Photo Assignment 01/26/08 COMMENTARY/TESTS

Wow, that's old-timey. I do like B&W. Nice one, Sue!

Sue Rihn-Manke said:

I started playing with my photo editor program, and transformed this color shot to b & w. (I am not sure I can even switch my camera to Black and White.) But I like the results of this all the same.

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Sue,

This shot works on so many levels. B&W is an excellent choice for the subject matter. The tree is away from center (as it should be) and the horizon, too, but just slightly. I also like how the background seems to recede into the atmosphere. Really, really cool.

p.s. LOVE your sig.

flymymbz said:

I always carry my camera with me, cause you never know when an opportunity is going to present itself. Yesterday, we were in the car headed to town. We pull out on the highway and movement on the opposite shoulder catches my eye. Its a Bald Eagle lunching on roadkill. STOPTHECARSTOPTHECARSTOPTHECAR!!! Then I remember that I downloaded a bunch of pics from the day before and had left my camera sitting on my desk. *%&#%$

I'm pretty pissed at myself for leaving the camera at home, that pic would have summed up why I love living where I do. How many folks get to see that kind of thing?

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I hear ya on that one. I arrived home from work, and the snow on the trees looks so amazing I wanted to run in and get the tripod, when I remembered the camera is at work in my briefcase...which was a good idea over the weekend...

SNC1923 said:

If you're not already familiar with it, I highly recommend the Joby Gorillapod. It has three articulated legs, so in addition to a simple, free-standing tripod, you can wrap the legs around anything for a very sturdy grip. As a bonus, it's super light weightÔÇöideal for motorcycle travel. They run about $40.

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+1

I took one of these on my trip around Superior and to the James Bay, last year. I used it on a number of occasions to capture pics of myself. I didn't have anyone else to take the photo for me. I also used it once or twice to get a good shot in low-light conditions. It fits very nice in a tank bag.

Tom, nothing this week. Not a single redeeming feature sprang out. I drove around, walked through and not a thing.



somehow a strip mall doesn't quite have the appeal as our last home.

Lamble,

Coming from a country whose capital was founded nearly 2,000 years ago, the suburban sprawl of the U.S. would, indeed, present an aesthetic challenge.

DO note that the deadline for this assignment is next weekend, not this. If you are feeling--well, not inspired--let's say resigned, you have more time to show us where you live and how you feel about it.

I have my shots planned, but they are time critical. My initial efforts were abysmal. I want one to include a sunset and the atmosphere is not cooperating. My intended results will not be an entirely flattering portrait of my home, but that isn't my intention.

Keep trying. . . . There's time.

SNC1923 said:

Lamble,

Coming from a country whose capital was founded nearly 2,000 years ago, the suburban sprawl of the U.S. would, indeed, present an aesthetic challenge.

DO note that the deadline for this assignment is next weekend, not this. If you are feeling--well, not inspired--let's say resigned, you have more time to show us where you live and how you feel about it.

I have my shots planned, but they are time critical. My initial efforts were abysmal. I want one to include a sunset and the atmosphere is not cooperating. My intended results will not be an entirely flattering portrait of my home, but that isn't my intention.

Keep trying. . . . There's time.

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Funny you should mention the capital. The picture is 10 miles from the original Roman capital for England. They probably landed on our island, as we have a causeway that dated from AD 40ish, plus burial mounds. Boudica came down, in a bit of a huff, and slaughtered 2,000 folk in the temple (under the castle which the Normans built on top), so the Romans moved it. You just don't get that sort of stuff from a McD, TacoBell and Nailz Hut R Us.

SNC1923 said:

Lamble,

Coming from a country whose capital was founded nearly 2,000 years ago, the suburban sprawl of the U.S. would, indeed, present an aesthetic challenge.

DO note that the deadline for this assignment is next weekend, not this. If you are feeling--well, not inspired--let's say resigned, you have more time to show us where you live and how you feel about it.

