Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: 32BT on July 17, 2017, 06:20:56 am
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Da Beat is planning on doing some more streetphotography in the coming weeks, so in order not to spam other threads with unnecessary crap he decided to start one of his own. Since it usually involves individual separate subjects, it's open to other people's contributions as well. Also i have no problem with any kind of comments, good, bad, or otherwise. (I generally ignore comments anyway ;-) )
Da Beat thought the attached pict was hilarious, but he had to stand rather awkwardly against a fence from an odd angle. He may try to sneak in on the premises later for a better capture.
"Exit"
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He should leave well alone; he's already got the shot.
;-)
Rob
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Da Beat just had to avoid taking a "selfie" of sorts.
"Lampshade"
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"Exit"
Ah, the arrow is just perfect :)
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Da Beat just had to avoid taking a "selfie" of sorts.
"Lampshade"
Good one Oscar. But I've never seen a sun that would throw a shadow that sharp.
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Good one Oscar. But I've never seen a sun that would throw a shadow that sharp.
Yes, that's what struck me in the scene as well. The lamppost is quite close to the wall and to the side of the lens here, but just far enough to not show my own shadow. I had to use a slight tilt&shift correction to get the head on view.
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Good one Oscar. But I've never seen a sun that would throw a shadow that sharp.
(http://www.slobodanblagojevic.com/img/s9/v18/p1585602008-4.jpg) (http://www.slobodanblagojevic.com/p550427049/e5e825dd8)
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No, Slobodan; in yours, by virtue of scale, the penumbra has much greater oppotunity not to show!
This site is becoming laden with false analogies!
;-)
Rob
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Google streetview (https://goo.gl/maps/GyTHRueGk5A2)
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Google streetview (https://goo.gl/maps/GyTHRueGk5A2)
Now that's a clever way to do location spotting! I'd never have thought of it. But I bet every housebreaker in the world has.
Rob
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Good one Oscar. But I've never seen a sun that would throw a shadow that sharp.
Thanks, Oscar. And thanks for the Google street view that shows how tall that lamp is. I suspected it was pretty tall, since the sun's rays aren't going to be at your own height unless you're standing on a plain just as the sun rises or sets. It's a very interesting shot.
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Well, so much for good intentions. First the weather was off for about two weeks, then Da Beat was off feeling "under the weather" or however the saying goes, and then it was just too busy, so Da Beat hasn't taken the chance to roam the streets.
Interestingly, he did find out that good street photography apparently is more about missed opportunities than it is about decisive moments. Three brilliant scenes come to mind:
1. A man came walking right towards Da Beat wearing a polo-shirt which read "Polo Challenge", probably referring to the game. He however was of such constitution, at the verge of obesity, that a polo shirt just didn't fit the character at all and appeared to be a challenge of its own.
da Beat doesn't generally like to make fun of people, but he supposes in case of streetgenre you have to overcome some of your inhibitions.
2. A little girl was standing in front of a giant rack of sunglasses for sale. "Sungazer"
3. A couple of kids are playing at a local fountain. it's a wall with several fountains spraying sideways. One kid is staring intently at the fountains, but his posture looks like he's peeing. It was a good balance between a kid fascinated by the fountains and the suggestive posture.
What then is Da Beat's bad excuse for not shooting these images? Well, he really has none, other then maybe the startup time of the camera which is horribly long and it doesn't have a sleepmode. In addition, it has no viewfinder, which feels just plain stupid when holding the crappy thing somewhere at armlength trying to judge a decisive moment off of a little screen with zero brightness. But Ihe's working on the gear and hopes to have something with an actual viewfinder soon enough.
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da Beat did manage to shoot a scene just today, but it does require a bit of background story. I don't believe the image has any merit of its own.
When Da Beat was young he used to read the Karl May westerns and he has always remembered a description of an excruciating method of torture apparently executed by the natives. They would tie a subject to a tree, fix his head, shave it, and then let water drop slowly on to the forehead. The subject would eventually go crazy. It struck Da Beat as an effective means of torture.
