BODIES OF WORK ~ PICTURE GALLERIES
BODIES OF WORK ~ BOOK LINKS
In Situ ~ la, la, how the life goes on • Life without the APA • Doors • Kitchen Sink • Rain • 2014 • Year in Review • Place To Sit • ART ~ conveys / transports / reflects • Decay & Disgust • Single Women • Picture Windows • Tangles ~ fields of visual energy (10 picture preview) • The Light + BW mini-gallery • Kitchen Life (gallery) • The Forks ~ there's no place like home (gallery)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 03:04PM ;)
Little Au Sable River ~ Peru, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggen;)
Roadside thicket ~ Peru, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggen;)
Prays pumpkins ~ Keeseville, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenIt is a beautiful October day on which to be out and about.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 10:55AM ;)
Lake Champlain / Vermont / snow squall ~ view from Peru, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenThere's rarely a day which goes by during which I don't pine for making pictures with my Bronica and color negative film.
However, soon after that somewhat nostalgia induced desire pops into my head, I remember things like finding a source for dependable high quality film processing (not to mention a film source), film and processing $$$$, running to the post office, Kodak's bankruptcy, dust / film scratches, scanning, and, did I mention dust and film scratches?
It's at that point that my brain overrules my heart and I return to the world of digital picture making.
Monday, October 15, 2012 at 03:12PM ;)
Marina ~ Plattsburgh, NY • click to embiggen
Monday, October 15, 2012 at 09:24AM ;)
Miscellaneous floor crud ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggen
Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 03:40PM ;)
Adirondack Phantoms ~ Glens Falls, NY - just outside the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenLast night, The Cinemascapist, Hugo, and I attended an Adirondack Phantom opening night hockey game. The Phantoms are part of the AHL (American Hockey League) and are the minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL. Inasmuch as there may be no NHL season this hockey year, the boys and I are getting our hockey fix at the minor league level.
The AHL is comprised of a sprinkling of future NHL standouts, future NHL journeymen, as well as AHL lifers who have not been able to make it to the bigs. The level of hockey is very good but most definitely not at the level of NHL play. That said, for now it's the highest level of play here in the good ol' US of A.
The games are usually entertaining and one thing which is far better than the NHL - the boys and I can attend a game, sitting in primo seats, have some refreshments and still not spend the equivalent of one NHL nosebleed level seat. Or, for that matter, you can buy a season ticket to the Phantom games for about the price of a one game primo level NHL seat.
My only problem with the whole affair is with the fact that the hometown town team is affiliated with the much hated Philadelphia Flyers. And then, of course, there's the Phantom mascot.
Friday, October 12, 2012 at 09:55PM ;)
Whiteface • Au Sable River / Whiteface ~ near Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenToday was one of those days when it tried like hell to snow, succeeding at high elevations - witness the snow on the Whiteface Mountain ski trails - but only occasional light flurries at lower elevations.
Friday, October 12, 2012 at 11:10AM ;)
DOF comparison • click to embiggenOn yesterday's entry, civilized ku # 2372-74, John Linn wrote:
... What I find irregular of the trio is the difference in depth of field. To my eye the images do not seem to go well together (although you did achieve balance). You have often stated the necessity of using one focal length in a body of work. How about consistency of focus depth? It almost appears the center picture was shot with a longer lens.
my response: First, a technical note, re: DOF. Many of you may already understand this technical point, but I bring it up and provide the picture comparison for those who don't. -
... Depth of field refers to the range of distance that appears acceptably sharp. It varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can also influence our perception of depth of field ... Note that I did not mention focal length as influencing depth of field. Even though telephoto lenses appear to create a much shallower depth of field, this is mainly because they are often used to magnify the subject when one is unable to get closer. If the subject occupies the same fraction of the image (constant magnification) for both a telephoto and a wide angle lens, the total depth of field is virtually* constant with focal length! read more here
When John mentions that he sees a difference in the DOF between the center picture and the left/right side pictures in yesterday's triptych - which he attributes to the apparent use of different lenses in the making of the pictures - what he is actually seeing is a visually apparent difference in DOF which, in fact, is not the case. This fact is readily observable in the side-by-side comparison of the center picture with that of the right side picture (center and right as seen in the triptych) when that picture is cropped to the same (relatively so) magnification factor as the center picture - take notice of the middle distance grave markers and the background buildings.
When the magnification factor is similar, so is the apparent DOF. Or, at least it is close enough for government work.
All of the pictures in the triptych were made with the same lens and aperture - 45mm @ f1.8. I achieved a higher magnification in the center picture by simply moving closer to the tree ... which brings me to what I believe is the real point of John's comment - the fact that he finds the triptych to be visually discordant ("the images do not seem to go well together") because of the apparent difference in the DOF which the pictures present.
That apparent difference is obvious. However, there is another difference which John did not catch or at least he didn't mention. There is also a distinct difference in the point of focus between the right side picture - the focus point is on the background - and that of the left side picture - the focus point is on the foreground.
All of these differences - apparently different DOF and actually different points of focus - are intentional.
Lately, I have been giving some thought to concentrating, albeit not exclusively, my picture making on that of making triptychs (something I have done in the past but something I have, over time, let slip away). However, in doing so, I want to break out of my former look and somewhat tradition triptych approach and my experimentation with making triptychs with apparent (or even actual) differences in DOF and points of focus is just such a break out attempt.
IMO, and to my eyes and sensibilities, it's working. The trick in this endeavor is to achieve a sense of overall visual balance when the triptych is viewed as a whole - most likely from a distance which allows the viewer to see the piece as a whole - and a sense of restless visual discord when the individual pictures are viewed in relatively close proximity.
The reason for overall visual balance should be visually / emotionally / intellectually apparent - I want the triptychs to work as all of a visual piece. My reason for visual discord is to: a) mimic how the eye views any given scene - it wanders here and there focusing upon different planes and details, and b) to play with and make obvious, (WARNING: Elitist Alert) to the thoughtful and informed mind, some of the inherent characteristics of the picture making medium, especially its capability to call attention to specific planes in a scene or of a referent, both with point of focus and degree of magnification.
In a nutshell, that's what I want to focus on.
gravitas et nugalis
Featured Comment: John Linn wrote: "So basically what you are saying is the thing that bothers me is what you were going for ... This may be a good example of what could be better appreciated as a large print rather than web image."
My response: Yes, and yes. However, you are not alone - very often what strikes many viewers of pictures as not right / perplexing / confounding and hits them in the eye like a big pizza pie is exactly "what I was going for". You know, like Paul Maxim* as an example.
*to this day, every time the wife reads one of Paul's comments on my blog, she asks, "Did you and Paul throw any punches at each other during your date?"
Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 10:28AM ;)
A sign of things to come ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenFYI, the buildings in the background behind these trees are part of a large lumber mill. In addition, as should be obvious, the trees are located in a cemetery.
That written, I wonder if these trees are aware of the fact that they are, in essence, "whistling past the graveyard"?
