Nardio Picture of The Day

Life and death in the big city

Warning, weird read. 

Ever see a picture and found yourself just stopping whatever it was you were doing and just start thinking about it and eventually over thinking it? I remember years ago, now I mean before the days of Instagram and even, le gasp(!), Facebook, we really appreciated cool pictures more. Back in those days we would save them as screen savers, backgrounds and even print them out. Nowadays, we give it a double tap and move on looking for the next cat picture and unbelievably perfect person.


Anywho, a while ago I noticed a skeleton on my way home from work and I was very amused by it. No, not some homeless person just left to rot, although the way DeBlasio is treating New York, that may not be far off. What I mean is a fake skeleton outside one of those weird stores that sells rocks and other dumb nick knacks and what I assume are drugs to pay rent.  Because seriously, any store that sell rocks and stuffed dead animals and dream catchers in Manhattan has to be selling drugs to make rent.

Anywho, anywho, outside the store there was one of those cool hanging skeletons to teach anatomy. I found myself enthralled by it. No one else seemed to give a damn and walked by like it was nothing special. Yet, for some reason, that made it even more interesting to me. People walked by it the way we normally walk by homeless people on the way to work or car accidents or any other big event that seems to happen on the way to and from when we are going someplace in a hurry.

It fit. It clicked. It worked. 

I needed to take a picture!

Here is a personification of death totally ignored. Just like we ignore so many other things in the big city. Just like we ignore so many other things in life. Just like we ignore the ever looming specter of death hanging over us all. Here it was, plain as day and yet there it was, forgotten, in the wide open. I was fascinated. I was enthralled and I stopped rushing home and started composing my shots.

I shot this several times.

Life and death in the big city Full


The shot above is the final image.

I felt that having everything else blown out made sense. The only part of the image that is really in focus is the teeth. Something about the teeth in skeletons always weirded me and creeped me out. Something about the fully exposed mouth that normally expresses emotions laid raw and bare always seemed to be the final epitome of death. Having the teeth be the sharp focal point you find with your eyes just fit.

Here stands this lonely personification of death. Explanation of life. Cool fucking thing. Ignored and lost in the big city like so many dead homeless people on the way to work. Adorable kids on the way to school and epic events in the city that go unknown.

On a drab street under a forgotten scaffolding that’s been up as long as I’ve lived in the area. A dim looking forward shot with sickly yellow store light highlighting the subject.

Further on, you see daylight, a bustling city street with bokeh, life and people ignoring what is just in front of them.

Around them.

Awaiting them all.

Yep, I thought way, way, way too much about this picture and even more when writing this.






Sony a6500


Rokinon AF 35mm f/1.4


F: 1.4

ISO: 1/125



Bernardo Español


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