The guy in the picture is waiting for his breakfast, an excruciating ordeal of its own, and with the sign and all Da Beat was reminded of Karl May.
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Start? Or finish?
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Da Beat doesn't smoke, so he wouldn't know what enjoyment is depicted in this picture...
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Beautiful trio!
You see? It's never the camera.
Rob
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+1
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Start? Or finish?
You're there. Nice work.
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You're there. Nice work.
+1
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You see? It's never the camera.
Rob
+100
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Da Beat taketh his second chance. Da Beat's discrete so he readily admits to cropping for purposes of anonymity.
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These past weeks have been extremely busy, so Da Beat wasn't able to reserve some proper streettime. Today he finally judged the circumstances to be favourable with good weather, and so he actually went out. He ended up at a coincidental event in the form of a cartrunk fair, where people are allowed to sell goodies from the trunk of their car.
Since he doesn't exactly live in a bright lights big city, he thinks that the demographic footprint might be a little different from the average, although perhaps not so much different from that of the LuLa crowd...?
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...although perhaps not so much different from that of the LuLa crowd...?
Hell no. Your crowd appears to be 50/50 gender-wise. ;)
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Hell no. Your crowd appears to be 50/50 gender-wise. ;)
true
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This seemed to be a recurring theme btw. In case of the mother and daughter, da Beat thinks that possibly the argument that smoking shortens the lifespan wasn't terribly convincing...
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Da Beat sometimes drives a small deliveryvan. Fortunately, he's never had the need to park in this garage, because he'd be seriously confused. Both signs read: "Clearance, 2.25 meters"...
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Both signs read: "Clearance, 2.25 meters"...
Europeans and their loose standards. ;D ;D
I dig the foto.
-Dave-
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Today da Beat decided to go out with the smallest camera and set it to HC mono and just go with it. He would like to add that he prefers to shoot color to enable more control over the conversion process in post, generally meaning he can wuickly select a colorfilter.
That would btw make a killer option, if you could have a streetcamera with a customizable rotaryswitch that can be set to select colorfilters.
Anyway, da Beat came across the local Penoza or something:
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This seemed to be a recurring theme btw. In case of the mother and daughter, da Beat thinks that possibly the argument that smoking shortens the lifespan wasn't terribly convincing...
Mother and daughter? You need specs! A vague early-epoch Bardot hairdo doth not a youngster make! Neither of them is a day younger than Sunset Strip. ;-)
Of course, you may have been referring to the pooch, whose gender is firmly in the street idiom: ambiguous. (C'mon, you didn't think I'd pixel-peep, did you?) Elliot would make a better judge than I, though.
I'm many days over seventy-seven and don't smoke anymore. But I'm more pretty than either except, maybe, the dog. Age is in the mind, but mostly in that of the younger person, which is a bit of a drag. But just to balance the situation, there is more pointless lust in the older mind. One may always hope for lightning to strike, but even if it did, I bet it would miss...
Rob
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Mother and daughter? You need specs! A vague early-epoch Bardot hairdo doth not a youngster make! Neither of them is a day younger than Sunset Strip. ;-)
Apparently also both chain smokers! My Aunt Jean (younger sister of Anna) was a heavy smoker and died in her early 70s of exactly what you'd guess, as did her husband. In her early 60s she looked older than Anna, who was her senior by at least a decade. Then Jean began dyeing her hair, which from a distance did remove some years. I remember Anna joking/not joking that her sister's hair color had turned nicotine.
-Dave-
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Da Beat didn't think he encountered much today, being in the wrong state of mind, not in the streetzenmode so to speak, but apparently his intuition got the better of him.
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Well, there is certainly a tension expressed, what with the toilets being out of order, an' all...
;-)
Rob
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Well, you gotta admit: that's a picture of a street.
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Well, there is certainly a tension expressed, what with the toilets being out of order, an' all...
Uhmm, then what type of "action" do you suppose two male individuals are thinking about when they look at... uhmm.. an out-of-order public toilet?
