Wednesday, April 9, 2014

A Photograph Or An Illustration

 
I should be working but I'm not. I was on Facebook where there is a new page for Olympus OMD camera users. I "liked" the page a week ago so now I see all the posts to it which are mostly uploads of photographs taken with the OMD cameras. There are some great macro photographs of tiny things like bugs. Who knew that the bee or dragonfly or ladybug looked like that so up close and personal. Using a macro lens on a bug takes some skill and patience. I think it is pretty interesting.

Then there are landscapes that are, not sure what to say about them.....so other worldly, so colorfied, so saturated, that in a way they are breathtaking. I can see a whole generation of photographers wanting to make landscapes like that. I guess it is the same as my generation seeing Ansel Adams black and white photographs and heading into our darkrooms to master the Zone System.

Except when I see these images, overdone in my opinion, all I can see is software. Kind of like when you see model images that have flawless skin and perfect skinny bodies. To me, the models look like illustrations and these landscapes look like illustrations. Will these exaggerated images eventually lead us to a discontent with the actual landscapes when we go to see them as it has led to women's expectations and subsequent discontent with our actual bodies?

While I defend the photographer's right to make their work however they want to make it, I hope that I'm not gradually led into that genre of photography.

This image was made one day when I was running errands in town. I like the geometry of it and the frames of faces.

By the way, I'm not opposed to using Photoshop or Lightroom, but more on that another day.

12 comments:

  1. A duel settee but I suspect an opening with homage to the precolonial style of doing windows.

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    1. I don't know how old this house is but it is in the centro and I suspect has been there at least a 100 years. I've seen the dual set windows in 16th century monastery structures. So even if it is 100 year old house, I'm sure it is a reference to much older buildings.

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  2. I agree - often a stunning photo causes me to pause but once I see "software" I never linger as I do on photos where if used (probably in today's world) I cannot detect it. Having said that I admit wishing I was savvy about such software. I suppose it is all art and as with any medium simply a matter of what is to our taste.

    Barbara

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    1. Yes, we can all make art OUR way but when all the software sliders are pushed to the limit, I can no longer appreciate it as fine art photography. Of course, that may be something about my age. LOL

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  3. I understand. An excellent picture that may require some cropping or red eyes removed, is so different than changing colors or shapes on an already beautiful scene. Except, of course, when you want it to look like a "painting". Otherwise the results can be much like a bad facelift, or too much "make-up".

    What a great composition in your pictured photo. Did you think that through or was it "captured" by accident?

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    1. Andean, A bad face lift is a good comparison.

      Well, I was thinking when I made the picture. I saw the wonderful light coming in and I wanted to capture the window. Then someone walked by before I was ready to push the shutter button and I thought that I needed to wait until another person walked by.
      I waited and this woman walked by and I hit the shutter button. So while I didn't initially plan to have someone in the window, I recognized that it would make a better picture.

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    2. I also noticed the similarity in the color and pattern of the left painting and the frame around the outside doorway–amazing.

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  4. Delightful. I totally agree with those that push things to the max in an attempt to make the photo "perfect". Life is full of imperfections and trying to make it perfect, to me detracts from the original intent.

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    1. I like some imperfections. I once photographed a series of pears and when I was picking the pears I looked for those that had some blemish or scar. It made them seem more real to me. I came to think of the pears as human.

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  5. This is an interesting photo and, again, I'm in awe of your skill. It's tricky to get enough light on the interior of the room without washing out what is outside and visible through the window. A friend always takes two separate shots and then uses photoshop to create the one perfect photo.

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    1. Loulou, there are several ways to balance the light. What your friend is doing is an excellent way to do it but you do need to be using a tripod. When I'm tooling around town I don't usually carry the tripod. So this is just one shot, then using Lightroom to balance the shadows and highlights. It doesn't work all the time but this time it did. You can also use layers in Photoshop to balance the tones but what your friend is doing is the best way.

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