Hand

[RSL]

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[David Eckels]

Terrific, Russ!

[Ed Blagden]

Hi Russ

I really like this one - very well seen.  I love the toning and the reflection of the hand gives the whole thing a surrealistic quality.  There is a pleasing confusion between up and down.

What bothers me is the OOF pillar on the left and the fact that the verticals are not vertical.  I know you don't like cropping or generally messing with images but in this case I think the image needs it.

[RSL]

Hi Ed,

The fact that the verticals aren't vertical didn't bother me, and still doesn't. The camera was tilted slightly downward, so there's convergence toward the floor. If I'd shot upward instead of downward it probably wouldn't have bothered you because we're used to looking up at buildings which, unless the shooter is using a camera with shifts, converge toward the top. But we're not used to seeing convergence downward. The fact that the pillar is OOF doesn't bother me either. Aperture was f/1.4. What does bother me is the sliver of light in the upper part of the post that I couldn't duck. There was no way to get far enough to the left to block that light without destroying the reflection, and I didn't have time to experiment. The mall was crowded and people were coming at me from both directions.

But here's a re-do with the pillar vertical. I can't see that it improves anything. I probably could spend a half hour and get rid of the light strip, but it's not worth the trouble. If the conjunction with the pillar made a sharp edge it'd be easy. But it doesn't, and it isn't.

There are technical imperfections in this picture, but it's not landscape or architecture or portraiture or a still life. It's street.

[Ed Blagden]

There are technical imperfections in this picture, but it's not landscape or architecture or portraiture or a still life. It's street.

And it's lovely... looking at v2 I now see that it was the verticals that were bothering me not the pillar (in v1 it was the other way round).  I prefer v2.  Beautiful toning and very surreal.  The pillar is, to quote a word you taught me a couple of weeks back, very wabi-sabi. 

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

It's wonderful, Russ!
I think even Minor White would have loved it. It really shows "the sound of one hand clapping!"

[cjogo]

Love the tones  --- f 1.4 aperture   > I don't think I have shot below 5.6 on a art shot > but I did everything with a tripod  -- and film was way slow :-)

[seamus finn]

Great shot - loads of surrealism.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Russ, could you re-shoot this with a person lying in the edge between the hands in a way the hands could be seen as the persons hands?
Just a crazy idea ... good shot anyways.
Cheers
~Chris

[RSL]

If you don't mind being trampled by a herd of people, come on over to Orlando, Chris, and we'll try it.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Would definitely be a good reason to finally visit overseas - never been over the big pond ...
 

[amolitor]

Nice. But is it your art, Russ, or someone else's?

[RSL]

Well, the hand on the wall is someone's advertising art, Andrew. The hand on the floor is nobody's art, but the combination as an image is found art, and I found it.

[amolitor]

Just teasing, really.

I was struck as I thought through it how several of the features were someone else's, though. I like the hand, and I like the echoed shapes of the tiles on the floor and the tiles on the walls. Obviously I like the reflection -- all of these might be someone else's intention.

Still, they didn't make the picture. You put the elements in the frame where they are, and that's what counts. I think this does underline the necessity of the pillar frame-left, though. Without it, what you have it largely a record shot of someone else's work. With it, you have a balanced frame with some simple geometrical regions or forms, playing off against one another.

[RSL]

Just teasing, really.

Yeah. I knew that. But I liked the chance to point out that most photography, unless it's done in the studio, is found art.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Yeah. I knew that. But I liked the chance to point out that most photography, unless it's done in the studio, is found art.

Thanks for emphasizing that, Russ. Absolutely right on.

[Rob C]

Just teasing, really.

I was struck as I thought through it how several of the features were someone else's, though. I like the hand, and I like the echoed shapes of the tiles on the floor and the tiles on the walls. Obviously I like the reflection -- all of these might be someone else's intention.

Still, they didn't make the picture. You put the elements in the frame where they are, and that's what counts. I think this does underline the necessity of the pillar frame-left, though. Without it, what you have it largely a record shot of someone else's work. With it, you have a balanced frame with some simple geometrical regions or forms, playing off against one another.

That's landscape of which you write; ripping off God's sculpture and lighting work.

;-)

Rob C