# What is your favorite picture? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264 "2000-07-28T21:50:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Silo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Silo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/1 "2000-07-28T21:50:05Z")
This is my favorite picture: [http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/96/01/PRC9601a.jpg](http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/96/01/PRC9601a.jpg) This picture is dubbed the “Hubble deep field.” It was taken in January 1996 by the Hubble space telescope. The HST was pointed at a dim point in the sky and focused on that point for many days to reveal the picture above. This is the deepest optical image ever taken. And my favorite pic too! Looking at this picture can give you an understanding of how big the Universe really is. The point in the sky where this image was derived from is about the size of a pencil dot on a piece of paper held at arms length! Multiply this image millions of times over and you get an idea of what a lil chunk of the Universe looked like 4 billion years ago, when the earth was forming (although some faint parts of the image go back to when the Universe was just 1 billion years old!). Yet the Universe has expanded so much since this photo. The Universe is just so big that anything you can imagine to possibly exist probably does! And considering that each one of the galaxies has say a billion stars, you start to realize how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. Every time I look at this photo my mind wonders in fascination at it all. It’s like I’ve become a kid again and am exploring the toy store. We use mathematical formulas to explain the behavior of the Universe, but nobody has ever been able to explain the machinery behind it all (like say a particle splits comes back together and emits a photon, nobody can explain exactly what drives this but we can use QM to explain the behavior - statistically predict it). Looking at this you must wonder if there really is a god. It’s a philosophical question I suppose. And if there is one why would he pay any attention to this insignificant corner of our lil Milky Way galaxy. Hmmph! So what’s your favorite picture? why? ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/2 "2000-07-29T01:18:09Z")
[http://homepages.go.com/~cmcinternationalrecords/Woo.jpg](http://homepages.go.com/~cmcinternationalrecords/Woo.jpg) This is my favorite picture. I don’t think I need to go into details. * * * Yer pal, Satan _I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR: Three months, two weeks, five days, 23 hours, 17 minutes and 55 seconds. 4438 cigarettes not smoked, saving $554.85. Life saved: 2 weeks, 1 day, 9 hours, 50 minutes._ Visit [The Fabulous Forums of Fathom](http://fff.fathom.org/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?) ---
**Author:** ![Poirot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@Poirot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poirot)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/3 "2000-07-29T19:20:09Z")
I know it takes a lot of kidding, but I really like it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/4 "2000-07-29T19:35:03Z")
The Mona Lisa. I just love the depth and beauty of that painting. I also love Dutch Realism. ---
**Author:** ![Quadzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a4c791/32.png) [@Quadzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quadzilla)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/5 "2000-07-29T23:29:13Z")
Hrm…I like the one taken down the steps of Montmartre (in Paris) at night with the streetlamps. I also like the woods in snow by Ansel Adams. ---
**Author:** ![JBENZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@JBENZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBENZ)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/6 "2000-07-30T15:33:33Z")
[http://www.spinnwebe.com/iadl/archive/index.cgi?cartoon=441](http://www.spinnwebe.com/iadl/archive/index.cgi?cartoon=441) ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/7 "2000-07-30T19:23:06Z")
[Eros and Psyche](http://www.art.com/search/enlarge.asp?sid=AD8728E3EF42493598F2DCBBA151CF5D&aufid=AUF-CON-G310&fineart=0&SearchGroup=1&ProductTypeID=1&SubProductTypeID=0) It’s hanging over the entertainment center in our living room. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/8 "2000-07-30T21:26:14Z")
[The Sierra Nevada in California](http://wildwestart.com/bierstadt/sierra_nevada_calif.htm) by Albert Bierstadt. It hangs above my computer, so I can look at it whenever I want. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/9 "2000-07-30T21:58:14Z")
Silo posted this question over at FFF also, and I’ll give the same answer. When I saw the thread title, I said to myself, before even opening it, “If he’s talking about photographs, I’d have to say the Hubble Deep Field.” Imagine my surprise when I saw his OP! Pretty funny. I first saw the Deep Field photo in Carl Sagan’s book, “Pale Blue Dot,” and it blew my mind. I’ve been an amateur astronomer for a while, and this pic just captures everything that is absolutely staggering about the Universe, whether you’re a theist, nontheist, or other. I downloaded it from the Hubble Heritage page, had my wife print it out at her previous workplace on their hi-res printer, and affix it to a piece of foamcore used for architectural models. It’s now sitting on my desk at work. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/10 "2000-07-30T22:33:23Z")
I’m not sure paintings count as pictures. My favorite painting is quite different from my favorite picture. Of course there is a picture of the Mona Lisa, taken at the louve, that I quite like. One of my favorite pictures is this. I have too many to list. [http://www.artincontext.org/LISTINGS/IMAGES/FULL/8/3PHS9JF8.htm](http://www.artincontext.org/LISTINGS/IMAGES/FULL/8/3PHS9JF8.htm) It’s by Daido Moriyama. A japanese photographer. ---
**Author:** ![BarnStormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f8ce5/32.png) [@BarnStormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnStormer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/11 "2000-07-31T00:20:10Z")
I guess I should add it to my sig. **[Barnstormer](http://www.geocities.com/sdpeoplepages/barnstormer.html)** ---
**Author:** ![Philbuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@Philbuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philbuck)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/12 "2000-07-31T15:30:35Z")
Not sure I can come up with my absolute favorite picture, but the HDF reminds me of my favorite [astronomy picture](http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0002/sombrero_vlt_big.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Silo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Silo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/13 "2000-07-31T15:46:48Z")
> [@](#): > > [http://www.spinnwebe.com/iadl/archive/index.cgi?cartoon=441](http://www.spinnwebe.com/iadl/archive/index.cgi?cartoon=441) LOL! ---
**Author:** ![JoeyHemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ba0ec/32.png) [@JoeyHemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyHemlock)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/14 "2000-07-31T16:06:41Z")
It’s me! [http://profiles.yahoo.com/joey\_hemlock](http://profiles.yahoo.com/joey_hemlock) Wasn’t I adorable? This is the one that will hopefull be on the people pages someday. ---
**Author:** ![Sweet\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sweet\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweet_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/15 "2000-07-31T16:25:01Z")
I can’t find it anywhere on the Web, but my favourite is _Gabrielle et Jean_, by Renoir. My dad bought a print of it at the Louvre when he went to Paris, and I could stare at it for hours. But I haven’t been able to find a print for myself anywhere, not even on the Louvre website. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![JoeyHemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ba0ec/32.png) [@JoeyHemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyHemlock)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-picture/27264/16 "2000-07-31T16:43:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sweet\_Lotus \* > \*\*I can’t find it anywhere on the Web, but my favourite is _Gabrielle et Jean_, by Renoir. \*\* A simple search on Yahoo turned up [http://www.museeimaginaire.net/gallery/reno07.html](http://www.museeimaginaire.net/gallery/reno07.html)