Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Riccardo on April 22, 2013, 12:44:53 pm

Title: square photographs
Post by: Riccardo on April 22, 2013, 12:44:53 pm
here are some of my  square photographs: every comment is welcome
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: wolfnowl on April 22, 2013, 01:00:58 pm
Nicely done!  Bought a roll of Delta 100 for my old double lens reflex the other day.  Reminds me what it's like to have 12 exposures instead of a 32 GB card...

Mike.
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Riaan van Wyk on April 22, 2013, 01:03:23 pm
I love number 2!
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: PeterAit on April 22, 2013, 01:14:36 pm
These are excellent and, for me, bring back memories of "composing for the format." Many years ago I had a Rollei TLR and I enjoyed walking around looking for square photos. I felt it was an exercise for me, helping me to learn how to see (in the larger sense).
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Rob C on April 22, 2013, 01:36:05 pm
Riccardo, you are doing this on purpose to torment me with regrets!

You really don't have to: I have them enough already.

I even thought of going around with the Nikon's screeen mentally blocked square, but it just can't be done: the temptation to fill the screen with image is just too powerful.

;-)

Rob C
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: WalterEG on April 22, 2013, 02:47:14 pm
Ricardo,

I find each of these very rewarding and in harmony with my own ethos of imagery.

The fourth image is incredibly enigmatic for me.

Rob,

I doubt that a square mask in a DSLR would give a sufficiently large view to allow thoughtful composition.

Cheers,

Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Riccardo on April 22, 2013, 05:01:26 pm
Rob, you cannot compete mentally with the physical character of your camera.
If you're too lazy to grab again your 6x6 camera, you can cut a square window in a thin cardboard and paste it on the focus screen of your Nikon. Years ago I did this to transform one of my SRL 35mm into a FUJI 617 jr.
Come on Rob, give a new character to your expensive toy!
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Riccardo on April 22, 2013, 05:03:50 pm
Thank you very much Walter for your appreciation.
I agree that the viewfinder of an SLR is rather small for accurate composition, but a mask could serve especially to overcome the temptation to fill the 2:3 format and to force our mind to "think" in a square (or panoramic) format.
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Rob C on April 22, 2013, 05:08:53 pm
Rob, you cannot compete mentally with the physical character of your camera.
If you're too lazy to grab again your 6x6 camera, you can cut a square window in a thin cardboard and paste it on the focus screen of your Nikon. Years ago I did this to transform one of my SRL 35mm into a FUJI 617 jr.
Come on Rob, give a new character to your expensive toy!


My dear man, I no longer have my Hassies - it isn't anything to do with lazy, it's everything to do with having had a middle-age crisis back then. I wouldn't mind having one now - I'd find that quite encouraging. Either a Hassy or the crisis - either would do.

;-)

Rob C
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: cjogo on April 22, 2013, 05:15:35 pm
...shot square for many years ... hard for me to transcend to a newer format ..  I printed square for nearly 20 years.

Great shots  :)
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Riccardo on April 23, 2013, 04:36:10 am
for those interested in technical informations:
# 1: Zenza Bronica SQA - 80mm lens - Kodak T-Max 100
# 2: Mamiya 6 - 50 mm - Kodak T-Max 100
# 3: Mamiya 6 - 150 mm - Kodak BW 400 CN
# 4 Zenza Bronica SQA - 110 mm - Kodak T-Max 100
# 5 Olympus OM2 SP (viewfinder modified with homemade panoramic mask) - Zuiko 24 mm - Kodak Technical Pan
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Chris Calohan on April 24, 2013, 07:43:52 am
I hate it when someone posts more than one image because then I feel like I must choose one over the other as "best, to least best," whenas is in this situation, there really isn't a clear demarcation betwixt the lot. Love both the Mamiya and Zenza Bronica and who cannot like the 80mm/50mm lenes. I will not succumb to picking, but rather savor each as my favorite and envy those days of shooting and printing film.
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Chairman Bill on April 24, 2013, 08:33:39 am
I doubt that a square mask in a DSLR would give a sufficiently large view to allow thoughtful composition.

