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Author Topic: Sett Bridge  (Read 1462 times)

John R Smith

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Sett Bridge
« on: November 10, 2010, 03:57:06 am »

Here is one of my snaps from the summer just past. It’s a bit of a departure from my usual style, I seem to have come over all pictorial. Taken using the Hasselblad, this time with the 50mm Distagon.

This is Sett Bridge on the Ruan River. The estuary hereabouts is very silted, and it is only on half-a-dozen evenings a year that we have a very high spring tide, and the flood fills the arches. Then the local fishermen arrive, in the hope of snaring grey mullet or if they are really lucky, a fine sea-bass. This is Cornwall far from beaches and the tourist throng.

John

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EduPerez

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Re: Sett Bridge
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2010, 06:02:42 am »

A very nice image, I like it very much.
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pegelli

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Re: Sett Bridge
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2010, 06:35:10 am »

Agree, a beautiful and tranquil image John, I always like a human element in there for scale and relevance.

If I would have been there I would probably have framed it a more to the right (so more bridge and less field) but that's the interesting thing about looking at other pictures, we're forced to look through someone else's eyes and if you're open to it you see different things that are very nice and worthwhile exploring.
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pieter, aka pegelli

John R Smith

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Re: Sett Bridge
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2010, 07:32:35 am »

Thank you, Ed and Pieter.

You are right about the framing. As so often happens, this was one of those times when nothing quite goes right. I got down to the river just about an hour before high water, to see what might be happening, got one nice shot and then spent the next half-hour looking for something else worthwhile. The light kept coming and going, as it does, but when the sun did get out it was glorious. As I was walking back to the car from the bridge, having pretty much given up, I visualised this scene. But to realise it, I had to climb over a three-foot wall, bash my way through a load of brambles and scrub, to get to the riverbank which turned out to be a sort of quaking bog with only one clear spot to stand on. You can imagine all this with yours truly and a Hasselblad with 50mm lens dangling round my neck, plus camera bag all snagging up in the undergrowth. At this point I found that the view to my right was completely obscured by flags and small trees, so this was the only possible frame. Then the fisherman kept getting up and moving around. When he sat down again, the sun went in. My right shoe was filling up with water. I lit several cigarettes in an attempt to pass the time. Eventually, he sat down, the sun relented and shone, and I got this picture.

It was a lovely evening, though.

John
« Last Edit: November 10, 2010, 08:19:46 am by John R Smith »
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pegelli

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Re: Sett Bridge
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2010, 07:58:12 am »

John, thanks for the story, very recognisable  ;)

It shows a "Monday Morning Armchair Photographer"  isn't always right (against popular belief :-[ )

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pieter, aka pegelli

Dick Roadnight

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Re: Sett Bridge
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2010, 08:57:36 am »

Thank you, Ed and Pieter.

You are right about the framing.

John

The perspective of the bridge, it's shadow and the bank behind the fisherman lead the eye out of the the left side of the picture...

If you cropped it through the bush behind the fisherman, I think that might improve it.
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wolfnowl

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Re: Sett Bridge
« Reply #6 on: November 10, 2010, 12:40:54 pm »

An image to be proud of, John.

And thanks for the story!

Mike.
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David Saffir

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Re: Sett Bridge
« Reply #7 on: November 10, 2010, 05:50:28 pm »

Truly a gorgeous image. I like the composition quite a bit. Personally, I would not change the crop.

You've also used the inherent complexity of the scene to your advantage. Intersecting diagonals, in both the upper portion and the reflection, work very well.

Really great detail in most of the midtones. Again this is largely a matter of taste and artistic intent - please consider whether a bit more shadow detail in the trees, and highlight detail in the sky, might be helpful. Given the amount of detail in the rest of the image, this makes sense to me. Last, the trees on top of, and hanging off the bridge have only moderate detail separation in the leaves - do you think this is worth working on?

Again, very well done. Makes me want to go there!

David Saffir
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