Rusting Fixture

Please feel free to contribute anything.

 

cheers,

Aaron

I love color, lot's of color, but your black and white image really caught my eye. I think it is very well composed, the exposure is right on, and you have captured some wonderful textures. One of the strongest B&W graphic images on PN right now, for me.

And what a new one... nicely balanced and lots of interesting details, which portray a little story. The shadow of the light suggests its outside, or at least exposed to the elements. The featureless lefthand side is blasted clean by the weather, the sole knot in the bottom corner, a petrified beetle that came too close to the long fallen bulb, the white stain baked by the heat. The chip beyond this is where the bulb, swung by the wind, wore away the concrete, the bottom line, a scorch mark.

 

The black area on the right edge seems well framed within the curve of the larger shadow.

 

Desolate-icious.

Stephen, sorry for the delay. I've been playing around with 4x5. Hopefully, I'll get around to having some sheets scanned and posted.

 

cheers,

Aaron

I guess I have a heart for such creatures, for rust and I like shadows - very nice Aaron, and good you're back -

Very convincing 3D porcelain fixture. i'd be trying to get rid of the perforation closest to the frame. Regards,

I like detritus and this is a great combination of elements.

 

And if you're going to go B&W, which seems to suit you well enough, why not try something with a longer tonal range than Velvia?

 

And let's see some of those 4X5 shots :).

Eric,

thanks for the suggestion. I've acutally just purchased a 50 pack of T-max. Just curious, does this look like it has a short tonal range, in the shadows, for example?

Aaron - I'm not much of a judge of B&W photography to be honest. But the shadows do look completely black here - not necessarily a bad thing in some ways.

Beautifully done. The interplay of textures, shadows and shapes creates a sense of magic realism. It takes a real eye to catch the possibilities here. Congratulations.

Jack, thank you for your comments. I'm intrigued by this one in particular. Magic realism... Can you elaborate on why you think so?

 

thanks,

Aaron

It's one thing to blithely throw out a term like "magic realism" and quite another to explain it. It's cost me a good part of my morning to try and sort out just what I mean and put it down in some kind of understandable fashion. Right now my brain feels like two-day old lasagna and I'm still not happy with my efforts. Be assured I'm working on it and when the fog clears I'll be back. See what you started with a simple question! Regards, Jack

This has consumed far too much of my time and brought on a headache but at least it has forced me to clarify my thinking for myself. So without further ado:

 

First let me say what magic realism is not. It's not a technique nor is it a movement like cubism or fauvism. In fact, one of the hallmarks of what I call Magic Realism is the absence of category. For me Magic Realism is a psychological state in which the usual acquired meanings or interpretations are, at least temporarily, suspended. Mental programs are quieted and events and things are accepted simply for what they are, without judgment except for the realization that they are sufficient unto themselves. Photos taken in such a state are of a world beyond names and one where no interpretation is needed. Rational analysis, when applied, seems almost trivial; it always comes well after the fact and usually has little relationship to either the creative impulse or the psychological state which produced the picture. Magic Realism is a change in perception, a state of grace so to speak, and can not be acquired as a simple matter of volition or put on like an overcoat; conversely opening the door to this state is only possible as a choice, a decision, an act of will. It is the result of an act of letting go - letting go of templates, guides, rules, patterns, programs, opinions, considerations of one's position or acceptance by one's peers and all the other acquired baggage of modern society. It is a revisiting of the nameless world before The Fall and only manifests when the mind has shifted into neutral and the predominant emotion is one of simple appreciation and wonder. It is the psychological state in which stereotypes are seen for what they are and things shine with their own sense of uniqueness. Such a psychological state can sometimes germinate remarkable works of art.

Jack, I think you get the prize for giving the longest comment on one of my shots!

 

Magical realism, as a world view, can be described excatly as you put it: "a psychological state in which the usual acquired meanings or interpretations are, at least temporarily, suspended. Mental programs are quieted and events and things are accepted simply for what they are..."

 

I still don't know if I would use the term to describe this particular shot, although it definately lies in the realist vein. The reason I am so interested in your comment is because I have made several photographs that have reminded me of such scenarios in literature. Look at this one, if you haven't already.

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=2732631

 

cheers,

Aaron

I took a look at the picture you indicated and it is, as are most of your photos, very evocative. Coincidentally, I am currently reading "100 Years Of Solitude" so I'm familiar with the quoted passage. I know Gabriel Garcia Marquez's work is assosciated with Magic Realism and perhaps that's the source of your interest in my use of the term. I really like the paradoxical nature of the phrase. For most rational (or too rational) people "magic" and "realism" are opposites and magic realism is a contradiction in terms. When I am at my best I welcome the world as a magic place, impossible to comprehend, awesome and infinite in its mystery. A place where a broken light fixture is a gift to be appreciated. Regards, Jack