But a useful stitching of a couple of frames might work quite well.
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: petermfiore on April 24, 2013, 08:51:24 am


You really don't have to: I have them enough already.

I even thought of going around with the Nikon's screeen mentally blocked square, but it just can't be done: the temptation to fill the screen with image is just too powerful.

;-)

Rob C


Rob,
For this very reason I went and bought a Canon G1X. It has a near a APS sensor and can accommodate 1:1 framing.

Peter
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: RSL on April 24, 2013, 09:11:37 am
Love your mid-tones, Riccardo. And #2 at top is a superb shot.

Welcome aboard.
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 24, 2013, 10:43:54 pm
Exquisite work, Riccardo! Welcome!

Another Hasselblad fan (still owns it, but to lazy to shoot film)
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Riccardo on April 26, 2013, 04:01:34 am
It’s fun Slobodan, I use the Mamiyas because of my lazy. When I travel with my digital equipment it’s very stressing for me: too much shots and too much time wasted in controlling the shots in the monitor. When I use a film camera the approach is more simple and direct: studying the subject if it's worth it, shooting and what's done is done.
I want to thank all of you for your comments: this is the very first time that I post images in internet and submit them to a judgment “out of my doorstep”. All your comments are very important and very encouraging for me.
I'm sorry if I’ve created a sort of nostalgia-effect. Sometimes it seems as if we are “doomed” to use digital equipment against our preferences. I’m not a nostalgic: I use the Mamiya now (even if not always), because I love this camera and I like handling it (it’s like a double pleasure: the joy of photographing and the joy of handling an equipment to which I’m fond). I remember with pleasure the days of the wet darkroom, but now I make inkjet prints because I love them (not the printers, with their damned clogging): I find that the FB inkjet prints are more physical than the traditional prints.
A curiosity: has someone identified the “guardian of the garden” in the image #5? (you can see “him” even without opening the image). I had not noticed him while I was shooting, but when I printed the image the first time (wet darkroom, not photoshop), I realized that he was watching me and controlling my work.
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: cjogo on April 26, 2013, 01:36:16 pm
I just see what ever the format of the camera I am using ... but prefer square ... Retired all my Rollei /Hassy / Bronica/Mamiya/Makina/ Linhof/Sinar >> I use this camera now for travel (http://www.photographyblog.com/images/sized/images/uploads_ee1/canon_powershot_a1300_review-275x200.jpg)


   The last of the P&S with a viewfinder >>  28 -105 ...


Still prefer square
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on April 26, 2013, 02:21:28 pm
I love number 2!

So do I. It's definitely the best of a good bunch.

Jeremy
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Rob C on April 26, 2013, 03:06:16 pm
I just see what ever the format of the camera I am using ... but prefer square ... Retired all my Rollei /Hassy / Bronica/Mamiya/Makina/ Linhof/Sinar >> I use this camera now for travel (http://www.photographyblog.com/images/sized/images/uploads_ee1/canon_powershot_a1300_review-275x200.jpg)


   The last of the P&S with a viewfinder >>  28 -105 ...


Still prefer square



This makes no sense. It makes no sense for many reason's, some of which made as little sense for me when I took somewhat similar decisions.

Are we all unbalanced?

Rob C
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: gerafotografija on May 01, 2013, 09:26:50 pm
I found the first one really interesting in that trees don't usually look at their best squared off like that, but these seem to thrive on their squatness. Good eye!
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Harald L on May 02, 2013, 06:08:11 pm
Like all of them but #2 is my favorite. Reminds me that square format is so neutral that it fits to many subjects.
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: woodrowcampbell on May 02, 2013, 07:09:50 pm
(http://www.woodycampbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130413-IMG_0760.jpg)
Title: Re: square photographs
Post by: Bruce Cox on May 02, 2013, 07:48:08 pm
(http://www.woodycampbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130413-IMG_0760.jpg)

I like the red and green.