jbm

Gordon,

Every now and then when I look at a photo a song lyric pops into my head. In this case, it is a lyric that has popped in once before when I looked at one of Jeff Long's photos...yet here it is again.

Shawn Colvin: "[you're] nothing in particular and everything in between/and this is what you mean to me."

I love a photo that is recognizeable in terms of its subject matter (i.e. not purely abstract in terms of form) even if it does not have a clear "subject" as it's central focus. As you said, you fill "the space between" with some type of connection and that is what makes the photo interesting.

My own, more literal shot from the same perspective is here. I like yours more, though.

I will check back on your work often.

Cheers,

Jay

I like the look of the FD lenses.

How do you like the G1? It's a pretty intriguing camera...it would seem to open up a lot of possibilities.

Thanks for all of the work you do for us film enthusiasts.

Cheers,

Jay

Matt,

Why have I never left my thoughts on this image. It is of great quality, well lit and really well prepared.

I am looking forward to getting back to some studio lighting myself, I hope to create some images of this quality.

Cheers,

Jay

Great shot. Perfect use of sepia toning, vignetting, and local contrast (sky).

I am glad you are playing around with Silver EFX. It's a pretty useful program. To me one of the best parts is that you can create control points where within a specified radius you can adjust brightness, contrast, and structure. Also, you can select multiple control points simultaneously and use the sliders from one to adjust the group of them. That is very useful...like adding control points along the top of a tree line to add a little contrast and separate them from a background.

The other thing that is cool is monkeying with the film types. When adding grain, it actually reconstructs the image so that it is formed from grain, and the printed results (higher than the resolution you are able to show on p.n) are indistinguishable from film if you have them printed by a high end printer. I have had mine printed by Digital Silver Imaging (www.digitalsilverimaging.com) and the silver gelatin prints are totally stunning without tonal shifts that I get when I send my monochrome images to be printed by other high end printers.

My post covers a lot of things I wrote you in an email, Tero, but I know a lot of people will look at your image and hopefully a few will try this program, which the more I use, the more I really consider indispensable to digital editing of monochrome images. This sounds like an ad, but I have nothing personally invested, I just think it makes everyone's life a lot easier.

Glad to see you posting, T.

Cheers,

Jay

I am not sure what this is, except one of the better photographs I've seen in a while. Man, I got home late from a terrible night at work and have been completely buoyed by some amazing photos, including yours.

Cheers,

Jay

I'd sharpen the heck out of it until the shingles approximated a goodfy, toothy look. I love this texture.

Jay

I like the version from furher out as it proides a context that is more narrative, but prefer this as the OOF background is less distracting. You could monkey with it in PS and make the one from further out more selective by applying a gaussian blur to only the background objects. That's a lot of work, though.

Cool shot, Doug.

Jay

This is one of the best images I have seen poking around photographs in a while.

I respond well to this color palette and this subject matter. There is something so lonely and dignified about dingy concrete that we mold to our needs. We make it, shape it, pound it into the ground, ignore it, and chop it up. I love it. Here are a few of mine that I wish were half as good as this:

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6944772

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=7147652

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6944769

Thanks for making such great photographs.

Jay

Was that the intent? It matters very little. It is so strangely poignant.

Cheers,

Jay

And I am thrilled to see a new photo from you, my friend. I really like the idea of the lensbab and high ISO to monochrome, so I will give it a try, as well.

Ever use Silver EFX pro for monochrome conversion, Tero? It is really, really incredible. Best 150 USD I have ever spent, aside from one night in Las Vegas that I no longer discuss.

Jay.

This was a really stupid move, on my part. I shot this with a tripod in Manhattan traffic. I like the photo, but the technique is not recommended.

Cheers,

Jay

This is really neat. Good find.

Jay

This is over the top...one of your finest images. The texture of the mountain gives no hint as to the appropriate sense of scale. At first I thought it was a pile of gravel, then a pile of skulls, then a mountain. It's really great. And the deep contrast of the cloud and the rest of the sky just put it into the realm of the sublime.

I wish I had taken it!

Cheers,

Jay

Dr. A, I monkeyed wtih this for a few seconds only (literally less than 90 seconds) in Silver EFX Pro, which is a Nik software plugin. I think it is available for Aperture, thought I use it from Photoshop.

I think that has a bit more punch. I added a yellow filter, added three points to brighten up the mountains and then a filter to reconstruct the photo from simulated Fuji Black and White 100 speed film.

This is by no means perfect...the foreground loses a lot...but the sky and moutains have more punch this way.

Cheers,

Jay

Tim, I do no know why I have not left a comment on this yet, but it really is amazing. Everything about it is perfect. Let me blow some sunshine at you:

1. I love the angle, camera just slightly low and left, which conveys a sense of power to your subject and also respect.

2. The range of tones is perfect. The exposure looks to be spot on.

3. You capture every bit of contemplation and distance with his gaze headed off into the distance.

4. The depth of field could not be any better. The front of his hat is out of focus and so is the rear The face is all captured in great detail.

Now, what whould I do to improve it?

Nothing.

You should enter this into B&W magazines annual contest for portraits.

Cheers,

Jay

...but odd processing. The Halo around the cannon distracts. Whatever, that's splitting hairs. This is more fun than anything else around here.

Love it.

Cheers,

Jay

Really interesting textures. I might open the exposure a little or boost the midtone contrast.

Cheers,

Jay

Dick...great image! Maybe it would have been more interesting or moody if you had not had your subjects look at the camera. Still what a powerful setting!

Cheers,

Jay

...though not as smelly as I was during my heydey.

I will post a couple of other shots that are similar and work better. I agree it would be better if the third guys were staring off, as well. He kept looking at his video camera, though!

Credit the detail to my new Nikkor 35/1.8 lens. I do not know what you shoot, but if you are Nikon guy, for 200 bucks it is a great investment: sharp, fast, not too darned expensive.

Cheers,

Jay

Well spotted and framed. Maybe I would have placed the two chaps a bit closer to the right edge. Dealer's choice...

Great photograph, regardless.

Cheers,

Jay

And did you have to denoise and then sharpen or what? Come on, brother...product shots are all about the details!

Great results from the 50/1.8 which I really enjoy. It's super sharp and I love the price I paid for it.

Cheers,

Jay