I have my shots planned, but they are time critical. My initial efforts were abysmal. I want one to include a sunset and the atmosphere is not cooperating. My intended results will not be an entirely flattering portrait of my home, but that isn't my intention.

Keep trying. . . . There's time.

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I concur, strip malls and such are as much a part of America as the grand statuaries of it major cities, its vast vista et all. As Tom has pointed out there is no requirement that the photos have to be a "kind" portrayal of your adopted home, if nothing else let your series stand as a warning for others to approach with caution!

Seriously though, even strip malls and such can hold hidden treasures, an odd sign or business name, or sometimes the mere mis-match of store front styles or colors can be an interesting study in contrasts or how a town seems to have been thrown together from a pile of seemingly discarded components. Keep Looking...

RM

Sue Rihn-Manke said:

I started playing with my photo editor program, and transformed this color shot to b & w. (I am not sure I can even switch my camera to Black and White.) But I like the results of this all the same.

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I love the almost surrealistic nature of your shot, excellent framing, very well done!

RM

I just wanted to say that I am very pleased the way this assignment using split threads is working out and appreciate the manor in which folks have quickly adapted to it, (for whatever that's worth!).

I hope this will become the standard for all future challenges, I was a little concerned it might be hard to track both threads, but seems not to be the case at all.

Good on ya Tom for formalizing this format in the initial posting.

RM

rocketman said:

I love the almost surrealistic nature of your shot, excellent framing, very well done!

RM

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Thanks RM! I was out for a predawn walk and this view just pulled me into it. It spoke to me. There was just a small amount of winter fog which diffused the horizon and softened everything in the background. Sure was glad I had my camera.

Sue Rihn-Manke said:

Thanks RM! I was out for a predawn walk and this view just pulled me into it. It spoke to me. There was just a small amount of winter fog which diffused the horizon and softened everything in the background. Sure was glad I had my camera.

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Thats often how those knockout shots work, the differance between just looking and "seeing".

When I was a teen I was involved with a new (at the time) concept called "visual training" several times a week to help correct my visual handicaps and one thing that my eye doctor was always talking about what he considered to be one of the most important the concepts of vision. It was the way vision interacted with the mind and understanding. He often mentioned the idea behind the term "I see" that as he saw it, illustrated the difference between looking and "seeing", when we say "I see" we saying not so much that we merely saw something but rather that "I understand". That has always stuck with me, there is indeed a difference between just looking and seeing.

I have always seen a close relationship of that concept and photography.

I look forward to viewing of what you (as well as others) "see"in the coming photo threads.

RM

Statdawg said:

Lamble, I guess you can tell that the English had nothing to do with Seattle's origin ?

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Don't get me wrong, the geography around here is spectacular. And, we are fortunate enough to live outside of the town. But the architecture is at best functional and at worst prefabricated and modular repetition.

I do have an idea for a couple of related shots, but need to wait until Saturday next, then hope the weather holds up.

lamble said:

Tom, nothing this week. Not a single redeeming feature sprang out. I drove around, walked through and not a thing.

somehow a strip mall doesn't quite have the appeal as our last home.

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Here's another thought, how about the people themselves. Where ever I travel it seems the streets are always full of interesting faces, people standing alone, half-hidden in doorways, in groups or otherwise interacting. They are a very integral part of any place. They add to and even help define the character of that place that may otherwise seem so lacking. Even their apparent boredom, if that is what you see, says something of the place.

Or perhaps a series shot at different times of day of the same locale, while the place may seem lacking in interest, a series showing the changing nature simply by changes of light and shadow would tell us a story. Night scenes can often show a whole different side of a town as well.

RM

Statdawg said:

How about a Tea tour ?

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One of the reasons to ride to the Falklands is because our local town isn't my cup of tea.

I'm perplexed this time. Not by the assignment, but by one of the subjects. Sonoma has a fascinating history, but the only photographic representation of some of it is completely unphotographical. A Statue, bronze, in the shade 24/7.

