Untitled

This image was taken one week before a recent exhibiton of my work. I drove cross town to

view some framing that I was considering for the exhibit. When I got there, the studio was

closed. I had spent hours in traffic and decided not waste the trip. I grabbed my camera and

went searching for images and came across this one. A personal favorite. Comments always

welcome and appreciated.

I can see why this one wedged it?s way into your show at the last minute. The uniformity of objects obediently aligned, basking in the raking sunlight, waiting for you to make them famous. Nice exposure and strong black contrast.

Hi Kent: Thanks for the kind words. I really like this one. It's funny, some time ago I decided to not submit for ratings any more. I was curious on this one so I submitted it for ratings and it scored just above average, hmm, am I missing something? I guess it's easier to just hit a "scale" rather than take the time to write. I hope you are well and shooting. As I get more of the feeling back in my hand, I will pick up the camera more often. Stay in touch...

It's very good to hear from you. Glad to hear you'll be looking through the lens. Find magic and show us all. Thanks for your recent thoughtful comments.

Hope you are doing better. I am very glad to be able to see some of the images you displayed at your exhibition. And I am very glad that you submitted it for ratings, because now I can test my ratings against yours! If I get one 3/3 less - I win :-)

 

I like this very much, the light was just perfect. I usually don't, but this time I have to nitpick. Why didn't you crop the little brown thing in the left bottom corner out? And the numbers - did you choose to cut it off, because it feels as if I want to either see all of them, or none. Jeez - I feel like an idiot asking these things, but I can't just always compliment you ;-) Regards. JH

I was an idiot. I held my hand over the numbers to try the crop, and then realise the importance of the number in the composition. The white 2 2 with the white of the logo on the middle bucket, and the red 5 3 with the red of the logo. Brilliant! Cropping it out ruins it, don't even try and ignore the question in this regard please.

Hi JH: You're so great! It's funny that you asked what you asked but I did crop this image in many different ways before setteling on this. Though I didn't think about it much or analyze it and went strictly for the gut feeling when I initially edited this, I revisited it when you commented. You came to the same conclusions I did. WIth regard to the object in the lower left corner, I felt without it, it was too bland for me. It made the image look like it was floating in mid air. With the spot there, for me, it shows that it's part of something else. Same with the numbers on the left. Cropping them out was too "clean." Keep in mind, I don't think most people know what this is a picture of and I do. It is the lower portion of a large tow truck, a shelf that sits on the side of the truck. The pails are used to collect the broken shards of glass from accidents and of course, the yellow container is for diesel fuel. The sun was setting and hit the truck just right. The driver was still sitting inside the truck and was very puzzled when I asked him if I could photograph the side of his truck. I have other versions of this image, full shots of the truck, wider shots of the same image, etc. I tend to crop in the viewfinder and seldom crop an image. It's my little quirk. I feel I'm cheating if I crop after the fact. That's not to say it's wrong, it's just my weirdness. So there you have it, I don't know why I felt obligated to explain :-) I may post some of the other versions of this shot so you can see the variations. By the way, one of my favorite parts of this image is the way the steel cable loop hangs down into the black. Thanks always for you insight, it's very much appreciated. I'll be heading over to your site soon to see what's there. I look forward to that. Be well! Paul

I'm glad you explained the surrounding circumstances, because I really thought this was shot through an open window into some sort of warehouse or old garage....just shows you. It would be great if you could visit my humble corner some time. I just started out again with a long lost love, black and white photography - but obviously converting from colour digital, and I would appreciate some honest feedback.You know the 3/3's are great! but I never know whether it is because it really sucked, or just because it wasn't a nude or a bug or a seascape. *shrug*

 

Anyway, hope to see some more soon.

 

Take care.

JH

Hi JH: As promised, I've attached two additional versions of this image to give you (and whomever else is interested) an idea of how the image came to be. As I said, I usually crop within the camera. The final image was bracketed. I ended up choosing the underexposed version. I hope this gives you some insight as to how the image came to be. As always, thanks for the insightful conversations and your "eye."

Here is the other sample...

I always enjoy the behind the scenes information. Good eye to locate this one Paul.

Paul, I like this picture very much, too. The subject is very original and the composition beautiful. We can see on the other versions you posted that the light was perfect that day and possessed the basic qualities that made this beautiful artwork in the end. Your light, colors and treatment are wondeful in the whole folder. I'm sure the photographs looked great at the exhibition.

And like you, I try not to crop pictures afterwards and hope I find the right framing when clicking. It's a great way to try and improve and I find it very rewarding when you get it right in the first place.

I couldn't agree more, Laurent. I have to say this was a personal favorite. Not exactly the mainstream image most people are looking for. It's printed about 4 feet wide and the detail held up fantastic. It was shot in RAW. Thanks for the comments. It's good to be back in touch.