Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: RSL on December 09, 2010, 07:22:43 pm
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The function of light is...
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Russ, before you edited it, I thought I saw double (i.e., two identical jpegs) and figured out it must be the function of drinks ;)
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Slobodon, No, you weren't seeing pink elephants. I screwed up first time by not putting any text into the post. Whoever designed the software made the decision that you simply must have some text. Just posting a picture won't cut it. When I got the error message it looked as if the thing didn't go up. I opened a second tab in the browser to check, and, sure enough, it wasn't there. So I added a word or two and tried posting again. That time the text and two copies of the picture were there. So I clobbered the whole fiasco and started over.
You learn something new every day.
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The function of light is...
To make an empty bar look more busy? To distract the customer from the reality? To paint a prettier picture than the one that lives in the dark?
Candles always give a romantic glow unless they are burning the house down; insurance exclusion?
Rob C
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I don't think the shot itself is spectacular, but it sure does communicate. What a depressing scene.
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Slobodon, No, you weren't seeing pink elephants. I screwed up first time by not putting any text into the post. Whoever designed the software made the decision that you simply must have some text. Just posting a picture won't cut it. When I got the error message it looked as if the thing didn't go up. I opened a second tab in the browser to check, and, sure enough, it wasn't there. So I added a word or two and tried posting again. That time the text and two copies of the picture were there. So I clobbered the whole fiasco and started over.
You learn something new every day.
I too fell foul of that a few days ago. Russ you have plenty of detail in the image which has been rendered very nicely. The tones, highlights and black are nicely displayed. As stated the subject isn't possibly the best but what you have done you have done very well. :) I am on the wagon at the moment so it ain't tempting!
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I too fell foul of that a few days ago. Russ you have plenty of detail in the image which has been rendered very nicely. The tones, highlights and black are nicely displayed. As stated the subject isn't possibly the best but what you have done you have done very well. :) I am on the wagon at the moment so it ain't tempting!
As long as you're riding shotgun, who's going to argue?
Rob C
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I don't think the shot itself is spectacular, but it sure does communicate. What a depressing scene.
On many levels. Maybe the shot is more spectacular than you first thought...
Rob C
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... What a depressing scene.
Why is it depressing to you? I don't see where that comes from.
Are sports bars depressing to you by their nature?
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... What a depressing scene.
Jennifer, You feel it's depressing because it's not pretty. But it's truth, and if you believe John Keats, truth is beauty, beauty truth.
What it actually is is a study in the way lateral light gives you good mid-tones. It's a fair demonstration of that in color, but much better in B&W.
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Why is it depressing to you? I don't see where that comes from.
Are sports bars depressing to you by their nature?
Perhaps not… but empty ones probably are… with a single soul there being ignored by the bartender… her back turned… while he longingly looks in her direction, probably wanting to spill his guts to someone… anyone… anyone but the half-empty glass in front of him.
Depressing enough, Jeremy? ;)
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Perhaps not… but empty ones probably are… with a single soul there being ignored by the bartender… her back turned… while he longingly looks in her direction, probably wanting to spill his guts to someone… anyone… anyone but the half-empty glass in front of him.
Depressing enough, Jeremy? ;)
Alternate narrative ... she just put a burger in front of him and he is happily watching her cute backside as she wipes down the counter. It's a beautiful sunny day and he's on top of the world, happily consuming some protein, salt and fat while contemplating all the nice backsides he's ever seen and placing the barkeep in her proper place on that heirarchy.
I like sports bars and as a former salesman, I found refuge in many a bar like that in between sales calls. I don't find it depressing in the least ... just a ordinary scene from an ordinary bar on an oridnary day.
Any emotional content someone adds to this image come more from the viewer's mind than the image itself, IMO.
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...It's a beautiful sunny day and he's on top of the world…
...as a former salesman…
Why doesn't it surprised me that a having a sunny disposition comes with the territory for a salesman? ;)
P.S. A note to myself: do not buy a used car (or camera) from Jeremy ;D
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Why doesn't it surprised me that a having a sunny disposition comes with the territory for a salesman? ;)
P.S. A note to myself: do not buy a used car (or camera) from Jeremy ;D
Damn!
I've just put the finishing touches to the website - added most of the few remaining (reasonable) old shots I've got, leaving myself little alternative but to shoot again, and when I got back here, you'd already replied to Jeremy; beaten to the punch yet again!
But it isn't really funny. There's a truth hidden within all that perspective of opposite views. As for myself, and for all of my life, I viewed more or less all of these places as last chance saloons. It was my greatest difficulty in business: whereas most ADs I knew loved those places it took wild horses etc. and I found the rictus on my face almost impossible to maintain.
