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Striking Sunsets, Getting beyond Postcard-Pretty or Merely Sentimental!

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Who is not moved by splendid sunsets? Millions of snaps, tens of thousands of perfect romantic moments, and there's the catch! Where's the room for our creativity?

The challenge: go beyond the picturesque and simply sentimental. Only one condition: sunset be essential to the composition.

Your picture/s, as shot, edited or retouched, a collage or triptych and a title.

Asher

P.S. see post # 5 for ideas to escape from the expected!
 
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StuartRae

New member
Sunset behind Derwent Isle, Derwent Water, November 8th 1994.
Taken with a cheap Cosina SLR which had pretty decent 50mm f/2 lens. I used to leave my more expensive Canon behind on long, rough walks. Then I changed my mind as instead, post this:

032.jpg


Stuart Rae: Derwent Sunset

Regards,

Stuart
 
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Ken Tanaka

pro member
....
The challenge: go beyond the picturesque and simply sentimental. Only one condition: sunset be essential to the composition.

...
Asher

So far you have attracted some pretty pictures, Asher. But I wonder if you should state your challenge differently to attract anything beyond such images. Specifically, invite non-scenic entries. That is, images that you'd never find on the front of a postcard from Lake Wobegon. Images that use the low-angle of the sun at day's end to record either a momentary atmospheric effect (and there are many, many possibilities that aren't scenic) or an interior scene that's evocative of day's end. With regard to the latter, I'm thinking of some of Andre Kertesz's Polaroid images that he captured in his apartment near the end of his life with an SX-70.

Andre_Kertesz_Untitled_SX0210_2262_102.jpg

Untitled, Andre Kertesz, Polaroid, 1979

Andre_Kertesz_Untitled_SX1205_2255_102.jpg

Untitled, Andre Kertesz, Polaroid, 1981

p861201701-2.jpg

Day's End, Kenneth Tanaka, 2009

 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
So far you have attracted some pretty pictures, Asher. But I wonder if you should state your challenge differently to attract anything beyond such images. Specifically, invite non-scenic entries. That is, images that you'd never find on the front of a postcard from Lake Wobegon. Images that use the low-angle of the sun at day's end to record either a momentary atmospheric effect (and there are many, many possibilities that aren't scenic) or an interior scene that's evocative of day's end. With regard to the latter, I'm thinking of some of Andre Kertesz's Polaroid images that he captured in his apartment near the end of his life with an SX-70.

Ken,

Yes, you got it! That's what I was thinking.

Asher
 

Andrew Stannard

pro member
Hi,

One from myself - an opportunistic shot grabbed as a flock of starlings flew across the sunset clouds. Hopefully a bit non-scenic at least, although the scenic pictures posted in this thread are every bit as enjoyable.



2007_02_AS4799_AndrewStannard.jpg




Regards,
 

StuartRae

New member
Ken Tanaka said:
.......a postcard from Lake Wobegon.

Thank you Ken, your opinion is always appreciated. I have updated the image, testing boundaries even more. Hope the new image at least sets the path for new work and jogs folk in the right direction!

Regards,

Stuart
 
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Rachel Foster

New member
Something I've been working on (but haven't yet got right) that came to mind when I saw Ken's posts is this one:

IMG_6130.jpg

Jacob Eliana: Broken

I haven't quite "got it" yet, though.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
We want a spectrum of images that at one end recognizes what we generally record in the oblique fast changing light of the setting sun, but also departs to investigate where the rays do their work. It's not easy and we'll have errors in judgement but our opinions and steerage will, nevertheless, build a broader and hopefully richer collection than sheer romantic impulse usually directs.

Without some pictures that are rooted in the sentimental, the others will not be measured well enough. We do, indeed need to move away from narrow common views of such splendid scenes to see that there's a universe of more possibilities, not "better" but worthy of our sharing here.

So don't be inhibited in choosing, just introduce your decision. It's your gallery, a common place, we hope for different visions from different ways of seeing things. So far, the mix is a great start!

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,

We want a spectrum of images that at one end recognizes what we generally record in the oblique fast changing light of the setting sun, but also departs to investigate where the rays do their work. It's not easy and we'll have errors in judgement but our opinions and steerage will, nevertheless, build a broader and hopefully richer collection than sheer romantic impulse usually directs.