No, wait, don't answer that...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diYAc7gB-0A
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Well, you gotta admit: that's a picture of a street.
and I was there...
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Right!
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A supermodel or two makes all the difference.
Always thought it was such a waste; cool dude looked like he could melt any female heart. I wonder if that was the problem.
Rob
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There was a podium at the townsquare with a saxophonist and guitarplayer producing some agreeable jazztunes...
Wining & Dining?
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Da Beat thinks she used to be a teacher and never stopped lecturing, although come to think of it, most women suffer that infliction to various degrees...
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That little puppy was observing the street more thoughtfully than da beat. I'm sure if you could attach some google glasses on its snout you'd end up with some cool pictures. And, no, (s)he wasn't stuck....
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Still being on the safe side of 50, da beat doesn't quite grasp the geriatric mind just yet, so he really is at a loss regarding the fascination of this elderly couple with a drawn curtain. Maybe if you stare long enough you start to see silhouettes of naked women or something...
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Modern tech apparently helps the geriatric mind.
Pictures of the menu...
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It's a great technique. It's the best use of a cellphone, too.
Rob
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Still being on the safe side of 50, da beat doesn't quite grasp the geriatric mind just yet, so he really is at a loss regarding the fascination of this elderly couple with a drawn curtain. Maybe if you stare long enough you start to see silhouettes of naked women or something...
Since that is a black & white, we can't tell if they were in the red-light district ;)
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...Pictures of the menu...
Which reminds me of an advice from a culinary-aficionado friend: never eat in restaurants that display pictures of their food in the window :)
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Since that is a black & white, we can't tell if they were in the red-light district ;)
Oh wait, now that you mention it: and the curtain was open when I took the shot, but alas..., shutterlag...
;-)
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By far the most useful pic I took during my trek to Hawai'i last year:
-Dave-
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By far the most useful pic I took during my trek to Hawai'i last year:
-Dave-
Indeed; I can remember going to the airport in Palma and leaving the car in the multi-storey park there and getting out of the lift on the wrong floor after seeing whoever it was off. I was convinced somebody had stolen my ride. Ended up having to walk through a couple of floors before finding the thing again. I used to write the slot number on my hand, but forgot to include the floor...
No wonder I lost so much hair.
;-(
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I once lost my car in Edinburgh. I parked on a side street near enough to where I was working but after I had finished and was due to drive the 5 hours home could I recall where I'd left the blinking thing? Thankfully it was a very unusual car and there were only so many streets it could be but I was sweating a bit and it took a while.
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"Men are dog"
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Men are Da dog! With Da deals!
(But I amuse myself…)
-Dave-
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Men are Da dog! With Da deals!
(But I amuse myself…)
-Dave-
Don't! If rumours are correct, it'll turn you blind and cause unnatural growths on the palms.
Oh dear, why am I now thinking Fleetwood Mac?
Rob
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On the other hand, if you want to include en plein air with street, enjoy this little segment from Bert Stern's Jazz on a Summer's Day filmed at the Newport '58(?) Jazz Festival; I saw it six times in the Cosmo, a Glasgow art house theatre on Rose Street just to see Chuck Berry do Sweet Little Sixteen.
Years later, turns out so did Keef. But not in Scotland.
Enjoy the Monk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2kLBedk_o&feature=related
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While da Beat certainly appreciates his classics, he equally appreciates classics in the making. Sometimes he can sense, but not grasp, the future, and he senses that this will be remembered in the future, in a similar way Chopin and Mozart are remembered today:
Viva! Vegas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhUn9BEN3Mk)
Don't be fooled by appearances. She has studied with Oscar Peterson, which not only gives her bragging rights, but gives her a connection to this website as well... (https://luminous-landscape.com/oscar-peterson/)
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While da Beat certainly appreciates his classics, he equally appreciates classics in the making. Sometimes he can sense, but not grasp, the future, and he senses that this will be remembered in the future, in a similar way Chopin and Mozart are remembered today:
Viva! Vegas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhUn9BEN3Mk)
Don't be fooled by appearances. She has studied with Oscar Peterson, which not only gives her bragging rights, but gives her a connection to this website as well... (https://luminous-landscape.com/oscar-peterson/)
I'm exhausted!
