Shooting famous tourist places or landmarks in a new way

Rachel Foster · May 23, 2009

Shooting famous places in a way that doesn't look like a post card can be difficult. I'm interested in how others have managed to photograph landmarks/tourist places in creative, novel ways.

My offering: inside the Roman Coliseum looking at an exit; ISO 400, f/5.6, .4 seconds. While visiting the Coliseum I was overwhelmed by the anguish and misery experienced where I was standing. I imagined many people looked at that exit with a powerful desire to use it. I also imagined just before tragedy, one's vision might go "liquid." I call this Screams and it's a memorial to the victims.

Now, does someone have something less macabre?

Asher Kelman · May 23, 2009

Rachel Foster said:
My offering: inside the Roman Coliseum looking at an exit; ISO 400, f/5.6, .4 seconds.

Rachel why those settings?

That's an important question, perhaps according to how one interprets your introduction. Also, in this case, I'd love to see that signature small, fainter and lower down, almost not there, if at all possible.

I want to know if we are dealing with happenstance of a shot with odd settings or an expression of intent.

If it's the former, then it's like "found art" which you can put your name to. Otherwise, I'd ask, is this going to be part of a series. One-off images are isolated. A body of work get some respect.

Without your introduction, there is no way I'd connect your very interesting image with the Roman Coliseum. Yours is a personal and evocative picture and preface to it. However, as challenge, it's hard to follow unless we similarly had good or bad shutter fortune, if that's what happened.

Asher

Rachel Foster · May 23, 2009

The settings were due to necessity. It was a very dreary, overcast day and I was shooting with the Rebel. The impossibility of getting a good, crisp image along with the line of thinking (imagining one's vision going "liquid") gave me the idea of trying to get this image. So, as to "arc of intent" I suppose it would be a combination of intended and serendipity.

The essence of the challenge is only to shoot something that's been photographed a million times before in a way that is not what you'd find on a post card.

Does that help?

Charlotte Thompson · May 24, 2009

Rachel

this is so interesting on so many levels

Pareidolia
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The term pareidolia (pronounced /pærɪˈdoʊliə/) describes a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon, and hearing hidden messages on records played in reverse. The word comes from the Greek para- —"beside", "with" or "alongside"- meaning, in this context, something faulty or wrong (as in paraphasia, disordered speech)—and eidolon—"image" (the diminutive of eidos—"image", "form", "shape"). Pareidolia is a type of apophenia.

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1 Examples
1.1 Religious
1.2 Scientific
1.3 Rorschach inkblot test
1.4 Audio
2 Explanations
3 Gallery
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

and what I see is the scream and a human being on the right side of the shot
I like this type of work it lets ones imagination free
important to an artist!

Charlotte-

Rachel Foster · May 24, 2009

There IS a human in the lower left side. I'm impressed!

Phil Marion · Jul 8, 2009

Here is one of my takes on the Taj Mahal

Rachel Foster · Jul 8, 2009

I like it.

Michael Fontana · Jul 8, 2009

Not a easy task - the new way.

I like the Taj very much - I had the chance to be there for several days and think it's one of the nicest building worlwide; it looks symmetrical on a first glance, but its not when looking better.

I allowed myself to make a small correction:

©Phil Marion

What do you think?

Martin Kuivenhoven · Jul 8, 2009

Interesting shot Rachel and a very different angle from what I would expect reading along. Very creative. I like the athmosphere but do not relate the shot to the Coliseum.

Was expecting something more in the line of this:

Eiffel tower - oldie on film

Martin

Michael Fontana · Jul 8, 2009

Sorry for the repost, but it fits beside Martin's image::

Rachel Foster · Jul 9, 2009

That's better than my Eiffel shot!

Nigel Allan · Nov 22, 2009

Driving over Sydney Harbour Bridge in April 1989. Shot on Ektachrome 100 or 200 with my Pentax LX and 50mm 1.4, hand held, manually focused while driving

Full frame, not cropped or processed except to restore some of the feelings of the original tranny

A view of the bridge you don't normally see.

Nigel Allan: Sydney Harbour Bridge, April 1989

Phil Marion · Feb 17, 2010

Michael Fontana said:
Not a easy task - the new way.

I like the Taj very much - I had the chance to be there for several days and think it's one of the nicest building worlwide; it looks symmetrical on a first glance, but its not when looking better.

