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Author Topic: The Little French Girls  (Read 4867 times)

William Walker

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The Little French Girls
« on: April 20, 2011, 08:06:22 am »

I love this picture - what do you think?

William
« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 08:25:29 am by W. Walker »
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Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2011, 08:33:41 am »

Yep I like it too, great shot, well seen and well taken.

The expressions on both their faces tells a story of both innocent enjoyment and worldly resignation, this really is excellent work.

Although being the perfectionist my wife keeps telling me I am ever trying to be, means I would probably have darkened down those floating bodiless legs a bit in the background - not in any way a criticism and it really doesn't distract from the quality of the image at all, but I know I would have found myself zooming into about 300% and doing a bit of burning.

Photobloke
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John R Smith

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2011, 02:03:32 pm »

Priceless.

Smashing shot . . .

John
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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2011, 04:01:35 pm »

Love 'em. Kids always are fun. William, I probably shouldn't tell anyone, but in that black, black background there's a guy holding a chair and moving toward the door. I made this picture in 2000 and at various times I've used several methods to get rid of the distraction. One way is to select the background and reduce its brightness to zero or near zero, though that requires some pretty careful selecting. The easiest way is to use Viveza, put a control point in the middle of the guy's chest, confine the area of effect to him, and crank down the brightness. The legs in your background don't distract me, but if you want to make Bloke happy it shouldn't take more than about two minutes to get rid of the legs.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 07:34:49 pm by RSL »
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Rob C

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2011, 03:43:10 am »

Parallel worlds.

Were you to do this sort of thing in PC Britain (acolytes are often more radical than the priests they serve) you'd run serious risk of finding yourself strapped to a bonfire. Don't take your camera walkies near a playground! Don't go near a playground, even to collect your own kids!

Rob C

Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2011, 08:26:50 am »

The legs in your background don't distract me, but if you want to make Bloke happy it shouldn't take more than about two minutes to get rid of the legs.

Perhaps I really am a "pixel control freak"  :) but I often find myself tweaking an image time and again, to the point where my images are never really quite finished as such, but more that my tweaking has gradually reduced to zero. Some images seem to pop out of the screen PDQ and need no other help from me, others take more time to gently tease them into this world and yet others, I never seem to quite finish. For instance, I have an image I took five years ago in Yellowstone NP at dawn, and that I still keeping having another go at but failing to get it just how I want it to be. So starting back at the original RAW file the next time I have a go at it. It is an image that sticks in my mind and even though I have very nearly got there a couple of times, it just keeps slipping out of my hands, although I know that one day, it will be finished - I will probably then proudly print it and display it to a rousing family chorus of Mmmm, it's alright I suppose, what's on the telly tonight...!

Photobloke
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RSL

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2011, 08:55:48 am »

...one day, it will be finished - I will probably then proudly print it and display it to a rousing family chorus of Mmmm, it's alright I suppose, what's on the telly tonight...!

Bloke, It's similar to what I quoted in another thread regarding a description I once read about what it's like to get a poem published: "It's like dropping a feather into a well and listening for the splash." I don't recall who said that but it's a pretty good description of what usually follows when you reach the point where you're really happy with a creation.
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RSL

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2011, 09:02:17 am »

Were you to do this sort of thing in PC Britain (acolytes are often more radical than the priests they serve) you'd run serious risk of finding yourself strapped to a bonfire. Don't take your camera walkies near a playground! Don't go near a playground, even to collect your own kids!

Rob, That kind of thing's starting to rise here in the US too, but so far it's not too bad and it looks to me as if people are starting to realize they've had enough of PC. That's part of what just happened on our political scene. But what disturbs me most is that I read France -- Cartier-Bresson's France!!!! -- is beginning to restrict street photography. What's the world coming to?

Privacy? What the hell? If you want privacy stay home and lock the door.
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Rob C

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2011, 04:37:09 pm »

Russ, I see it (PC) as a development of the strident feminism that started and gathered pace in some US universities (I read Playboy during the epoch) and, as far as I could make out, was a perversion of the norm, which has always identified itself to me through the fact that women worth a damn are born with the skills to get anywhere they want to get. Dammit, they come with a natural advantage over men or, at least, gentlemen. Dealing with idiots they can never win, feminists or not.

