Walking

Hexar RF & Hexanon 2/50
Tri-X@1600
Coolscan V ED

Cedric

I like this alot
the shot especially in black and white and the scene the clothes the shop
has such an antique look to it
as if maybe made in the 20's
very nice!

Charlotte-

Hi Charlotte,

Your feeling is mine : this picture seems very old, only the motorbikes in the window could give an idea of the actual era.

Thank you.

Cedric.

Hi Cedric,

I think you are having way too much fun with your film RF at the moment ;-). But the results are good and they are getting better and better.

I can't help but compare this image to those taken by the famous masters in the 20th century. So the atmosphere and the feelings the picture communicates are spot on, if that was your intention anyway.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,

I think you are having way too much fun with your film RF at the moment ;-)

Click to expand...

Yes, it's that ! ) I really enjoy to use this camera, it is pure fun to shoot.

Bonjour Cedric

Apart fom the classy aspect, I find the moment of your capture interesting:

the right foot of the woman is just touching earth, sign of the foreward movement.

It reminds me Paris-living Alberto Giacometti's walking men:



You might notice in this shot by HCBresson Giacometti walking too, and making standing figures, as opposite to the walking ones.

Hi Michael,

Very nice to compare my picture to HCB's one.
Well, i'm really glad to have captured this right foot in movement, i think it is the element which gives its quality to this shot : without it, it would remain a simple blurry photograph...

Cedric MASSOULIER said:

Hi Michael,

Very nice to compare my picture to HCB's one.
Well, i'm really glad to have captured this right foot in movement, i think it is the element which gives its quality to this shot : without it, it would remain a simple blurry photograph...

Click to expand...

Cedric

it was the best example, I could find ;-)

I agree absolutly on your second sentence.

Cedric MASSOULIER said:

... Well, i'm really glad to have captured this right foot in movement, i think it is the element which gives its quality to this shot : without it, it would remain a simple blurry photograph...

Click to expand...

Hi Cedric,

Strictly speaking, it is still a blurry photograph. Whether it is simple or not is yet another question. To me, it would not make a difference if the right foot was also frozen like the left one. I like the picture and that is what matters

Cheers,

Looking at them side by side!

Michael Fontana said:

Bonjour Cedric

Apart fom the classy aspect, I find the moment of your capture interesting:

the right foot of the woman is just touching earth, sign of the foreward movement.

It reminds me Paris-living Alberto Giacometti's walking men:

You might notice in this shot by HCBresson Giacometti walking too, and making standing figures, as opposite to the walking ones.

Click to expand...

Michael,

I really appreciate your calling attention to this more famous work by Bresson referencing perhaps even more outstanding art in the sculptures of a figure walking by Giacometti.

So Cedric, you picture is indeed important in that it not only captures our attention but can induce us to go into our cultural memories and drill down to find such a related picture by Bresson. How remarkable is the human brain and ability to make associations and connections so readily! Now I can pat myself on the back for having felt your picture was indeed important in the first place. So what did you think about the meaning of your picture before and after you saw Michael's post of the Bresson photograph?

Asher

Thanks Asher

you got the point of my posting.

I wasn't looking for a comparison between Cedrics and HCB's photos, but when I saw Cedrics I had instantly to think about the moving/standing figures of Giacometti.

Googling for his figures, I become aware of HCB's image - which I knew but had forgotten - and liked very much his interpretation of Giacometti, himself making the same steps as his figures. To me, this is a very important parth of that image.

>How remarkable is the human brain and ability to make associations and connections so readily<

I believe profoundly in the idea of a °picture-chain°; which might result from the personal work as well as from other artists.

Finally, their isn't a genius photographer, but the work we do is just adding a bit to the °picture-chain°; it might be worth it.....

Thanks, Michael,

These associations will now be indexed as part of the human connections of walking and art of the masters.

Asher

Here is a picture I took of the Walking Man (II?) by Giacometti at the Maeght Foundation in Southern France in 2006.

Its becoming a toy, in bird's view.

Cem_Usakligil said:

Here is a picture I took of the Walking Man (II?) by Giacometti at the Maeght Foundation in Southern France in 2006.

Click to expand...

I like your photograph here! It's so organic. The hexagonal cells are so biological, the organic rings of molecules that allow for life, the cells of wasp and beehives holding young or honey and the forms of building structures and Buckey Fullerene carbon balls to do chemical magic. So the walking man, scene from a "God-Shot" camera perspective, looks at man walking across a landscape of life from basic organic to unknown future possibilities.

I wonder if that floor was designed for the sculpture or just there already by happenstance?

Asher

Cem,

Yours is a photograph that has a lot of meaning to us. There is potential for new ideas each time we visit. Most of this is, of course the powerful sculpure of Giacometti, but then you have framed it uniquely with the tiles to create something more.

I have an interest in learning about the importance of color in the relative success of such a picture. So look at the first picture below, which is your original photograph, then my best versioning of that and lastly a B&W derivative made by assigning hues to tones of grey intensity.


© Cem Usakligil orginal photograph



© Cem Usakligil orginal photograph "optimized" to my eye for impressiveness.



© Cem Usakligil my color edit with colors assigned to B&W tones.

Now is there any need for color? Does color make the picture or can just as much be conveyed with B&W and does B&W offer anything new or worthwhile here?

I just think it's worthwhile to look at images that have meaning for us to know how the power is built into the form. Does color play any role and if so what?