I allowed myself to make a small correction:

What do you think?

LOVE IT - though I would have masked the top portion and only modified the reflection.
I agree with your processing - I processed the original in Cs3 when I was not bold enough to take the contrast or saturation beyond certain levels. Thank god I have the rAW to re-do. This is a good candidate.
Here's another take on the Taj:

I need to straighten the horizon - so many RAWs to be reworked...

Rachel Foster · Feb 17, 2010

Nigel, I don't know how I missed your image. Nice one. And, Phil, I too have so many images, so little time!

Reginald Johnson · May 13, 2010

Nigel Allan said:
Driving over Sydney Harbour Bridge in April 1989. Shot on Ektachrome 100 or 200 with my Pentax LX and 50mm 1.4, hand held, manually focused while driving

Shouldn't try that often...
Great shot though!

Regi

Rachel Foster · May 13, 2010

I'm going to France tonight....wish me luck on getting something other than postcard shots. I'm taking the Rebel Xti. It was a tough decision but the 5dII is heavy and larger.

Winston Mitchell · May 13, 2010

Brooklyn Bridge
©2009 Winston Mitchell
Sony DSLR-A700 ,Konica-Minolta 17-35mm f/2.8-4 (D) AF
1/100s f/11.0 at 35.0mm iso200

I wasn't driving ;-)

Rachel Foster · May 13, 2010

I like that shot!

Rachel Foster · May 26, 2010

I tried to think of new ways to shoot landmarks but didn't have great success. This was the closest I came. It was shot from Montmatre, some distance away, at dusk.

Jacob Eliana: Eiffel Tower

Ossi Raimi · Aug 3, 2010

Sagrada Família, Barcelona 1999:

Nigel Allan · Aug 4, 2010

I haven't been around for a while due to business commitments, but yesterday I took some rare time out and strolled around the South Bank with my son and my camera.

Here are some views of the World famous London Eye from my stroll

1. Nigel Allan: London Eye-Pod

2. Nigel Allan: London Eye-Pad

3. Nigel Allan: London Eye-Pod Classic

4. Nigel Allan: London Eye-Pod nano

[/QUOTE]

Asher Kelman · May 12, 2011

These are excellent pictures, all! I hope we'll add to this collection!

Asher

fahim mohammed · May 12, 2011

Does this count?

Asher Kelman · May 13, 2011

fahim mohammed said:
Does this count?

It's original and interesting but we'd like to know more. It reminds of watching the clock in Prague!

Asher

Nigel Allan · Aug 24, 2011

I just returned from a business trip to Singapore. Didn’t use my camera much except for the last day when I went on the Singapore Flyer, the largest observation wheel in the World. Here are some shots I took of the Flyer and views from it

Part A

1. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 1

2. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 2

3. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 3

4. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 4

[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Nigel Allan · Aug 24, 2011

I just returned from a business trip to Singapore. Didn’t use my camera much except for the last day when I went on the Singapore Flyer, the largest observation wheel in the World. Here are some shots I took of the Flyer and views from it

Part B

1. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 5

2. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 6

3. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 7

4. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 8

[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Nigel Allan · Aug 24, 2011

Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Hotel and casino. Most people take shots from the side as it shows the large ship like structure on top, but I thought this view was interesting

Part C

1. Nigel Allan: Marina Bay Sands 1

2. Nigel Allan: Marina Bay Sands 2

3. Nigel Allan: Marina Bay Sands 3

4. Nigel Allan: Marina Bay Sands 4 – view from the Singapore Flyer

[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Cem_Usakligil · Aug 25, 2011

Hi Nigel,

Nigel Allan said:
I just returned from a business trip to Singapore. Didn’t use my camera much except for the last day when I went on the Singapore Flyer, the largest observation wheel in the World. Here are some shots I took of the Flyer and views from it
....

4. Nigel Allan: Singapore Flyer 4

A very nice set, I particularly like this one. It's a good thing that you had the chance to do some last minute sightseeing and not only business. In my business trips around Europe, I almost never have the chance for that.

Cem_Usakligil · Aug 25, 2011

Well, here is one which I thought would be appropriate for this thread:

Asher Kelman · Aug 25, 2011

Cem_Usakligil said:
Well, here is one which I thought would be appropriate for this thread:

"Gifted", that's what my wife says!

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