glimpse into the past...literally in the image, and figuratively at who you are/were/is/am...well, you get the idea :-)

@George again...I've added a humorous element to both of my submissions, thus far. Do you think that the broad theme definition precludes humor?

I suppose that I'm still attempting to rebound from all the grimness I saw in the "The End" theme, although this could have been the end for my brother--he was really pushing.

@George again...I've added a humorous element to both of my submissions, thus far. Do you think that the broad theme definition precludes humor?

I suppose that I'm still attempting to rebound from all the grimness I saw in the "The End" theme, although this could have been the end for my brother--he was really pushing.

King, given the broad theme as described (isolation, abandonment, things that have been left behind, people without ties, meditation, silence...) humor to me doesn't stand out at all, with the possible exception of "things that have been left behind" (e.g. I'm imagining a cute and humorous pic of a teary-eyed toddler looking around for mommy or daddy). Nonetheless, I don't write off humor at all. I just think it may be a greater challenge to make a humorous image that strongly fits this category.

As for your brother, I hope at least high feet were sticking out from under the rock...so you could get those red converse.

um...I mean, "As for your brother, I hope at least *his* feet..."

George...althougth this photo is humorous, it is nothing less than an illustration of the myth of Sisyphus, a very unfunny story, indeed. There was never a more isolated person than Sisyphus, bound forever to push his rock uphill, alone, without assistance. This task finally became meaningful to Sisyphus, and the meaning of the task was his salvation.

I hope that some kind rater or commentator (possibly psychodudu!) will recognize this and sympathize with my brother's plight.

...oh, and those aren't high tops.

Thanks again for your enjoyable and perceptive comments.

King, okay, okay, this exchange is starting to get Sisyphean!! (I'm pulling your leg...and, fine, they're not *high* tops...they're *low* tops. whatever. i still insist they're converse!!!)

@ManGo...the camera isn't tilted. It's a dramatic, monolithic granite dome.

@zorilla...see the discussion on your point within this featured image:

http://www.weeklyshot.org/theme/alone/featured/88/

@ManGo...the camera isn't tilted. It's a dramatic, monolithic granite dome.

@zorilla...see the discussion on your point within this featured image:

http://www.weeklyshot.org/theme/alone/featured/88/

@Blizzard...to make you laugh I consider to be a worthy thing and small payment toward the many smiles you have given me and others on WS.

I guess I missed the humour here King, maybe its me?

@bslomovic...if you don't see a man attempting with all his effort to push an impossibly large rock up a steep slope with no help, then it is not funny. Some people see a smiling man leaning against a rock. He isn't smiling and he isn't leaning, but it may be difficult to tell.

I has been poor judgment to introduce humor into the "Alone" theme. Although I think it could be done with great success, I haven't succeeded in two attempts. My previous entry, shot with my flat bed scanner, received much higher overall ratings, LOL.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

And now that I've read the comments, I get it, but I'm sorry to say it still doesn't do much for me. To me it screams 'cheesy holiday snapshot'. What's next, someone 'holding up' the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

@King, Yes that's why I said suspected conceit - it just looks typical of such a "trick". Perhaps if you had given more context in the picture or maybe a different angle of view one's thoughts would be different and there would be more impact. I suppose a reshoot 30 years later is a little too much to ask ;)

@King, Yes that's why I said suspected conceit - it just looks typical of such a "trick". Perhaps if you had given more context in the picture or maybe a different angle of view one's thoughts would be different and there would be more impact. I suppose a reshoot 30 years later is a little too much to ask ;)

ManGo is correct. It's just a silly, 30-year-old snapshot.

However, it is absolutely true that my brother and I were illustrating the myth of Sisyphus. If you don't get Sisyphus, then it is difficult to get past the obvious silliness of the pose.

I'm not trying to set fire to the world here, but I'm a bit tired of the eternal struggle for featuredom. I may never again submit a photo that I think stands a reasonable chance to be featured. That should be pretty easy, and I'll spend *MUCH LESS TIME* on the WS websites.

King, welcome to your own personal Sisyphean task! And keep at it, Man! I enjoy and learn from your contributions (as I do from many others) and I imagine many others do, too. Happy holidays :-)

George...[King's long-winded response]

Thanks very much--and I hope it goes without saything that the feeling is mutual.

Please don't get me wrong. My last statement was not intended as sour grapes and I'm not feeling angry, disappointed, embittered, unappreciated, defiant, puzzled or perplexed.

I, like you, am interested in unusual contributions (and I don't count the photo above as an example in this discussion), or things off the beaten path or of exceptional artistic merit.

I find that technical excellence (e.g., flawless, noise- and grain-free digital mastery) is valued above artistic merit by many and that is sometimes discouraging.

For example, it is my opinion that the first of Dan Creighton's submissions that was *not* featured (#62 in the Rain theme) was one of the best he has submitted (9 out of 11 of his images have been featured so far). You'll see immediately why it wasn't held in high regard, in general.

My previous submission in this theme was posted to illustrate a discussion I was having with some folks about whether a scanner could be used as a camera. My submission was an attempt to prove that it can (#98--it won't get featured. Feel free to assign threes or lower if you wish to read the discussion).

However, photos that aren't featured are not often discussed. Indeed, most *featured* items are not discussed (or little discussed) and I think the current theme is a case in point. This isn't Flickr. Many contributors, yourself included, find that the discussion is the icing on the cake.

My next submission may cause a lot of discussion, but do we really have to cause a scandal just to get folks to talk about some element of photography that should concern us all? The WS Google group is a fine forum for discussion, but only the hard liners go there. My hunch is that we have more lurkers on the photo meme that we do in the Google group. At least here, ideas are more likely to be disseminated.

I am drawn to WS like a bee to pollen. This is not a good thing because I, like many others, spend *WAY* too much time here. I just want more substance, more dialog and exchange of ideas than we are experiencing...not just superb images to dazzle our eyes.

George and others,

To my embarrassment, my image #98 got featured with the 14 ratings it had received simultaneously as I wrote the above.

My brother, who is the subject of this photo, wrote me to say,

"In the first place, all of you have misinterpreted this picture. I am striving mightily to keep this rock from sliding down and kiling about 75 children who are playing at the bottom of this granite ball. I was successful. No children died.

"However, some of you connected this with Sisyphus, not realizing that Sisyphus had it rather easy because his rock was round. And, therefore, I, with my rectangular onus, am alone in my struggle. Alone and disconsolate, knowing that 30 years later no one will realize what a heroic feat I achieved."