C&C Please

I'd like some comment and critique on these. I've been working on this assignment for a few days. I finally had some modicum of success today. I'd picked out a few landmarks that I thought distinguished this town. It became apparent that these shots would best be rendered at night. I had a sunset shot in mind, a compressed telephoto shot of oil rigs, but the atmospheric conditions are not cooperating. I'd be interested to know which of these four images you prefer and why. Click for exif.

Guthrie's Alley Cat
Legendary Bakersfield watering hole

#1

#2

#3

#4

C&C Please

Another famous landmark is the Bakersfield sign. Originally, the sign spanned Union Ave., the town's major thoroughfare before the now-ancient Hwy 99 was constructed. In its original incarnation, the sign was actually a bridge connecting a hotel that occupied two sides of the street. Eventually falling into disrepair, the sign was taken down, but Bakersfield's favorite son, Buck Owens, had this replica built over the street next to his Crystal Palace.

Again, which do you feel is the best photo? Why?

The Bakersfield Sign
Bakersfield's Iconic Landmark

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Thanks for sharing. I am also banking on atmospheric conditions and also fighting a bad case of artistic malaise. I commend you for trudging forward and getting shots in the camera. I really like your fallback position and I really like the compositions below. Very nice exposures, too. Collectively I like the juxtaposition of the color of the neon against the night sky, but more specifically the nightfall sky that still has color in the Alley Cat shot.




This shot shows more of what my mind wants to see: the subject in its overall environment, which allows me to get a feel of the Alley Cat and its relative position in Bakersfield (at least as I imagine it)ÔÇöotherwise it could be ÔÇ£anywhere.ÔÇØ ThereÔÇÖs obviously plenty to explore creatively on the Alley Cat fa?ºade, particularly if you wanted to go ÔÇ£macro,ÔÇØ but as a stranger I enjoy having an overview. This composition seems the most natural and balanced (recognizing it may not be the most artistic, but it is the most ÔÇ£comfortableÔÇØ for the uninitiated. The overall balance pleases my eye and my imagination. The colors have just the right amount of ÔÇ£popÔÇØ and donÔÇÖt steal the show from the overall scene.




I like this one best. ItÔÇÖs creative, yet itÔÇÖs easy to see the sign in context. The zooming provides a sense of excitement and movement and makes me really feel like I just drove under it in a car seeing it for the first time. It is one of those ÔÇ£instant memoriesÔÇØ captured in a fraction of a second for posterity sake (isnÔÇÖt that what Kodak wants us all to try to do?) Again, this composition is the most ÔÇ£comfortableÔÇØ for the unacquainted viewer. And again, youÔÇÖve used the available color in a balanced, but not overly dramatic way. This shot is an improvisation, but one that allows the ÔÇ£listenerÔÇØ to understand the depth of talent of the soloist (to speak metaphorically for a moment). PLUS, it puts the subject and theme right there in front of me in a very ÔÇ£unobnoxiousÔÇØ manner. Well done. Congrats on getting a trick shot in a conventional composition without looking amateurish or hokey.

Those are my thoughts. And damn you for pushing the bar up so high!

Ben

Lensman get Neon, Franze gets Nyon.

Hey lensman, pretty good stuff. I prefer Ally Cat #3 because I like the darker streets which plays into the "Alley Cat" name. #4 plays off the lens distortion on the straight lines and right angles. A drunk sidestepping into the club would've really made this work. Sorry I am geographically unavailable for the role.


As far as the Bakersfield signs go, I take #2. As for the multiple exposure/zoom WOW shots, things must be a lot different down there since the last time I passed through Don't remember that much going on.

All in all, great shots. Like some of the others' lamenting, when I had the time, don't have the weather and visa versa. Regarding my shots, I know I could do better, if I have some time this week, I might do a redeux.