Anyway. since last post I really only did 2 interesting photographic excursions; One day roaming around Paris and winter (summer) holidays in Buenos Aires.
I shot a lot of film in Bs As, film that I haven't scanned yet, so I'm gonna share some Paris shots today. Plus, I think they actually turned out better than the ones from my hometown. I always have problems taking pictures in Bs As. I think it has something to do with being so overly familiar with the people and places that turns me into an even more self conscious person, consequently taking less chances to get the great shots that are there.
But enough of that. Some Paris. December 18th 2010, between 10am and 4pm. I'll share four -very- flawed pics and one shot of the eiffel tower. Cause you can't go to Paris and not take a shot of the eiffel tower, right?
We start at the Luxembourg gardens. Beautiful place. I got there when the police was just opening the doors, so it was essentially empty when I entered.
I like this pic. I think the man sitting down by himself, being so tiny in the frame makes for a great composition. But I cannot look at it without thinking it could be so much better. The statue kills it, it takes away the symmetry that makes a picture like this one work. I could have framed it leaving out the statue, but then the guy wouldn't be in the middle of the frame. And the guy NEEDS to be in the middle of the frame in this picture. I could have walked up to where the statue is and then snapped a perfectly centered picture, but then the guy would occupy much of the frame and the aspect of loneliness in the composition works because of his tinniness...
I did what I could, I guess. I still like the shot, just think it could've been better.
This one I really like, and I think the flaws it has are more of a post-processing nature than photographical. I processed this one more than a month ago, so I really don't remember what I was thinking! but three things about this image jump right at me: the failure to center the statue, the tree on the right and the ever so slight slant in the horizon.
The tree and the centering I guess are correlated. Moving one would have moved the other, but it is a framing problem and not a post processing one. I could not crop this image because I needed the vignetting for the image to work. And yes, you can add vignetting in post, BUT real lens vignetting is just impossible to really capture in software. And the vignetting I get with this lens shot wide open is magical. So, I blame the bad framing on a number of factors: I'm using a fixed focal length and shooting from a distance I cannot change (The access to the inner yard you see in the picture was closed) plus it was freezing and I was kneeling in the snow, I didn't really have the patience to nail the framing there. That said, there is no excuse for the non-horizontal horizon. I dunno what I was thinking!!! That's stupidly easy to correct in post. I won't do it now, because this is how the picture turned out. Flaws and all. BTW, in case you didn't notice, it IS a color picture :)
This is the last one from the gardens. It's pretty much from the same spot as the previous one (you can see the castle on the background). I dunno why I like this one. It feels like a test picture I took while waiting for my subject to come and get his/her portrait done. How cool would that have been, huh? But yeah. I was by myself. I had no subject, thus, the chair is empty. It does represent a lot of what was going on inside my head that day, too. Going back to Bs As always screws with my head. Going back to see everyone you shared so much of our life with, only to get there and feel ever more lonely the more people you surround yourself with. Plus, the gardens in winter, with almost no visitors, me alone in Paris. Ha. The perfect metaphor, a perfect picture in the perfect surroundings, just waiting for the subject to sit in the chair and be really complete. The dream life i'm living, in the perfect place, just waiting for the right one to come in and finally complete it all. But I digress.
Let's go to a typical picture from me:
The subject is out of focus and shows a bit of movement. And you know what? I don't really care. Well, actually it would have been nice to have her a bit sharper, but it doesn't ruin the picture at least. I nailed the framing I think.
I usually take these pictures without looking through the viewfinder, just shooting from the hip and eyeballing focus and framing (It's an interesting technique to develop when you are shy and have a camera that makes a loud noise every time you press the shutter) But if I remember correctly I was actually sort of framing this one. It's on a street corner, so I was sort of out of the lady's way until she was right beside me. In fact now that I look at it, her shoulder is tack sharp, so if I fucked up it was because I waited a split second too long before I pressed the shutter. Since this one is wide open at f1.4 the depth of field is razor thin. I still like this one, though. It somehow screams Paris, without actually showing Paris.
And finally!
The eiffel tower. How the hell do you take a picture of the eiffel tower that is somewhat interesting? We all saw so many of those. All perfectly exposed, perfectly composed.... Again, I guess this one picture kind of reflects my mood that day. But I still think it's pretty.
Until next time. With Bs As. Or a Dutch wood. Or more Paris. Or who knows what.
