Before the coffee

[Andres Bonilla]

Trastevere as folks get ready to start the day. I think the lady needs some coffee.

[churly]

I like the idea on this one.  I think it would have more impact if you pulled in on the single window.  That would remove some distraction and also let one see the expression and the reason for the title.

[Rob C]

I like the idea on this one.  I think it would have more impact if you pulled in on the single window.  That would remove some distraction and also let one see the expression and the reason for the title.

You do realise that you are advocating more megapixels?

Aesthetically, I think you do need the additional windows just to give a sense of relative isolation within a cruel block of concrete. It's exactly why I consume so much coffee myself, though my building has but three levels, of which I own the ground floor. Should the other two collapse, I'd probaby wonder what hit me, if I wondered anything at all. Life is full of wonders and wonderings. Now I do need a coffee.

Additionally, the "careless" framing adds to the sense of brutality the building has. Paradoxically, these things, in sunlight, have great olde worlde charm, as with much Med architecture, where the pretence is ever one of permanent sunshine. Winter rain makes them look awful.

;-(

[32BT]

... as with much Med architecture, where the pretence is ever one of permanent sunshine. Winter rain makes them look awful.

;-(

It's funny you should mention that. Just this morning, waiting in the car on a gray, dull, rainy day, a young father dressed in dark, dull clothing passed by pushing a cart with baby in colorful clothing and a "dreamcatcher". They were walking in the direction of an apartment building which, contrary to regular practice, was painted in some kind of Mediteranian light blue, as if there ever is anything other than low hanging gray cloudcover here in the Netherlands. Mediteranian light blue does not magically become some beautiful romantic pastel under dull gray skies, you can trust me on that.

And so I realised it would have made a cracking streetshot: that colorful endearing bit of life with a dreamcatcher and the dullness of actual reality with the apartment building that reeks of the mundane family ideal with 2.5 kids and a car you can't seem to be able to park anywhere. That contrast...

[RSL]

Hindsight is always 20-20, Oscar. Where was your camera?

[32BT]

Hindsight is always 20-20, Oscar. Where was your camera?

Hahaha, point taken, and the camera was in my pocket. The scene did immediately present itself as such since I was already looking at the buildings contemplating the decisions behind that colorscheme. And even though an average car accelerates to 60mph quicker than the startup time of my camera, the whole scene didn't transpire that quickly either, and I could have potentially made it.

But then, you need to be a real photographer, not a lazy bum in a warm car prior to his first coffee.

The words to note in the original story: cold, gray, rainy day...

;-)

[rabanito]

Hindsight is always 20-20, Oscar. Where was your camera?

Or the young father had biceps like hams and a no-nonsense expression in his face?

Just a little joke 

[churly]

You do realise that you are advocating more megapixels?

Aesthetically, I think you do need the additional windows just to give a sense of relative isolation within a cruel block of concrete. It's exactly why I consume so much coffee myself, though my building has but three levels, of which I own the ground floor. Should the other two collapse, I'd probaby wonder what hit me, if I wondered anything at all. Life is full of wonders and wonderings. Now I do need a coffee.

Additionally, the "careless" framing adds to the sense of brutality the building has. Paradoxically, these things, in sunlight, have great olde worlde charm, as with much Med architecture, where the pretence is ever one of permanent sunshine. Winter rain makes them look awful.

;-(

I don't agree Rob.  I see what you mean but to me the real story is in her facial expression.  Of course the starkness of the building under the existing light adds but to me does not carry the impact of the expression.
Sorry, I'm not anti-megapixels.  As someone that does and teaches signal processing for a living, more data is almost always better.  That is obviously a tech view, not an esthetic assessment.

[Andres Bonilla]

You do realise that you are advocating more megapixels?

Aesthetically, I think you do need the additional windows just to give a sense of relative isolation within a cruel block of concrete. It's exactly why I consume so much coffee myself, though my building has but three levels, of which I own the ground floor. Should the other two collapse, I'd probaby wonder what hit me, if I wondered anything at all. Life is full of wonders and wonderings. Now I do need a coffee.

Additionally, the "careless" framing adds to the sense of brutality the building has. Paradoxically, these things, in sunlight, have great olde worlde charm, as with much Med architecture, where the pretence is ever one of permanent sunshine. Winter rain makes them look awful.

;-(

Thank you so much Rob, your take on the photo was exactly what I was trying to conceive in this and other photos I did of similar subject.  I have been experimenting with alternatives composition wise.

[Andres Bonilla]

I like the idea on this one.  I think it would have more impact if you pulled in on the single window.  That would remove some distraction and also let one see the expression and the reason for the title.

Thanks for your input! I know what you mean, that would have been my usual approach, I have been doing an immersive type of composition in some of my pictures, as well as at work with video. Sort of an environmental photo. The title to be honest came as I was editing the photo. I am in love with the old world textures and I always wondered who lived in these buildings full of history and charm. I did take some photos with a closer framing.

Thanks!

[Rob C]

Just watched the first in a series on Rome (on the BBC4 channel) tonight, and know where I should have gone to live 37 years ago. My wife also had a thing for it, so why we didn't go there is a mystery - maybe high cost of reasonable housing had something to do with it. A lot to do with it. Also, being a beach bum there was going to be difficult, and I'd have ended up as just any ordinary kind of city bum instead. Can't have everything...

The cooking part has inspired me to attempt yet another variation of lunch; who knew spaghetti carbonara should never involve cream, bacon or tripe, but only cheek!?

To my great delight, the new, local Italian carry-out shop that I'd feared had closed is back in business: they had simply decided that Monday was going to be their day off! Whew!