The Importance of Colour

There is a nice graphical element here but the core of this photo is that YELLOW!

What Grabs You

Not sure why something attracts you? Can't make out why it works? So what! If it works, it works.

Of Things Seen And Unseen

This is one of a series that I would count as amongst my first successful film studio shots of Lise's cooking. I find I need a LOT more exposure for negative film than digital at the same ISO. Must be due to the greater latitude. Anyway, I think one of the successful things about this picture is the contrast between what is crisp and clear and what is soft and diffuse.

Smash and Grab

Evening light. Red traffic light. Digger.

Providence

Never underestimate the importance of factors beyond your control. You can click on the picture to read the story behind this image. However, fortune does favour the prepared mind.

How Much Do You Need?

How much do you need to take a photograph? More than one railing and one sunset?

Flare And Other Faults

Every so-called camera fault is actually a decision. Older lenses tended to focus on smooth transitions and contrast improvement (contrast was difficult to achieve before lens coatings became common). The lenses were judged on the photos produced. Newer designs are increasingly focussed on sharpness. First central sharpness and now corner sharpness. There is no perfect lens. Typically, a concentration on one area leads to a compromise in another.

The lens on this old camera is not coated. It suffers from flare much more than any modern lens. Flare exhibits itself not just in the coloured blobs we are familiar with but also in a general lowering of contrast as well as some overall colour casts. This could be described as a flaw. On the other hand, an image like this would be impossible without it.

A Sense of Scale

Without the "Lesotho Taxi" this is half the picture. A friend remarked today as this scrolled by on my screensaver, "Wow! I wondered why you had a photo of a ditch. Then I saw the car!"

A Rose By Any Other Name...

This would have been nothing without flash. This would have been nothing with direct flash. It's the ceiling bounce that is giving the soft light that brings out the colour. Look at the soft shadows, this is the giveaway. A good photograph is all about light.