Latest Film Pix

Just had a couple rolls of film developed, and I particularly like this shot. I'm presenting it untouched, from a lab scan. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of it, I do really appreciate everyone's input as I run around with my cameras and (well hopefully) learn something along the way. Thanks in advance for your comments and opinions.

 

I’m initially struck by the luxurious tonality that goes well with the style and class of the car. Beautiful lighting as well.

 

The steering wheel and the light-reflecting passenger-side window are competing for attention. The boat in the background, though intentionally out of focus, is still very much there and doesn’t fully seem to want to be. The dice move the photo in the direction of cliché while the composition, dof, and tone of the black and white are more still life or classical oriented. The door handle, being a nice, prominent feature is made hard for me to look at by such a severe blur.

 

The lone, almost surreal tree trunk running through the driver’s-side window is my favorite part of this. It has a bold presence in the frame (of the car window and the photo as a whole) and adds some personal character to the shot.

For me, this is about, "Look at this gorgeous interior!". I recognize that dashboard and interior, but can't quite recall it from so many years ago. Anyway, you've richly captured this car's vibe.

 

Even though greatly OOF, the boat takes away from the focus on the interior. I think that a tighter crop, cutting through the right side wing-vent would help a bunch. I'm sure that the outside door handle is a wonderful little sculpture, but I'd totally crop it out. The interior contrast, details and textures are just right, even exquisite.

Thanks, you guys.... I guess one message I'm hearing is "look outside the subject, consider the whole frame" here... I think this is maybe the one shot from this shoot that I hand held, and its obvious that the camera isn't level. Not sure I could have gotten any closer; and one of the (my) challenges with the Hasselblad's square format is filling the frame with the subject... But yes, the light and the interior of the car... well I think I already said I really like the shot. The Acros 100 film is indeed lush, and there's plenty of room for a crop here...

 

This is a Chevrolet De Luxe coupe, , I believe, a 1951 model year. I got talking to the owner, who noticed my somewhat obvious film camera on the tripod- and walked over to chat- something I don't mind as I love talking to folks. He told me he and his wife had inherited the car from her parents. The wife and her brother were brought home from the hospital in this car after birth. The guy and his wife brought their own children home from the hospital in the car, and then they also brought their one (to date) grandchild home in the car, too! Aside from the fuzzy dice, the car is entirely original and. untouched in any way. That boat.... well this was a car show at a lakeside parking lot, and had I shot looking back the there way, there's a marina right there.

 

 

So here's a crop to 3:2, eliminating some of the distractions, I dunno. I kinda like that door handle, it completes the scene, adds texture.... or something.

 

But thanks again for your kind words and for taking to time to critique my photo.

 

...

 

So here's a crop to 3:2, eliminating some of the distractions, I dunno. I kinda like that door handle, it completes the scene, adds texture.... or something.

...

 

Nice re-work. About the door handle, if you had a do-over, I'd try to get it in focus. It's not part of the interior, but it's "the way in." OOF, I can take it or leave it.

Often with critiques, my comments aren't suggestions to change a photo, but are more just things to consider going forward. I think the crop takes away from the original. I understand your feelings about the handle and, were it not for the strength of the blur, had no problem with it.

I guess one message I'm hearing is "look outside the subject, consider the whole frame" here...

This is a great takeaway. What's included in the frame often becomes a new photographic context for whatever subject is being shot. In life, we can zero in on a subject and kind of mentally erase whatever's peripheral. A photo can do just the opposite because framing something can make what's included in the frame more important than it might have originally seemed.

+1 to both Sam's and Dave's comments. I, too found the boat and OOF door handle distracting. But, now the cropped version feels a little too tight. Color me indecisive. Maybe I'll play with it a bit... I've found that being constantly and intentionally aware of everything in the field of view is a challenge, but essential to making great photographs. My series at the Center for Wooden Boats was an exercise in finding points of view and DOF that minimized, as far as possible, distracting backgrounds over which I had no control, and camera positions constrained to the piers (No walking on water for this mortal). It can be troublesome to take the time to work all these issues out, but they can make a big difference.

+1 to both Sam's and Dave's comments. I, too found the boat and OOF door handle distracting. But, now the cropped version feels a little too tight. Color me indecisive. Maybe I'll play with it a bit... I've found that being constantly and intentionally aware of everything in the field of view is a challenge, but essential to making great photographs. My series at the Center for Wooden Boats was an exercise in finding points of view and DOF that minimized, as far as possible, distracting backgrounds over which I had no control, and camera positions constrained to the piers (No walking on water for this mortal). It can be troublesome to take the time to work all these issues out, but they can make a big difference.

 

I guess I've always thought of things, as found, "in situ", so I'm kind of not minding seeing some aspect of the surroundings, like it completes the picture... I suppose, as I recall the general setting of each shot.

