Explaining how it used to be

The blacksmith at the foundry explains to the children how it used to be. I liked the absorbed expressions of the children but would have preferred everyone to have been closer together for more detail. No ratings on this one but all comments welcome!

Colin, I like that one a lot, brings me back to scenes of Charles Dikens books like "David Copperfield" ;-))

 

The scene is amazing, taking into account that you have photographed it nowadays .I think it is close enough, details and (window) light of the listening children ( and adults ) is wonderful as well as the man explaining to them. The sepia tones are very compatible to the era depicted.

 

It reminds me of another image that I like because of the same reason

here

 

Colin, can you please give some details where was that scene photographed ? can be easily a book illustration.

Pnina

 

 

Pnina, thanks. The place is a foundry which could easily be from Dickens time with waterwheels driving the ancient machinery. Somehow it stayed unchanged and is now preserved so visitors can see into the past. I gave it a sepia look to make it look old and also because people were wearing lots of different coloured clothes. This shot of the forge was also taken there.

 

Here ia another shot showing the blacksmith at work using a trip hammer.

Fantastic images Colin, the clarity is amazing.

I like the sepia effect - it gives this a timeless quality, Colin. The intent look on all the faces makes this group shot interesting. Well done!

Thanks Colin, for the explanation and the photos.Interesting how it was preserved as is for such a long time.

Colin,i feel as cosy as the listener,a story is beeing told.It has film or stage character.THe man looks knowledgeable and right with them,and so are you open this up for us, catching the right direction,where the light comes through the small window, and beeing aware of all details, a wonderful picture.

Ben, thanks. This was taken using a Sigma 24-70/2.8 which is good for speed but a big brute to carry around. It seems to give good sharpness though as this was taken at a fairly wide aperture.

 

Kim, thanks, the variety of different clothing colours pushed me towards monochrome and taking a hint from artistic folk on PN such as yourself I tried to get a sepia effect. I use PS Elements 2.0 which does not have the duotone etc filters so this is a home-cooked variety of sepia just manipulating the hues.

 

Thanks Alix, nice to hear from you. Did you have a good trip? The man in the picture did this talk several times a day and looked as though he enjoyed havong people listen to him.

Great capture, toning (and dodging ?) connects the children, listening, with the blacksmith. Would work also in pure B&W, IMO

Hello Colin, I think this is an excellent image, the lighting is perfect, quite beautiful, particularly on the two girls at the front.

Thanks Carsten and Peter. I too like the expressions on the childrens faces too. It was quite a crowd in a small space so I had trouble getting the right viewpoint without the mums and dads getting in the way! The little 'hoodie' (third child from the left) does not quite fit the scene but I think the girl twirling her hair is fun.

 

Carsten, As you can see from comparison with the original I darkened the parents a bit and lightened the blacksmith's face.

Hi Colin,

 

Pleasure to visit again, your work intrigues me as much as anyone's on the site. A number of your landscapes and cityscapes resonate with a sense of connection between ages and generations, depicting an ancient building amidst modern trappings for example. In a sense, this carries on that perspective. An older gentleman displaying an ancient art, passing it on to fascinated youngsters. He is the castle before the town (or perhaps you (MUCH younger than him, I know) holding a camera teaching us, your eager audience. To me, the muted colors are a trademark of yours, enhancing the clarity dramatically. And you've done a nice job of pulling out the teacher and the children from the rest of the crowd, whether done with focus or photoshop burning. You were absolutely correct to frame the shot with the children and teacher on either side of the window as well. Like many documentary shots, you must take the situation as it is -- there is a touch of clutter to the photo which distracts me a little. But the basic message of the shot -- the wise teacher compassionately passing on the ancient art to the children of our future, comes across well. Putting aside all technique, it is this ability to see and display the story that makes me return to your portfolio time and again. His face in the light, with the young girl mirroring him, pulls it off in particular. I could easily see this complimenting a magazine feature about him.

Colin, came to look at this image again, as I like it so much, seeing the colored version, my admiration to you !

Oh, the teacher in me just LOVES this shot, Colin!! If the teacher truly LOVES the subject and can express that passion appropriately, the subject can become fascinating to any student. I believe that's what we're seeing here! Your lowered saturation works very nicely. This is wonderful!!

Answering to Your question mark,thank you,i did have a good time. A nostalgia,what i also find in your pictures

Thanks Ben. you are right about the old and new business in my shots. It is a theme which fascinates me.

 

Pnina, thanka. I was pleased by how much the mono version improved the colour one.

 

Lou Ann, what interested me here was that the guy was talking about things which I thought were way over the kids heads and would not interest them but his ability to communicate to them seemed to keep them rooted to the spot.

 

Alix, very nostalgic! Glad you had a good time.

Good exposure in spite of the light entering by the window in front of the camera. The only flaw is the arm and the big object in the foreground on the right which hides in part the boy.

Thanks Henri!

I love this shot! The rapt expression of the little girl at the end really caught my attention. I find that as I keep looking at this shot I see more and more things that grab my interest. Excellent subject. BTW...does anyone else see the little guy in the fg flipping us off? Oops!

 

L

I like this one a lot too & fully agree with Pnina that this suits a story illustration very much. When I 1st look at it, I thought this suits very well in a children movie scene too.

Thanks Leslie and Cherlyn.

 

Leslie, the hand with the upraised finger belongs to the girl nearest the camera. If you look closely she has her hair twisted round her finger and is twirling it. They were amazingly well behaved children and I don't think their mums and dads would have stood for ruder gestures! :-)

You're right...and I'm really glad! :) It would be just my luck to catch a rude gesture in a shot of mine...I can see the hair now...not sure how I missed it before! Thx for pointing it out...I'll delete or edit my previous post if you'd like...just let me know. Sorry about that!

 

L

Leslie, no problem about the post. Thanks for your kind comments.

Colin, I like the moment of attention captured here. Looking at the finger, it reminds me of an image I took of a young boy who was holding his middle finger upright only he didn't quite know that he was was giving the camera the bird or the meaning behind it.

Great moment photographed. The children look amazing while being so much concentrated. I'd crop a bit on the right to miss this two cut people. Very good photo.