honorable mention
John Eaton Eaton united states
title
At The Goat Market
The prospective buyers form a rough circular passage around which the sellers promenade with their animals, sometimes leading them but often carrying them in their arms. Sellers may proceed around the circle several times before a buyer shows interest; if the interest is serious, the haggling over price is intense and may take several iterations before a deal is finally consummated or not -– if a deal is done, it’s an immediate cash transaction!
Biography
Born and raised in England, but living in California since the late 1980’s, my photographic skills are self-taught through decades of patience and practice. The potential of black and white photography first enthralled and excited me as a teenager when my father lent me his Kodak fold-out camera to take on a school trip to Brussels and Paris . I bought my first camera in 1966 (a used twin-lens Yashica), followed by a succession of various 35mm and medium-format film cameras -- today I use digital rangefinder cameras.
I’m energized in exploring images of what I see around me, especially architecture and landscape (the interest in architecture comes from the rest of my family -- my father, brother and son are all architects). I’m fascinated by the form and function of buildings that men and women create and equally by the infinite forms that nature creates.
Ever since that first experience back in 1958, black and white photography has always been my first love -- the simplicity, elegance, drama, timeliness and richness that it can bring to an image for me drives a more visceral response. I’m excited by the emotional ‘punch’ that black and white images bring in this particular context – the contrasts between light and dark, areas of luminance and tonality, and the abstractions of shapes and forms -- that “special” quality that heightens the emotion and impact of the image.
www.johneatonphotography.com
www.englishmedievalcathedrals.com
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entry description
Every Friday morning, a goat market is held in Nizwa, Oman, to which buyers and sellers come from miles around -- originally on foot but now in SUVs!. The goats are primarily the local Omani long-haired breeds and prized animals can fetch hundreds of dollars. Auctions such as this have been held here regularly for hundreds of years and form an important part of the social fabric of the region.The prospective buyers form a rough circular passage around which the sellers promenade with their animals, sometimes leading them but often carrying them in their arms. Sellers may proceed around the circle several times before a buyer shows interest; if the interest is serious, the haggling over price is intense and may take several iterations before a deal is finally consummated or not -– if a deal is done, it’s an immediate cash transaction!
about the photographer
JOHN EATON, ARPSBiography
Born and raised in England, but living in California since the late 1980’s, my photographic skills are self-taught through decades of patience and practice. The potential of black and white photography first enthralled and excited me as a teenager when my father lent me his Kodak fold-out camera to take on a school trip to Brussels and Paris . I bought my first camera in 1966 (a used twin-lens Yashica), followed by a succession of various 35mm and medium-format film cameras -- today I use digital rangefinder cameras.
I’m energized in exploring images of what I see around me, especially architecture and landscape (the interest in architecture comes from the rest of my family -- my father, brother and son are all architects). I’m fascinated by the form and function of buildings that men and women create and equally by the infinite forms that nature creates.
Ever since that first experience back in 1958, black and white photography has always been my first love -- the simplicity, elegance, drama, timeliness and richness that it can bring to an image for me drives a more visceral response. I’m excited by the emotional ‘punch’ that black and white images bring in this particular context – the contrasts between light and dark, areas of luminance and tonality, and the abstractions of shapes and forms -- that “special” quality that heightens the emotion and impact of the image.
www.johneatonphotography.com
www.englishmedievalcathedrals.com
back to gallery