My own wife was never into that feminist camp, yet she held the respect of anyone who had to deal with her; all that a person of either gender needs is an education. That should provide them with the understanding of how to live and how to get what they want from life. Largely, you get back what you sow. Attempting to change the laws of nature are futile at best; I wonder how many lives and relationships have been ruined in the struggle to have it all.

But, as with so much, the 'movement' spread outwards and across the world. Some intellectuals must carry a heavy load of guilt and regret.

Rob C

William Walker

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2011, 01:38:12 am »


Although being the perfectionist my wife keeps telling me I am ever trying to be, means I would probably have darkened down those floating bodiless legs a bit in the background - not in any way a criticism and it really doesn't distract from the quality of the image at all, but I know I would have found myself zooming into about 300% and doing a bit of burning.

Photobloke


Hi

Thanks for the comments. Perhaps you guys can help clear something up for me?

In October last year I was lucky enough to get to Mac Holbert and John Paul Caponigro's "Fine Art Print " workshop at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. We had to take some of our prints along and both Mac and John Paul made the same comments about my prints - they did not like the areas where there was "no detail in the shadows". Solid black, in other words.

The result is that I always try to have details in the shadow area.

My question is this: are there occasions where lack of detail, "solid" black - or any colour for that matter - is ok?
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John R Smith

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2011, 03:10:12 am »

My question is this: are there occasions where lack of detail, "solid" black - or any colour for that matter - is ok?

Well I would certainly say say "yes". In my B/W work I have always dumped a lot of shadow detail, which of course is one thing, but a large area of absolutely solid black is another. However, look at some of Bill Brandt's work - he often made brilliant use of deep, dark areas. But it does not usually work in a colour print, for some reason. In your particular picture, I think that background needs to be dark, but with just a hint of detail and not totally solid black.

John
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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2011, 07:54:32 am »

Russ, I see it (PC) as a development of the strident feminism that started and gathered pace in some US universities (I read Playboy during the epoch) and, as far as I could make out, was a perversion of the norm, which has always identified itself to me through the fact that women worth a damn are born with the skills to get anywhere they want to get. Dammit, they come with a natural advantage over men or, at least, gentlemen. Dealing with idiots they can never win, feminists or not.

Rob, I read Playboy off and on during the period when Hefner was publishing his Playboy "Philosophy." From what I saw and read at the time, his humming and lip-flipping "philosophy" had a pretty significant impact. After all, why not? Don't sweat things like pregnancy or VD. Let it all hang out. Following that "philosophy" made life more laid back and easy. What's not to like?... Until the consequences hit you. I think the rise of feminism was an outgrowth of that same package. Intelligent women didn't buy into it, but how many intelligent people are there in the world -- men or women? I know that nowadays if you go into an American mall and look around at the shoppers you'll get a pretty good instant picture of the intelligence curve.

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But, as with so much, the 'movement' spread outwards and across the world. Some intellectuals must carry a heavy load of guilt and regret.

In order to feel guilt or regret you have to be intelligent enough to understand that you made a mistake. I'm not sure the "intellectuals" in question satisfy the requirement.
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degrub

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2011, 08:42:34 am »

"go into an American mall and look around at the shoppers you'll get a pretty good instant picture of the intelligence curve."

Certainly a good reflection of the "attitude" curve. i think that is why i enjoy being overseas when i can.

Frank
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Rob C

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2011, 09:22:56 am »

I love this site.

Rob C

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2011, 10:25:20 am »

Certainly a good reflection of the "attitude" curve. i think that is why i enjoy being overseas when i can.

Frank, If memory serves, the problem isn't confined to the US.
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Rob C

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Re: The Little French Girls
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2011, 03:10:34 pm »

Frank, If memory serves, the problem isn't confined to the US.

Nope; it's spread...?

Rob C
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