Spices of Life

Another image from the street market in Issigeac, as some of you asked for. I am a bit disappointed that I didn't use a wide enough aperture ... so the couple of signs in the foreground aren't as sharp as I'd have liked. Also, I wish that I had moved over a bit to the left, so as to have better "thirds".

 

What are your thoughts? Oh, and, Henri (or someone else) - would you translate a few of the signs for me? Thanks! :-)

Any comments or ratings are appreciated! :-)

I like the photo the way it is. Also very nice colors!

This is just a well done lots of fun photograph in French of course. Lou Ann, keep them submitting.

I agree with Ellen, the centred approach works nicely here. I like the colours too. Doesn't Cayenne moulu mean Ground (milled) Cayenne (pepper)? Where is Henri when you need him? :-)

Lou Ann, with all YOUR reservation, it is a good! image,I like the round sacks containing the spices in contrast of the square signs of names and prices. makes a nice forms in the composition, Pnina

Thanks, all, for your input. And I'm glad that you like the cenetered look ... because, although I have a few more shots of these spices, I don't like any of them but this one. And I intend to blow it up, mat & frame it (just learned how to do that) and give it as a gift. Your input helps a lot!! :-)

 

By the way, Pnina - I didn't even consider the squares vs. the circles. Thanks!!

 

I'm on my way to call on Henri.... :-)

Hello Lou-Ann! Sorry to not be there when you needed me, I was gone to the market.

This is a kind of subject which demand a photo, and of course in colours, and you where right to take this one. I am not sure that there is a problem of thirds here, because of the repetitive motifs which can be arranged in many ways. On the other hand, I think I would have prefered a view point from a little higher position (by climbing on a crate, for example) in order to shot the coloured products in the bags rather than the cardboards and slates which are hiding them a bit here.

About the translation of the wrintings, here is:

Cayenne moulu is grinded pepper from Cayenne (a town of French Guyanne); coriandre is coriander, of course; colombo des Antilles is a mix of spices very used in the cooking of the french West Indies (Martinique and Guadeloupe, beautiful islands not far from the USA); gros sel de Guerande is coarse salt from Guerande, a town with famous saltpans in Britanny (3 Euros for half a litre ?! I think they exaggerate! after all, this is just salt); piment doux is soft chilli pepper; cannelle de Ceylan is cinnamon from Ceylan.

YAY! Thanks, Henri! :-)

good, i like the cardboard and the chalk boards...

Befitting title. Overall, good colours & boards that spice up your image.

Nice colours, the frame is full of interest, its one of your best!

Keep shooting.

I like it as is, no thirds needed here IMO. Very good natural colors, a nice harmonic color palette, and much to discover.

I like the symetrical, graphical look to this. To further enhance that, perhaps a bit of reframing? One small nitpick is the burned out highlight in the white bags. All in all a very fun and pleasant capture. Thanks of Henri to decode all the varieties displayed here!

Hi Lou, as a teacher you had to be drawn to the chalk boards. A busy, interesting and well seen shot. I like this.

I like this photo as it is. Though there is something to say for the suggestion of Henry to take it from a bit a higher position, this photo has a different focus, adding more emphasis also to the signboards besides the bright colours of the spices. I also like the way in which the spices and the signboards stand out against the white of the bags.

Lou Ann, this is no ordinary photo. It seems ordinary and even prosaic in terms of subject matter, but the composition is striking even on the thumbnail.

 

As for your opening remark about aperture, if you want a greater depth of field, you need an even narrower aperture or opening, but that means a larger f-stop [number]. I'm sure that you simply misspoke on that, but it caught my attention. In this case, however, I think that the DOF is fine, at least in the size as presented. I'm not sure if it would suffice for blowups.

 

This is really a quality shot in my opinion.

 

--Lannie

Thanks, Lannie - you're right - a SMALLER aperture would have been what I wanted. :-) I'm so glad that you like this!!

Ah, this looks so delicious! I love the colours, and the way you presented these, too :)

I like this. Nicely seen, good colors, and composition. Only nits would be a little more sharpness and more highlight detail. Besides these minor details, the image is very appealing.

Outstanding repetition of elements, with plenty of colors, forms, and contrasts. And with your personal touch, of course. Very nice.

Lou Ann- the colors grab my attention! I also might crop a little & as Wilson pointed out it's just a tad over exposed as seen by the lack of detail in the bags. Neat image, so... interesting!

Great composition here, Lou Ann. Well seen & captured!