Under Construction 4

your reaction?

Hi Carl,

 

First impression....It's not as sharp as your last two uploads. I don't feel the movement quite as much without the crispness of the lines.

 

As usual nice work though.

 

Sally

Carl if you ever find yourself coming to the Seattle area let me know ahead of time and I'll mark up a map for you that shows the Prime Spots for building reflections. I know of many, many more that I've posted on PN. I enjoy looking at yours!

Actually making stainless steel look soft is quite a splendid feat in my mind. I think it adds to the abstract effect here. I was showing my son some of the pinhole photographs I took and he said, "But they are all blurry."

 

I said, "So what you are telling me is that sharpness is something you find extremely important in a photograph."

 

He said, "Well yes I suppose so, don't you?"

 

I am pretty sure that some if not a lot of the softness here is from the micro abbrasions on the surface of the metal. I like that look better than the harder mirror finish of chrome or glass. I guess it is a subjective thing but it is important to note that different surfaces produce totally unique reflections.

 

Getting back to the image itself let me say that I especially like the way it makes me feel. I love the way the warm and cool colors work together to form a sort of imaginary roller coaster for my eyes to ride along. Its very thrilling in its own way.

 

From your title I am guessing that the red/orange is construction safety barricade. It doesn't really matter that much whether or not I can resolve the image into a real world subject as some people are so fond of doing when I show them my photos. I don't know if you have ever experienced this but occasionally I will show someone a stack of prints and they will identify each subject out loud as they thumb through the stack. "Barn, car, goat, fence, boat, flower." They actually seem quite pleased with themselves when they complete this self assigned task. I certainly did not ask or need them to identify the things I had photographed. It's actually very funny to watch.

 

Did I say I was going to get back to the photograph? Because it seems like I said I was going to do that. I really have to resist the urge to rotate the verticals in all my own photographs. That's why I am glad to see this presented as is. The horizontal lines are horizontal and that is great. It is good to know that there are still some sane people out there who can compose something and then leave well enough alone.

 

I used to work with roll formed metal like this so I guess that is another reason why I find it interesting. I saw some diamond folded stainless on the back of a truck the other day and I instantly thought of you Carl. Is that fame or what?

 

Sally, this is a good example of having to decide if the surface elements should be sharp or the reflected subject. The subject-to-camera distances are way beyond the DOF limitations of a 300mm lens, even at f22. The benefit is the added distortion . . . always a good thing. :-)

 

Shawn, I have seen several Seattle reflections on this site and have already made a mental note to bring my camera if I ever visit. (I lived on Queen Anne Hill in 1971-72.)

 

Dennis, you're so right about the apparent need many people have to identify subjects. My wife and I went museum hopping in DC yesterday and saw some great exhibits, especially Anselm Kiefer and Charles Sheeler. (Don't know what a Google search would turn up on either of them.) I wouldn't call either of them purely abstract, but like this one, it helps to see the image as part of a group . . . . and yes, sometimes we can't resist the inclination to give it away in the title. They are indeed red safety barriers.

Well, I certainly can't compete with Dennis' comments above. If we ever do a book, he'd be the perfect guy to do the commentary. For me I'll just say that it has the feeling of the merry-go-round I used to ride many eons ago. The center axle was mirrored and refracted the image just like this.

This photograph could almost be a part of your piano folder (which has grown significantly since I visited your work last). You have many excellent architecture shots. I think I am interested to see this picture sharper/more in focus, but I also felt the blur fits your title nicely.

 

Charlie