Sunday, September 7, 2008

My mailbox, sort of

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Robert over at Thoughts of a Father has just launched Project Show Me - a very cool new photo project (his very first one too, so come show him some love and play along).
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For day 1, we are to show you our mailboxes. This one was a bit of a challenge for me, since I live in an urban hi-rise with an incredibly ugly bank of mailboxes (why couldn't he have started with tomorrow's challenge - kitchens - I renovated two years ago and LOVE my kitchen). Not to mention, for some reason my city doesn't have mail delivery. All city residents are given, free of charge, a post office box. All "regular" mail, and a fair amount of junk mail, gets delivered to the PO Box. The only things that arrive in the mailbox in our building are municipal tax/water bills, gas bills (no idea why, they just do), free local newspapers (weeklies, chock full of ads and local political rhetoric), and flyers. That's about it.
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The only things the building mailbox has going for it photographically are a) the fact that it is right here and not several blocks away (a definite consideration on a day when my schedule is already jam-packed as it is) and b) it is slightly (very, very slightly) less hideously ugly than the post office boxes, which are just locked little doors.
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Never one to shirk at a challenge I took my trusty camera downstairs and hoped for the best. Somehow I had to find a way to make this wall of metal look photogenic, and to do so without revealing my or anyone else's personal information. Easier said than done.
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Luck was on my side though, and there was in fact a local paper sticking out of the box, which gave me something to shoot other than nameplates and locks. I went for the black and white conversion to hide the overwhelming ugliness because what could be more fitting for a shot of a newspaper than black and white. (Oh, and mine is the mailbox on the bottom with its nameplate carefully hidden from view, not the one showing the grayed out name of a long-since moved away neighbor.)
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And now, without more drivel further ado, I give you...
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drumroll please
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...my mailbox!
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30 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, having read your post, I know your opinion of my bank of square doored mailboxes .... lol! I would have been looking for an angle, too, if it weren't for that wonderful gecko.

Now for a question -- can you actually read that paper?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I'm looking at that paper and thinking..."geesh...it's like a foreign language or something." Duh. I love that you did it in black and white. You are so creative. I wish I had gone blog hopping yesterday so I could have been in on the challenge!

Robin said...

LOL Mine is just as bare quilly, but that little gecko was a great catch. Just what those mailboxes needed to perk them up :).

And yup, I can read the paper (but this particular freebie one is really garbage, worth what I pay for it). Oh, and by the way, we don't write our threes backwards - the part you see in the picture is upside down :-).

Anonymous said...

Very nice! You took a lemon and made lemonade :-) Thanks for your sympathy regarding that mailbox sticking out. We have asked the neighbors and they said we could straighten if we'd like...guess they're not going to! Maybe one day we'll hire a strong kid to do it.

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful shot!

Leora said...

After all that long explanation, you came up with a great photo!

Phyllis Sommer said...

lol - i was giggling at your "only in israel" explanation....and the picture turned out great!

Driftwood and Pumpkin said...

i was preparing myself for a really ugly shot and then found this beauty! Love the lack and white and the lighting is delightful!

Robert said...

You did a fantastic job with this. The b & w is perfect for this. I love the blurred background of continuing mailboxes. I'm glad you're enjoying the challenge. I can't wait to see what you do for Show me...your kitchen. Thanks so much for playing along.

Melli said...

WOW! You took everyday humdrum and turned it spectacular!!! Well done!

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Nice shot. Your angle and the b&w definitely made it far more interesting. :D

Karen Coutu said...

I think you did great! What luck that the newspaper was just delivered!!

Karen of the MomDot Street Team
www.MomDot.com

Anndi said...

That was a great shot! And black and white was perfect.

Bazza said...

Nice shot, I enjoyed the drum roll too!

anymommy said...

That is an incredible picture. I expected a boring shot, but I should have known better, you're photos are always gorgeous. The Hebrew makes it even more interesting (for a boring American).

Anonymous said...

yes, knowing how ugly the mail boxes are here i wasn't expecting such an arty shot!!

Anonymous said...

yes, knowing how ugly the mail boxes are here i wasn't expecting such an arty shot!!

Carletta said...

Terrific shot! The newspaper was a bonus and you made it WORK!

This project is so going to be fun!

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) said...

O.k., I had no idea mailbox photos could be so interesting. But they really can be. Yours is no exception.

Raven said...

Well done... very creative solution to the problem of a boring subject.

Anonymous said...

I love it! I'm so enjoying the mailboxes!!!!!

Dr.John said...

It is a mail box and a good picture.

Shelly said...

Very cool angle, really like the black and white.

Janet said...

It might not be an interesting mailbox, but it's a fantastic photo!!!

Martin Brook said...

Nice shot; and the B/W works well. Half the fun was reading your intro!

lynn said...

You did a great job making it fun. I like the B&W!

Preethi said...

I never knew a mailbox could look so good!! Awesome!!

Shannon said...

Awesome shot. I am so impressed with how you made such a challenging shot so beautiful. What a fun photo project. May have to jump on board!

Jill said...

Wow... that is an amazing photo!

Anonymous said...

Loved the hebrew on the newspaper. And I LOVE that you can read it! Years ago I had a friend that lived in Ramat Aviv, and I was always SO JEALOUS that she got to live in Israel, and I didn't. She is back in the states now....

I love your blog, btw. And we don't even know each other!