Rob
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The sign reads: free supervised bicycle stand
Da Beat thinks perhaps the quality of service is directly proportional to price...!?
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Wryly observational!
Rob
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Hey, it still has both wheels attached... :D
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Here, owners sometimes remove the saddle. At least, I think it's the owners doing that...
But you can always spot young bicycle thieves (pace de Sica): they never sit down when on bikes.
Rob
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But you can always spot young bicycle thieves (pace de Sica): they never sit down when on bikes.
Or at least only once :)
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"Bowline"
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Had to look closely at the hunched-over fellow to confirm that what I initially thought I saw wasn't what I actually saw. ;D
-Dave-
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Had to look closely at the hunched-over fellow to confirm that what I initially thought I saw wasn't what I actually saw. ;D
-Dave-
Plumber's cleavage..., but no, da Beat is keeping it discreet! (this time).
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Untitled
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In the category: random people shots
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Prototypical these days...
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A cat with a human identification complex
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Smile
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non-conformist lamppost...
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Da beat thinks he may try a slightly longer exposure to add another opposite between movement and stillness.
Temple of opposites
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Da beat thinks he may try a slightly longer exposure to add another opposite between movement and stillness.
Temple of opposites
Trust me; the guy squatting at the bottom ain't gonna move no time soon, no way no how.
There goes the 'hood.
;-)
Rob
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Trust me; the guy squatting at the bottom ain't gonna move no time soon, no way no how.
There goes the 'hood.
;-)
Rob
Not sure. The local oil&gas company NAM in its infinite wisdom has decided to drill for gas beneath our city because of restrictions on their more northerly sites. The restrictions are deemed necessary due to increasing severity of earthquakes as a result of gas extraction at those sites. I once visited a small village in that area and indeed the real-estate everywhere shows visible signs of damage. I suppose if you manage to do that to small villages, it makes perfect sense to move operations to a larger town.
Retail however, will probably have vanished long before any structural damage might occur.
What can i say? Nothing's carved in stone?
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Not sure. The local oil&gas company NAM in its infinite wisdom has decided to drill for gas beneath our city because of restrictions on their more northerly sites. The restrictions are deemed necessary due to increasing severity of earthquakes as a result of gas extraction at those sites. I once visited a small village in that area and indeed the real-estate everywhere shows visible signs of damage. I suppose if you manage to do that to small villages, it makes perfect sense to move operations to a larger town.
Retail however, will probably have vanished long before any structural damage might occur.
What can i say? Nothing's carved in stone?
I have long suspected that oil drilling will do exactly the same thing. After all, as nature abhors vacuums, it follows that letting all that oil come rushing upstairs will create great big empties. Now, not only is it the oil, but also the pressure it has developed that keeps the roof - our ground-floor - up where it should be, at least insofar as we are concerned. So with what are we going to fill the holes? Water's no use - it finds ways to permeate elsewhere, and anyhow, we couldn't create the same roof-sustaining pressure down there as we are relieving.
Not only oil, but also earthquake: now, imagine a fairly severe quake out at sea somewhere, a really really big plate-shifter of a mother, one (a Cracker?) that makes a deep split in the surface of Earth. Which force is going to win: will it be the heat from within, or will the cold sea pouring in extinguish a lot of that heat, whereupon we get the answer to the climate change doubters happen automatically: the core (of the Earth - not of the doubters for nothing can shake them) freezes and we along with it and, at a stroke, a measureable drop in global warming? Of course, all that steam could just as easily have a short-term heating action of its own, but as the core will have lost its will to live, the steam will dissipate...
I'm making soup; I really didn't need any of these worries not of my own making.