Sports bars. This is the second coincidence of today. There's one such title applied to a bar I saw this afternoon during my postprandial stroll to keep the heart working. I hadn't noticed the place before - my first thought was that it must mean that one has to pole vault in order to get service. What on Earth does it mean? Surely not what I'd suspected?
Rob C
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Sports bars. This is the second coincidence of today. There's one such title applied to a bar I saw this afternoon during my postprandial stroll to keep the heart working. I hadn't noticed the place before - my first thought was that it must mean that one has to pole vault in order to get service. What on Earth does it mean? Surely not what I'd suspected?
Rob C
A bar where one goes primarily because they have subscriptions to all the satellite TV sports packages and play all the big sporting events on large screen TVs.
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Perhaps not… but empty ones probably are… with a single soul there being ignored by the bartender… her back turned… while he longingly looks in her direction, probably wanting to spill his guts to someone… anyone… anyone but the half-empty glass in front of him.
Depressing enough, Jeremy? ;)
Or maybe he is gay and he is wishing it was a man's ass and where they heck is everyone else? Am I in the wrong bar??? :) ;) 8)
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Or maybe he is gay and he is wishing it was a man's ass and where they heck is everyone else? Am I in the wrong bar??? :) ;) 8)
That's an acute observation, stamper, except that I don't believe that Russ would have put a foot inside one were it the case - other than for observational purposes, of course. Which leaves the debate as open as my cardio's report on my treadmill test results on Thursday: still don't know it it's worth spending the moolah on a new set of wheels or prioritise the kids' inheritance plan instead; all he'd say was that one has to make the best of things. Thank you.
;-(
Rob C
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A bar where one goes primarily because they have subscriptions to all the satellite TV sports packages and play all the big sporting events on large screen TVs.
Dear God, that's worse than I'd imagined!
Rob C
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What it actually is is a study in the way lateral light gives you good mid-tones.
I realy like this Russ. Being on the b&w learning path I guess I can't comment on the tones, but the photo as a whole is appealing, everything ( composition, processing) seems to "gel" perfectly for me.
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Any emotional content someone adds to this image come more from the viewer's mind than the image itself, IMO.
What is the image itself? I think the image itself is only ink on paper unless it is seen by a viewer; whereby they think and then respond emotionally in accordance with their genetics, personality and experience.
One cannot view an image and not add emotional content from our mind. The image itself is visual data upon which we respond.
Julie
Julie
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What is the image itself? I think the image itself is only ink on paper unless it is seen by a viewer; whereby they think and then respond emotionally in accordance with their genetics, personality and experience.
One cannot view an image and not add emotional content from our mind.
How pedantic. Yes, thoughts and emotions originate in the brain of humans.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4208102329_5d83352317_z.jpg?zz=1)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4771822560_9ab6608003_z.jpg)
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On many levels. Maybe the shot is more spectacular than you first thought...
Rob C
I see what you meant by using oblique light to bring out aspects of the scene. I like the light but aside from the very entertaining stories provided, the image felt static and that called attention to other aspects for me...
Why is it depressing to you? I don't see where that comes from.
Are sports bars depressing to you by their nature?
As a matter of fact, yes. I find the idea of sports bars depressing. The TVs take the primary role as arbiter of social interaction. The people are on the edges. Lack of interaction. Anonymity in public. The bar could be completely devoid of human presence and still have the same ambiance.
Jennifer, You feel it's depressing because it's not pretty. But it's truth, and if you believe John Keats, truth is beauty, beauty truth.
What it actually is is a study in the way lateral light gives you good mid-tones. It's a fair demonstration of that in color, but much better in B&W.
Yup, thanks for the reminder to look at the light and how it affects a scene. I love that sort of thing and it's rare that it comes with an urban setting too. That said and apologies to Keats, but not all truth is beautiful (I know I've modified things.) For me truth needs motivation or at least momentum and story telling. It's a narrative.
This is probably more telling about me and why I take the sort if images I do than the OP itself.
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Okay. I'm not thrilled by sports bars either, but sometimes their denizens are interesting. This particular sports bar has the best reuben sandwiches I've ever eaten. It was about 11:30 and I was there for a reuben. As usual, my camera was sitting next to me on the table when I saw this scene, so I picked up the camera, tripped the shutter, set it down and took the next bite.
Jennifer, if you've looked at my web you know I'm a lot more interested in people and their artifacts than in rocks, trees, and shorelines -- just as you are. But you find people in all sorts of environments and they're always interesting -- even in sports bars. So don't turn away from a scene just because it isn't pretty. Always remember Walker Evans's dictum: "That's a beautiful sunset. So what?"
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"That's a beautiful sunset. So what?"
I like that, reminds me of another attributed to Hugh in the late-fifties: 'That's a fine pair of tits! Give it three thousand dollars and put it on record!'
Must have followed his plan a decade later - seemed like a good idea at the time.
