Muted

I was listening to some music while out driving in the rain today when I came across this bench, it cut a lonely figure in the deserted park, like an oasis in a desert, this bench was like a ray of sun in an otherwise gray an rainy day. I parked my vehicle, muted my car stereo and just sat there, enjoying the peaceful scenery.
I hope you like it, and that it brings you the same sense of peace it brought me.

"Muted"


Shot details.
Canon EOS 1DsMKIII EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 200mm
f/3.5 - 1/20sec - ISO 50 . Hand held.
(Please do not edit)

Hi Ivan,

I was going to reply to this last night but wanted to sleep on it first. Any emotional message you'd want this picture to bring over is 100% dependent on the emotional mood of the looker. In my case, I am having difficulty of associating it with "peaceful", it looks more like a bloody rainy day to me ;-). But it is because we have the rainy, gray, cold fall days over here which I dislike a lot.

Since the picture is taken with a long lens, the bench has become almost 2D and looks more like a fence.

Having written all this, the essence of your message is not lost on me . Sometimes we all need to find a peaceful haven in the midst of our otherwise chaotic lives. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,

Ivan: nice shot. That looks like the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. I seem to know that bench.

This makes me think about shooting raindrops. Maybe experimenting with depth of field to sharpen the rain drops themselves.

I can see in your shot that the bokeh is part of the mood, the amorphousness of the feeling, but I can't help wanting to see the wet leaves.

Best,

Doug

Hi Cem.
Thank you for your kind comments.
As with every picture the viewer has the final say. Like you I belong to the "I hate rain" constituency, I much rather have a nice sunny day.
The thing I found peaceful about the scene is that all around it the traffic was very heavy, people was rushing around, and the typical city sounds I so much dislike were overwhelming... and so when I saw this bench, I parked the car, muted my radio, closed my windows, and just sat there enjoying the peace and quiet.
The 2D look is intentional, I don't know why everyone is obsessed with having the 3D look. Photography is a 2D medium and I like it just that way. I did make sure the arm rest was just visible so as to indicate a bench and not a fence.
Again thank you for taking the time to look at my image and comment on it, as always I appreciate everyone's opinions greatly


Doug.
Well thank you!.
I am glad you like the image... and just as if by magic here is the un-cropped version with the wet leaves you so crave.
Enjoy



Click the image for a generous 1920x1200 wallpaper.
Please note the image is copyrighted. I grant personal usage rights only. You must seek a licence if you wish to use the image commercially.

Hi Ivan,

You know what, the version with the leaves did it for me! All of a sudden I am connected to this fine picture. Of course, your description of the circumstances helps as well but normally it should not. The picture should stand on it's own, and the second version does just that for me.

PS: My comment re. 2D was just stating the obvious, it wasn't meant as a judgment good or bad.

Thanks for sharing and generously allowing us to download it for personal enjoyment. Much appreciated.

Cheers,

yup that second shot definetly has much more of an immediate connection-the leaves dropping in from the top and sides gives balance and frame*
nice!

Charlotte-

Yep, I prefer the second image as well, althogh I quite liked the first. I particularly liked the luminous drips at the bottom of the bench, which to gave the image some form of life or animation (in a still medium!).

I also had a very quick go at cropping the second version and removing about a tird of the soft forground, together with a piece of the left and a sliver off the right. I preferred that crop as it seemed more powerful for having less space in front.

Mike

Hi All
Thank you for the kind comments.
I too like the second (original) image better.
Sometimes I post cropped versions of my full images on forums and save the originals for myself. However, in this occasion, Doug's comment was spot on (you must be telepathic), so I decided to post the original.
@Mike.
I am glad you like my images Mike, although I wish you had not told me about your experiments with cropping.
Here at OPF images are normally posted for comment and critique unless otherwise stated.
I am very protective of the way I want to present my images, and I specifically ask people not to edit them. I thank you for not posting the edited version, and would kindly request you use the original when showing "Muted" to third parties.
I thank you for respecting my wishes.