My feeling is that my optimized version of the color original is the most powerful. B&W lacks the ablity to show the patina of the bronze which is so important in identifying the sculpture and only then does the idea really work well, knowing it's a Giacometti sculpture. The red tiles help provide a far more complex array of patterns in the tiles than possible with grey scale. So here, for me at least, is another example of where color is required for the power of the image as it brings the extra meaning coded by color allowing us to relate to the sculpture with full power.

Asher

Asher Kelman said:

Michael,

I really appreciate your calling attention to this more famous work by Bresson referencing perhaps even more outstanding art in the sculptures of a figure walking by Giacometti.

So Cedric, you picture is indeed important in that it not only captures our attention but can induce us to go into our cultural memories and drill down to find such a related picture by Bresson. How remarkable is the human brain and ability to make associations and connections so readily! Now I can pat myself on the back for having felt your picture was indeed important in the first place. So what did you think about the meaning of your picture before and after you saw Michael's post of the Bresson photograph?

Asher

Click to expand...

Hi Asher,

Well, i am currently studying Cartier-Bresson's work and its ideas about "decisive instant". I know i shot this picture with the will to capture a movement which would be frozen in a specific and perfect graphical frame. I stayed about 10 minutes in front of this mirror and i shot several trials, this one was the good one. I also used Tri-X film at 1600 ISO to get more grain and more density, and to be able to use high shutter speeds at this time (end of day, declining light). So, i didn't think about Giacometti's photographs by HCB when i shot this picture, but the link with Bresson's work is clear.

Cedric.

Asher Kelman said:

I like your photograph here! It's so organic. The hexagonal cells are so biological, the organic rings of molecules that allow for life, the cells of wasp and beehives holding young or honey and the forms of building structures and Buckey Fullerene carbon balls to do chemical magic. So the walking man, scene from a "God-Shot" camera perspective, looks at man walking across a landscape of life from basic organic to unknown future possibilities.

I wonder if that floor was designed for the sculpture or just there already by happenstance?

Asher

Click to expand...

Hi Asher,

Thanks for the kind comments. Hexagonal is something I also associate with organic chemistry. Based on my limited knowledge about the Maeght foundation I am assuming that the floor was not specifically designed for these Walking Man sculptures, but it was designed in general to become the stage for various statues in display. I may be totally wrong though.

Cheers,

Asher Kelman said:

......I have an interest in learning about the importance of color in the relative success of such a picture. So look at the first picture below, which is your original photograph, then my best versioning of that and lastly a B&W derivative made by assigning hues to tones of grey intensity.

Now is there any need for color? Does color make the picture or can just as much be conveyed with B&W and does B&W offer anything new or worthwhile here?

I just think it's worthwhile to look at images that have meaning for us to know how the power is built into the form. Does color play any role and if so what?

My feeling is that my optimized version of the color original is the most powerful. B&W lacks the ablity to show the patina of the bronze which is so important in identifying the sculpture and only then does the idea really work well, knowing it's a Giacometti sculpture. The red tiles help provide a far more complex array of patterns in the tiles than possible with grey scale. So here, for me at least, is another example of where color is required for the power of the image as it brings the extra meaning coded by color allowing us to relate to the sculpture with full power..

Click to expand...

Hi Asher,

I can but agree fully with your impeccable analysis .

Cheers,

Cedric MASSOULIER said:

Hi Asher,

Well, i am currently studying Cartier-Bresson's work and its ideas about "decisive instant". I know i shot this picture with the will to capture a movement which would be frozen in a specific and perfect graphical frame. I stayed about 10 minutes in front of this mirror and i shot several trials, this one was the good one. I also used Tri-X film at 1600 ISO to get more grain and more density, and to be able to use high shutter speeds at this time (end of day, declining light). So, i didn't think about Giacometti's photographs by HCB when i shot this picture, but the link with Bresson's work is clear.

Cedric.

Click to expand...

Hi Cedric,

I can imagine how you've waited there patiently for this moment . I, too, do this "hunting for the decisive instant" a lot. It is a matter of anticipation and having a pretty good idea of the picture you want to take in advance. And patience, sometimes lots of it. My personal limit is around 30 mins max. I haven't achieved the zen-like status of waiting for a few days or weeks to take just one picture ;-).

Cheers,

Cedric

thanks for pointing out your intention of the photo.
You did well.

Beeing born in the same swiss state as Giacometti, I know his art a bit, he' s the most famous artist from that state - even the state gallery didn't had acquired any of his works prior to his death.

Following the color tonality of his paintings, I suggest another version of Cem's photo:




© Cem Usakligil orginal photograph - mix of Asher's color and b&w+blur.

I'm aware, that this interpretation might be far away from Cem's intention.

Michael Fontana said:

Cedric

thanks for pointing out your intention of the photo.
You did well.

Beeing born in the same swiss state as Giacometti, I know his art a bit, he' s the most famous artist from that state - even the state gallery didn't had acquired any of his works prior to his death.

Following the color tonality of his paintings, I suggest another version of Cem's photo:

© Cem Usakligil orginal photograph - mix of Asher's color and b&w+blur.

I'm aware, that this interpretation might be far away from Cem's intention.

Click to expand...

Hi Michael,

Thanks for thinking this through, I am glad to see this version which I really like. My original intention was on the compositional placement of the statue and the structure of the tiles. Color was an added bonus. These examples prove once again that there is not a single recipe to when and where to apply color or B&W. Thanks to you all

PS: Cedric I hope you did not mind that we ended up hijacking your thread a bit in the end? If so, I can split the thread into two easily, just tell me

Cheers,

PS: Cedric I hope you did not mind that we ended up hijacking your thread a bit in the end? If so, I can split the thread into two easily, just tell me

Click to expand...

There's no problem at all, i think it became a good thread with rich exchanges

Cedric.