Golden Doorway
Ó Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Barry W. Hollritt, 1999

During late October of 1999, I was wandering the streets of Hoboken, New Jersey in search of scenes for my newest project. This new project was a compilation of unique doors and doorknobs found in the square mile of Hoboken’s streets and alleys. I had been photographing doorways and entrances into the row houses of Hoboken since early spring, and by October I had accumulated close to 500 exposures of some pretty neat doors and knobs in the town. As I was wandering through the streets on a very overcast Sunday, I noticed in the distance one particular doorway that I found appealing. As I approached the scene, to my delight, I found a wonderful addition to the majestic stairs and entrance. There, lazily leaning against the massive abutment, was a gentle golden canine who was quietly inspecting the street traffic that was tromping by. As I approached, she continued her leisurely stance and seemed rather unfazed by my constant stare. Her mood affected my preparation for the photograph. I slowly raised my camera and composed the photograph and took the light readings over a period of about five minutes. I knew the exposure would need to be balanced for her golden coat, but the stonework around the door was important to expose and capture the dark contrast to the dog’s golden color. Finally, the perfectly balanced pot of red geraniums brings a touch of nature to what I feel is a wonderful street scene from a historic New Jersey town. Of course, composed to the rear of the scene, are a wonderful pair of Hoboken doors, initially the object of my photograph. Since completing this print, I have yet to return and retrieve the canine’s name!