Without some pictures that are rooted in the sentimental, the others will not be measured well enough. We do, indeed need to move away from narrow common views of such splendid scenes to see that there's a universe of more possibilities, not "better" but worthy of our sharing here.

So don't be inhibited in choosing, just introduce your decision. It's your gallery, a common place, we hope for different visions from different ways of seeing things. So far, the mix is a great start!
Well said.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Ken Tanaka

pro member
I'll offer a few more to encourage another flood.



-Untitled-, Kenneth Tanaka, 2009


Early Autumn Afternoon Sun, Kenneth Tanaka, 2008


-Untitled-, Kenneth Tanaka, 2009

This is a good time of the year to go out and try to grab new late-day material. Sun angles are wonderful and late afternoon light seem to linger foerever.
 

Ken Tanaka

pro member
Hi, Ken,


And, if a thread on inadvertent self-portraits should emerge . . .

Best regards,

Doug

But it was not inadvertent. Nor was this frame taken in the same sequence.

The first frame will be the dust jacket of a 2011 book (with titling in upper right corner) and will also be on the interior of the book's intro pages verso the second frame. A main idea of these shots (there were over 40 in the particular sequence from that position) was portraying/introducing the concept of the self-conscious eye in the metropolitan streets.
 

Ken Tanaka

pro member
Excellent, Charlie! I like them all, and who couldn't admire the anthropomorphic sensuosness of those dunes? (They border on being workplace-unfriendly.)

But my "Image I've Never Seen Before" creativity award goes to that first image. So simple. So expressive.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Here a few that used the setting suns rays to light scene.



cacti.jpg


Charlie Chipman:Cacti


Charlie,

This skimming of almost horizontal light over the edges of the cactus is just the touch we need. In the very first moments, we don't give attenton to the dark background, as the cactus consumes our interest. Then, group of people appear, tinted golden-red. How could we not see them immediately? This brief staging of elements in terms of importance and visibility is most satisfying.

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,

This skimming of almost horizontal light over the edges of the cactus is just the touch we need. In the very first moments, we don't give attenton to the dark background, as the cactus consumes our interest. Then, group of people appear, tinted golden-red. How could we not see them immediately? This brief staging of elements in terms of importance and visibility is most satisfying.

An important observation.

And it brings to mind a matter that has been flickering through my mind. The fact that we normally see these images by scrolling down a page may change the matter of the "first impression"..

I wonder if there is any way we could arrange for the images to only appear when the whole thing is on the screen. (Of course a link would do that, but that is not generally attractive).

I will ponder a bit on it.

Just as a test of the effect, here is the link applied (primitively) to the cactus shot:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/CeilrahC/cacti.jpg

Best regards,

Doug
 

charlie chipman

New member
Charlie,

This skimming of almost horizontal light over the edges of the cactus is just the touch we need. In the very first moments, we don't give attenton to the dark background, as the cactus consumes our interest. Then, group of people appear, tinted golden-red. How could we not see them immediately? This brief staging of elements in terms of importance and visibility is most satisfying.

Asher

I like the way you broke it down, mostly how you suggest the cactus are a group of people, rows of people.
 

James Cook

New member
Conflicts of Interest

Sunset on a beach on Lake Michigan (where we get incredibly clear, horizontal light) played up the conflicts of interest.

DSC00394.jpg
 
James,

Wonderful image. Looks like the vehicle had the last word.
I had a wonderful time cruising your now-bookmarked site; very inspiring.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Sunset on a beach on Lake Michigan (where we get incredibly clear, horizontal light) played up the conflicts of interest.

DSC00394.jpg

James,

There's a lot of story there!

Little feet, then a bird, then someone with a good gripping heal and finally, the tires have the last word! Yes, indeed, Winston!

A great use of the low angle light of dawn or sunset. Good job!

Asher
 

Jean Henderson

New member
Far from a masterpiece. Just a view of the sunset as we might see it as we are about to go inside in the fall. Title: Urban Sunset. Out of camera except for resizing.

100_0143_Urban%20Sunset_W_.jpg

Jean
 
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