That's an interesting point, Stan. I guess maybe I'm a little too
fixated on isolating the subject at times, and tend to default to a
shallow depth of field in just about anything other than a landscape.
I'll certainly get back out to that spot soon, as it's only about a 10
minute drive away. One interesting thing about it is that, just on the
other side of the street is a brand new, very modern fire station. I
felt like that would make a great juxtaposition, but for the awning
support beams and primer-grey Impala in the frame. I'll try to get back
out there in the next couple days to see what I can do with the scene. I
just have a hard time ignoring the little voice in my head that says,
"It's about the truck! It's all about the damned truck!"
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see what I can do with it.
-- Walt
On 1/10/2013 12:30 AM, Stan Halpin wrote:
Walt, let me describe the scenario as I understand it. You walked by, saw an
old fire engine, and immediately visualized a great shot that would
illustrate/document that fire engine in all of its decrepit splendor. But there
was too much clutter so you did something else. Now let me suggest an
alternative scenario: instead of trying to take a picture of something that
isn't there (i.e., an old fire engine on display against a perfect backdrop),
why not take a photo of what is there (i.e., an abandoned old fire engine in
the midst of clutter and decay)?
Part of my reason for this comment comes from my assessment of the images Juan
Bueler posts on his blog. Most of his street scenes are messy. A lot of visual
clutter and distracting elements with, e.g. people cut in half as they walk out
of the frame. But his stuff really grabs me. I think because he is showing me
what he sees in front of him. Nothing staged, nothing cleaned up, just glimpses
of real life on the streets. In the same vein, I would love to see a shot of
your fire engine sitting there surrounded by other junk.
stan
On Jan 10, 2013, at 1:10 AM, Walt wrote:
Thank you, John.
I did get another shot of that fire engine that wasn't as bad as I thought it'd
be, but still has a lot of distracting background elements for my taste:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/walt_gilbert/8366974508/#large
I may go back when it's not so bright out and see if I can get a better whack
at it. There's an old ('66-'70-ish), primer-grey Chevy Impala parked just on
the other side of it, along with a couple of support beams from the old gas
station awning, that keep me from getting a much better angle on it. I found
out that a friend of mine is a good friend of the guy who owns it, so I'm going
to see if I can maybe get the guy to move it to a more photogenic spot in
exchange for a print.
Thanks again!
-- Walt
On 1/9/2013 11:47 PM, John Coyle wrote:
Great timing on the shot of the kids Walt.
I had the same experience with a beautifully restored fire engine locally -
parked on the entry to
a church (modern, so not photogenic) and with a huge white sign behind it
which got into every
frame. Wound up doing mainly detail shots to avoid it.
John Coyle
Brisbane, Australia
-----Original Message-----
From: PDML [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Walt
Sent: Thursday, 10 January 2013 10:00 AM
To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List
Subject: Dos PESOS: Fire and Water
I took the K-5 and K20D out today, with the FA 50/1.4 on the K-5 and the
Promaster 70-300 on the
other, just in case I needed to take a long shot.
The first was taken with the K20D -- a couple of kids I spotted skipping stones
on the Ohio River:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/walt_gilbert/8366207558/
f/8, 1/640, ISO 200
The second with the K-5 -- an old fire engine that was parked in such a way
that made me want to
strangle whoever put it there. I couldn't get a decent shot of the side of it
without a bunch of
crap in the way, which was really disappointing:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/walt_gilbert/8366248736/
f/2, 1/400, ISO 200
I wish I'd been closer for the river scene so I could have taken it with the
K-5, but I'm still
pretty happy with it. I'm still bummed about the placement of the fire engine.
It really would've
made a nice shot. But, I did what I could with what I had.
Comments, critiques and suggestions as to how to go about killing the owner of
the fire truck
without getting caught are eagerly encouraged.
Thanks!
-- Walt
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