Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/04/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Philip, Thank you for showing additional photographs, and for contributing more images to the "assignment." "Insolvent business, Pinner UK, 18th" struck me as the strongest of the group; for it's asymmetry and strong lines, as well as for the "different" quality of the subject. Regards, George Lottermoser george at imagist.com http://www.imagist.com http://www.imagist.com/blog http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist On Apr 18, 2009, at 7:47 AM, Philip Clarke wrote: > > So here's the funny thing, my wife's working and I'm not normally out > alone, so on the way to pick up some medication from Tesco Pharmacy > (British supermarket chain) I see the glassworks, feel the DLUX in my > pocket and reckon I feel well enough to take some images. (the images > are backwards in the portfolio and moving seems limited to between > albums). > > > Walking out of the Pharmacy and bearing in mind Daniel Ridings > portfolio, I find this on the postbox advertising. Lucky Yes, but if I > weren't looking... > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Philip+Clarke/18th_April_2009/ > L1010241.jpg.html > > This was taken with the camera above my head as it's quite high on the > wall, note the focal length is not to the full extent either way, I > found the image moved into position and then chose the focal length. > It's gracious that nervous people are always welcome but good to > have a > safety net. > > > > I walk along to the Glassworks, it's not really suitable, because > it is > a rare and beautiful sunny day in the UK, Really I need a polarising > filter in front of the lens to reduce the distractions in the windows, > but it's passable, and I'm slapbang in front of the door to stop my > reflection being there. I'm using a 24mm equivalent and pointing the > camera dead centre to avoid perspective shift (some of the floor and > flat windows above have been cropped) although not 100% successful as > can be seen by the slight divergent parallel line to the top right. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Philip+Clarke/18th_April_2009/ > L1010243.jpg.html > > > As I walk back along Pinner Green (you can do a google maps search), I > shoot the advertising sign for window blinds on a wall without windows > that I saw when walking to the glasworks. The camera is above my head > this time to avoid divergent bricks. This is at the 60mm setting > standing on someone's lawn and has been cropped slighty to reduce > the to > the sign and wall, any different composition leads to the guttering > above the sign being shown. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Philip+Clarke/18th_April_2009/ > L1010245.jpg.html > > > Walking back towards the pharmacy I now shoot another insolvent > business, this one has a big sign by the bailiffs in the window but > that's too obvious. The piled up letters is a better picture, I use > the > diagonals and the cameras on 4:3, I'm continually having to use > program > shift because the camera wants a wider aperture. The reason the > opening > times sign stands out so much is because of an internal shadow in the > shop, that was intentional it doesn't show from the other side. I did > consider cropping this but then it doesn't show the emptiness of the > shop. You'll notice the word closed appears distinct, I've joined > it to > an envelope but used the shadow and blank space on the floor to > make it > more apparent. None of these pictures have been "printed" btw, they > have > been adjusted for contrast and color balance slightly and had some > reduction in saturation levels. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Philip+Clarke/18th_April_2009/ > L1010246.jpg.html > > > The next one is just outside the Tesco and my back would have been > to it > when I walked out. I like the irony. This "new way" to shop on a old > sign with an advert for "nearly new" clothes beneath, on an old wall > with the shadow of a barbed fence (thereby making it impossible to > shop), is just my subtle sense of humour. The image was taken from a > bush that I had to climb into. I have three different shots, one of > just > the signs, one taken from over the barbed wire after this one (I > gained > access through the car park) and this one. The exposure is correct but > looks wrong because the wall isn't white, this has had some burning in > to reduce the patchiness of the paint. The tree framing the top and > the > bush at the bottom are deliberate to keep the eye in the frame. > Viewing > the EXIF data, you'll note that I'm not going to the extremes of the > telephoto end (nor the wide), any further right and the tree trunk > bisects the sign, any further left and edge of the spiked fence goes, > there are some divergent lines, I could have tried holding the > camera up > a little higher if my arms were working after this walk. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Philip+Clarke/18th_April_2009/ > L1010251.jpg.html > > > I got myself home and thought bugger it, I haven't done a flower > photo. > And about 50 metres from the house is a cherry blossom tree. It rained > last night and the blossoms on the ground are past their prime, > shooting > the tree would have a view of a road and quite probably an H12 bus. We > already know it's blue skies and 1/250 at f5.6 ISO 80 so I find the > blossoms in the shade, hoping that I'm going to get a slow enough > speed > to let the wind add some movement and I fail to get a slow enough > speed > it's got even brighter and is now 1/250 at f8 ISO 80 in the shade > and I > have to underexpose by a stop to keep the picture dark as it's an > entirely shaded area and start shaking the camera and you can see from > the frame numbers that something's gone wrong because I've skipped > from > 10251 to 10263 for the last picture, I am shaking the camera at the > longest telephoto setting and I'm not getting enough blur and then I > work out that I've left the Image stabilisation on and I'm only moving > the camera in one plane. Lots of fiddling with the menu and it gets > turned off and I get the shot I want. The picture gets colour balanced > in photoshop and then flipped horizontally because upwards moving > lines > are move attractive. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Philip+Clarke/18th_April_2009/ > L1010263.jpg.html > > > I have Chronic Pain Syndrome level 8 complication by Complex Referred > Pain Syndrome, so I feel the pain from my legs in my left arm and > my arm > in my tongue, which is something you really don't want to have. I > can't > lift my elbows up now from that little jaunt and my left shoulder will > dislocate inside the next 24 hours. I'll be partially paralysed for 3 > days now which makes me pretty useless as a professional. That area is > one that I have never walked along, I visit the pharmacy every > month so > that's ten times maximum. We (as in me and some other professionals) > used to play a game when we were young when we met up off-assignment, > about going to an unknown place and fulfilling a brief, it kept the > competition between us fierce and kept us sharp. Could I go to a > bar in > Barcelona and practice what I preach. I believe so. > > > > > George Lottermoser wrote: >> May we see some examples of your waiting and moving, Philip? >> >> Regards, >> George Lottermoser >> george at imagist.com >> http://www.imagist.com >> http://www.imagist.com/blog >> http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist >> >> On Apr 17, 2009, at 7:54 PM, Philip Clarke wrote: >> >>> All of these pictures could be improve by waiting or moving. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information