St Cuthbert's Cemetery

I would like to point out that this is a scan of a 33 years old slide. Don't ask, as a consequence, for lots of details and colour definition... even if I have been reasonably careful with its storage during those years and some six changes of residence to five different countries...

Alberto, no importa las condiciones en las que hayas mantenido la diapositiva: sigue siendo excelente. No hay mejor homenaje a Edinburgo hoy, tras el incendio que ha sufrido el casco antiguo, que esta fotografía. Puede que los puristas comenten sobre un cielo demasiado claro (washed away dicen?) o una parte delantera demasiado oscura, pero creo que es en estos contrastes -con la farola y el árbol en primer término- donde radica la magia de esta composición. No creo que tengan que existir siempre unas reglas (definición, color, saturación...) para conseguir resultados logrados, como este que nos presentas. Tienes una percepción muy buena para este tipo de fotografías, como demuestras en tu Folder Some Castles in Spain. Tienes un talento para captar la atmósfera que corresponde a cada situación (sea España, Gran Bretaña o Portugal) y reflejarla perfectamente, en los tonos áridos de La Mancha, la coloración primaveral de la campiña castellana, la belleza agreste de una playa o las brumas fantasmagóricas de Escocia. Podrías ser Landscape-man! ;-)

Y como no has publicado esto antes? Creo que esta es una de tus mejores fotografías junto con "Caza fortunas..?" y alguna de tu mujer. Increible todo, la composición, el fondo enublecido que parece un tapiz, las casas a contraluz pero con muy buena definición de lineas, la farola, el arbol... vamos una foto muy "Leica".

Pensé que te enseñé a mirar por el objetivo pero está claro que cierta idea tenías antes de conocernos

Great mood of the old Edinburgh. I like your composition and superbly executed perspective! All done in 1969! Not too bad Alberto!!!

Beautiful old picture!

Esta estupenda y además pide el B/N a gritos. Alberto, cuando vas a cargear la camara con un rollo, digamos, de Ilford XP2? :). Saludos, Luis.

Albert, in this old slide you did catch the mist and the very special ambiance of Scotland.Edimburgh is a nice town, where we, all the time are aware we are in Scotland ,not in England.I am sensitive to what a picture tells me, rather more than its technical details.This picture is Scotland .

Regards,jorge

Mi buen amigo Luis, ademá³ de proponer que use Ilford XP2 a partir de ahora, me enví¡ su versi�n en ByN (que encuentro preciosa y que le agradezco)

My good friend, Luis Arg�elles, a great B&W photographer from Gij�n, Asturias, in northern Spain, wants me to dive into B&W. His strong argument in favour of it is the attached version he's made (Which I love) What do you think?

Hola "landscape-man" como te han dicho por ahí... desde luego que captas la "esencia" de cada lugar, yo conocí Edimburgo un mes de noviembre con unas nieblas terribles, y esta foto me lo recuerda mucho. No te voy a decir que si le falta definición, que si los colores, bla, bla, bla (los años no pasan gratuitamente)... ahora que la composición, y como has puesto en primer plano la siluetas de las tumbas, me gusta mucho.

Pues ahora me has puesto en un compromiso! No sé si prefiero la versión en color o en b/n! Ambas son excelentes!

Bajo mi punto de vista, esta fotografía por su plana escala cromática gana en B&W. Estoy de acuerdo con Luis...

After all of the hundreds of pictures taken of Edinburgh Castle it is good to see that it is still possible to find an original viewpoint such as this which encapsulates the character of this great castle.The wintry light and the mist help but we have to congratulate the photographer for 'seeing' the image and capturing it for posterity.

Que foto excelente, no logro decidir si prefiero la versiónb en ByN o en colores, ambas captan aspectos diferentes pero ambas dan cuenta bien de Edinburgo, y lo que es muy interesante es que lo hacen de una manera original, lo que no es nada fácil. Felicitaciones

I understand this is a picture from an old slide.
So I wont mention the colour definition.
However, IMHO, the white frame tones down the colour, which is already very soft.
My suggestion is twofold:
1 - either turn it into a B&W, in which case the white border would be fine.
2 or change the frame for a black one (see encl.)
But this is only my personal opinion, based on my own taste
The framing/cropping is perfect, and your angle, with the silhouetted monuments in the forefront, offers a beautiful perspective on the impressive Castle.
The branches of the tree are delicately outlined against the misty background.
There is a slight tilt to the right. Unfortunalely, a 1,5° left rotation would mean cropping just above the top of the highest gable, which would be rather awkward.
The sepia-like tones become the misty atmosphere of this composition.
Marie-Hélène

I have to state that the slide's "colours" have sustained the passage of time quite well. Those were the colours of that foggy, windy, rainy and miserable, March day in Edinburgh.

Thanks Marie-Hélène for your suggestion on the frame. I think you are right and I'll change it as soon as I have the time.

If you had not said it was color, I would have thought it was a sepia toned black and white.

 

Great picture. (and yes, I agree with your friend, you should work in back and white, as well as color.)

Great colours and composition. Phew! Gives me creeps. Makes me feel in that cold and humid, probably muddy place. Great work!

Siguiendo con la filmografia, te dira que es una foto digande Norman Bates, e incluso de su madre. Muy buena la composición

To me, the softness of the color emphasizes the mistiness of the air better than the B&W does, plus it creates more depth via the modest contrast with the black of the foreground.

 

Excellent picture.

Alberto: Yo también voy por la de color. Esta foto nos inspira a buscar en nuestros archivos aquella imagen que quedó guardada y medio olvidada pero que aun podemos rescatar "digitalmente". Excelente composición y aun cuando no he ido a Edimburgo, refleja toda una sensación! Adelante!

Good composition here, Alberto, but if that's a 6, I'm the lamp on the left - sorry. :-) The distortion bothers me on the lamp, then you should have left a bit more road at the bottom imo. Most importantly, the colors are completely faded, and therefore, yes, B&W was the way to go. Finally, did it occur to anyone that there is nothing in very sharp focus.

Seriously too bad about the color... Black and white - maybe...it could make it work. I notice that there are too many "points" competing with each other. The white pole at the bottom of the frame -- the pointy steeple to the right of the lamp post.. The Lamp post, the tree the roofs and the tallest point of the building at the top. Anyone else see it? It makes my eye - jump all over the frame which makes the image unsettling to the eye. Just my opinion.

On a positive note - I like how the background fades back - and the foreground is in shadow.. Wonderful feeling of grandness - creating a mood of the "king of the hill" overshadowing the town. Just wish those darned points were not sticking up all over the place.

I did see such potential in this shot.. I played with it to see how it would look without the objects jutting upwards..

And another - as black and white...