Bemused... but more probably just bedazzled.
Rob C
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Being a volunteer longterm outcast of my home country, I can totally appreciate a good Reuben. Man, what a sublime rarity. That by itself would have me there for the occasional lunch despite the TVs. You're right to not ignore these settings. There's always potential.
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Being a volunteer longterm outcast of my home country, I can totally appreciate a good Reuben. Man, what a sublime rarity. That by itself would have me there for the occasional lunch despite the TVs. You're right to not ignore these settings. There's always potential.
Please, please enlighten me. What the devil is a "Reuben"?
John
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Please, please enlighten me. What the devil is a "Reuben"?
John
Corned beef, sour kraut, rye bread, the right cheese and a good mustard. It's topped off with a good coleslaw to the side.
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Okay. I'm not thrilled by sports bars either, but sometimes their denizens are interesting. This particular sports bar has the best reuben sandwiches I've ever eaten. It was about 11:30 and I was there for a reuben. As usual, my camera was sitting next to me on the table when I saw this scene, so I picked up the camera, tripped the shutter, set it down and took the next bite.
Jennifer, if you've looked at my web you know I'm a lot more interested in people and their artifacts than in rocks, trees, and shorelines -- just as you are. But you find people in all sorts of environments and they're always interesting -- even in sports bars. So don't turn away from a scene just because it isn't pretty. Always remember Walker Evans's dictum: "That's a beautiful sunset. So what?"
I've just gone through your B&W gallery (I can't always access Flash stuff). Some of the shots simply stunned me. I know they are dated, but that doesn't matter. It's a humanity and sociality thing and I want to learn more. Are you doing similar work today?
Edited to add that I'm an idiot. I've gone through the colour work and aside from being contemporary, it's awesome. I need mentors like you.
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Corned beef, sour kraut, rye bread, the right cheese and a good mustard. It's topped off with a good coleslaw to the side.
Gosh.
J
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Are you doing similar work today?
Jennifer, I don't usually give out the URL for the web where I'm posting current stuff on an interim basis until I decide what's worth putting on www.FineArtSnaps.com, but the URL's going to be in the bio for my B&W spotlight award in the March issue of B&W magazine anyway, which will hit the stands in January. So,what the heck: go to www.russ-lewis.com, click on the Photo Gallery, and click on Manitou Springs. That's an HTML gallery and it has a lot of the work I was doing just before I came down to Florida for the winter. It's in chronological order, so if you go to the last page and work back from there you'll see my very latest stuff. I'm not very happy with the HTML gallery, so I'll probably convert it back to Flash when I finally get enough time to sit down and work on my webs. The problem with the HTML gallery is that I can't move from picture to picture without using the mouse.
From what I've seen of your work you don't need a mentor. You just need to keep on shooting. Yours is some of the best street work I've seen in a long time. If you haven't already done so, spend some time with the works of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Elliott Erwitt, Andre Kertesz, Willy Ronis, Brassai, W. Eugene Smith, Dorothea Lange, Marc Riboud, Helen Levitt, Garry Winogrand, Lee Friedlander, Steve McCurry, and very importantly: Robert Frank. Yes, a lot of this is "dated," but I guess I'm enough of a fussy old guy to believe we've moved away from the heyday of great street photography. Nowadays most of what's called street photography seems designed to shock the viewer rather than to show something important about the human condition. That's a fad that won't last, so, stick with the kind of thing I've seen you do. You do it very well.
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From what I've seen of your work you don't need a mentor. You just need to keep on shooting. Yours is some of the best street work I've seen in a long time. If you haven't already done so, spend some time with the works of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Elliott Erwitt, Andre Kertesz, Willy Ronis, Brassai, W. Eugene Smith, Dorothea Lange, Marc Riboud, Helen Levitt, Garry Winogrand, Lee Friedlander, Steve McCurry, and very importantly: Robert Frank. Yes, a lot of this is "dated," but I guess I'm enough of a fussy old guy to believe we've moved away from the heyday of great street photography. Nowadays most of what's called street photography seems designed to shock the viewer rather than to show something important about the human condition. That's a fad that won't last, so, stick with the kind of thing I've seen you do. You do it very well.
Jennifer,
Russ is absolutely right (as he often is). Just keep on shooting, and post your good ones for us to enjoy!
Eric
P.S. I'll just add that the corned beef and the rye bread must be top quality for a good Reuben.
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Jennifer,
Russ is absolutely right (as he often is). Just keep on shooting, and post your good ones for us to enjoy!
Eric
P.S. I'll just add that the corned beef and the rye bread must be top quality for a good Reuben.
Russ is right.
But the Reuben doesn't grab me at all. Corned beef has memories of wartime Britain, best forgotten as quickly as possible.
Rob C