Rob
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Not sure. The local oil&gas company NAM in its infinite wisdom has decided to drill for gas beneath our city because of restrictions on their more northerly sites. The restrictions are deemed necessary due to increasing severity of earthquakes as a result of gas extraction at those sites. I once visited a small village in that area and indeed the real-estate everywhere shows visible signs of damage. I suppose if you manage to do that to small villages, it makes perfect sense to move operations to a larger town.
Is this the local seiismic over-sight committee then?
(http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=118951.0;attach=166788;image)
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Is this the local seiismic over-sight committee then?
I was going to call it "The toastmaster", but now that you mention it...
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While da Beat certainly appreciates his classics, he equally appreciates classics in the making. Sometimes he can sense, but not grasp, the future, and he senses that this will be remembered in the future, in a similar way Chopin and Mozart are remembered today:
Viva! Vegas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhUn9BEN3Mk)
Don't be fooled by appearances. She has studied with Oscar Peterson, which not only gives her bragging rights, but gives her a connection to this website as well... (https://luminous-landscape.com/oscar-peterson/)
Ok, this is cool! I've been a big jazz fan (and player when I was in school) for as long as I can remember and I've been turning my musician son who is 14 on to the classics lately. I just played him the Oscar Peterson and Freddie Hubbard record Face to Face the other day and he dug it.
Hiromi is pretty awesome too, I'm going to check out more of her stuff.
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The fast lane
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Really interesting situation, Oscar. Is it the Invisible Man or just an ordinary topless model wearing clothes?
Rob
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It's like this: when you're young and livin' in the fastlane you feel like you have all the time in the world and will live forever. You may be able to afford and will be lured to own all the latest clothes and all the best conveniences like taxicabs, ubers, rickshas and what not, and all the advertising might have you believe that your appearance is what makes you stand out from the crowd. But exactly because of consumerism you could well lose your head; the real seat of your individuality.
When you're older, you're no longer prone to that disease, but time passes by quickly and you already feel like you haven't got a lot of it left.
That should make you wonder what livin' in the fastlane really means...
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I suppose it means different things to different people. Part of the pleasure in life, at some stage, is feeling yourself to belong to a hip movement, a little group of people who know where it's at. (What it is nobody really can tell you.) Fashion photography offered that for a while, and so did calendars, and there was a definite buzz going down to London and holding castings etc. with much of the joy being in the fact that somebody else was paying you to have your kicks. I loved going abroad on trips. Usually, but there were one or two best forgotten.
That may or may not end with age - the enjoyment, I mean, but what does happen is that when that work does end, which for most of us, especially in modern economic times it will, the absence of it is almost physically painful.
Yes, the sense of running out of time comes along too. It hit me about a decade ago, and brings a new set of pressures which are often outwith our own control. It forces one to accept that responsibility isn't limited to self. It's not about work, though, it's about not leaving a mess behind one for others to have to sort out. My aim is to be able to close my eyes for the last time knowing I did what I could to leave things tidy. (You should see my office - that's the exception: it will never be tidy!)
In the end, you do what you can.
Rob
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...In the end, you do what you can.
There is a saying in Russian: "Wanted to improve, ended up as always" :)
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There is a saying in Russian: "Wanted to improve, ended up as always" :)
Russians, probably northeastern Italians too, are quite pragmatic if not totally philosophical in accepting their limitations. Trying to improve is sometimes part of trying to stay as good as one thought one might have been. Which unfortunately becomes a subjective call on an objective thought as enshrined in surviving works that may or may not bolster the soul from doubt. I think all people within creative processes feel moments of uncertainty. They would have to, or be too wrapped up within themselves to know what the world outside was capable of achieving and, hence, their relative position within it.
To make matters worse, there are times when pressure and/or volume of work remove, if temporarily, the power to distinguish between good, okay or excellent (hoping, of course, that purely good technique will have avoided the category of lousy!).
And that's a real difficulty, because too much concern with externals reduces the power of one's convictions, and should they weaken, you are lost. I know beyond doubt that had the young me had the doubts of old me, old me wouldn't be today where he finds himself. Ignorance being bliss, or dedication winning out? It depends, really, on whether one is advising or being the one doing the doing.
Rob