 

You guys are really helping me to understand how distracting this is from the subject matter and how important it is to isolate the image, nail the shot down bit tighter, to create more a photograph of a articular something, rather than a snapshot of the whole place and space in time.

 

Sam, I really like your ethos of helping people to learn and move forward with their work.

 

I've always tended to sort of quickly blow through things, kind of shooting on the run almost. A lot of this comes from traveling with others, playing catch-up between shots, because who wants to wait around while the "photographer" Fs about with the camera on holiday? Even by myself, this habit has become hard to break but I really need to just slow down at times, especially when I'm alone with the camera, and there is absolutely no reason to rush any shot.

 

With a digital camera, it's easy to "spray & pray" as I've heard it called- you know, randomly shoot 2000 photos and HOPE something comes out in the end... I don't really have that going on, but I will often take 2-3 shots of any one thing then choose the one of that lot I like for a keeper. You can easily also see immediately what you've shot with digital work, but with film and an analog camera, there's no going back, there's no 2nd chance- there are 12 frames per roll- and you have no way to see the result until the film is developed...

 

All the more reason to s...l...o...w it d...o...w...n.

 

Thanks again to everyone for their comments and critiques. Really appreciate it.

Tom

how important it is to isolate the image, nail the shot down bit tighter, to create more a photograph of a articular something, rather than a snapshot of the whole place and space in time.

When I said the boat, as shot, wasn't working for me in the photo, I wasn't suggesting shooting tighter or isolating the subject. That's one of a number of choices and the choice is yours. The boat could be included and, from a different angle or perspective, work well. It could also be a much wider shot, including MORE rather than LESS background, and work quite well. Or, as you say, it could be a tighter shot. Depends on the scene you have to work with and what you're seeing at the time through the lens.

I think that what we see through the windshield tells me enough about the surroundings.

 

Now, one thing that I do miss about the tighter crop is that I can't see that this car has a two-tone paint job. Not uncommon in it's day, but almost unheard of these days. The two-tone points to the era.

I think that what we see through the windshield tells me enough about the surroundings.

Hmmm, to me, what we see through the front windshield tells not much of anything about the surroundings (except perhaps there's something with wheels trying but failing to blur itself away) and it's more a confused or at least indistinct mass that feels in visual conflict with the more classic, clean lines of the car and what's in it.

The two-tone points to the era.

Good point!

I think the interior looks great. Usually I like photos framed with a car window but if I were skilled enough to have taken this image I would crop right in so you lose everything but the steering wheel and lucky dice. Just me! Nice work, Charles.

Thanks again, everyone, your comments are really helpful, and greatly appreciated.

OK so here's a redo of the crop,I backed it out a little, included the door handle, and reverted back to the square format. I feel like a viewer gets more a sense of the car with a less severe or claustrophobic crop, yet I've eliminated the distractions on the periphery so that now the shot is all about the car and mostly its interior. Still have the tree trunk, and whatever else can be seen through the car's windows, inside looking out. Not certain if its some sort of artifact or not but there's an element of that boat, seen through the front window- that seems to mirror the curves of the car!

 

and hey just for fun, here's another shot of the car itself. If I'd included the entire vehicle, the image would also have included the heads and shoulders of the folks sitting immediately behind the car on their lawn chairs! This has been cropped down from square to 3:2. The light was really helpful, this is not quite "golden hour" lighting, late afternoon (early evening really) muted sunshine coming directly onto the car... This is a fabulous vehicle! I love that it's totally original. I even accept the fuzzy dice. Not something I'd do to this car were it my own- but it's pretty harmless, IMO.

 

Not sure of this is "allowable" by forum standards, (to talk about a 2nd photo in a thread on another one) but what would you all have done about the folks sitting behind the car? Shoot the whole car AND their heads and shoulders? or do as I didi and cut them out along with the rear end of the vehicle? I've looked and looked at this. I've decided I don't mind it the way it is, I like the car well enough, and all its more interesting details are in, even the full curve of the roofline/body. But what does the collective think?

 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Ricochetrider

If I'd included the entire vehicle, the image would also have included the heads and shoulders of the folks sitting immediately behind the car on their lawn chairs!

I like this latest shot more than the originally much more cropped shots, though they're very different photos and it's a little like comparing apples to oranges. I'd have to have been there but, yes, I would have tried to include the heads and shoulders of the people sitting there, if I could do it in a way that stays in tune with the rest of the scene. The house up on the hill adds a lot to this, perspective, depth, and narrative, and the people's heads might be an added bit of surrealism or something else, depending on how handled.

I like you shot. The bold fine interior in soft fuzzy frame. My version of crop would be: