Ian Bramham's Photoblog
A Fragile World
Posted by Ian Bramham (Manchester, United Kingdom) on 31 January 2008 in Cityscape & Urban and Portfolio.
This was the sight that greeted me as I exited the underground Metro station next to the Arc De Triomphe in Paris.
I took the photo because I liked the contrast between the two parts of Paris....underground and above ground. I'm not sure that it says anything special as a photo..... it's one of those images (like yesterday's) that don't completely work as a photo but which should do if only I were a little better at editing or processing. Frustrating and annoying - you must all know the feeling.
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This photo here is one of my favourite photos with my new DSLR. I've submitted it for publication in JPG magazine. You can vote for it's inclusion if you can manage to get through the registration process
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Links to the websites of other photographers whose work I love and who have all helped me enormously over a long period of time. I find the work of all 3 to be inspirational.
jkjond from Grange-over-Sands, United Kingdom
This is nice. Lots of absorbing content, some strong elements well placed. f1.4 is a mixed blessing - it has helped freeze the woman, but at the expense of distance sharpness. I'm not comfortable with that, though a debatable point - another one for multi-exposure? There can be issues with combining multiple exposures using different f stops, but good fun trying. Strong composition - an interesting bit of flare at the top, which I like - if I were one to quibble I'd say it is ever so slightly tight on the left, say double the distance from the edge to the plinth under the railings.
31 Jan 2008 8:16am
@jkjond: Hi John!
Thanks for looking at this so carefully. I still haven't quite got to grips with this particular lens yet for low light street type photographs (Sigma 30mm f1.4). I might try using it in shutter priority mode next time instead of aperture priority at f1.4 which this one was set at.
This one would have been better at f2.8 and iso 1600.....I rushed the shot a little to get the passer-by in the frame on this shot which didn't help either. I'll figure out how to best use it eventually!
@rem_la: Thanks very much.....it's a little surreal isn't it with the optical illusion of the heavy mass of the Arc sitting on what looks like a thin section of pavement!
Nimrod from Tel Aviv, Israel
Defintely works for me. Shows a lot of Paris in one frame and the stairs going down sort of draw the viewer in. Perhaps I'm a bit biased with regards to Paris, though. It's a beautiful city.
31 Jan 2008 9:50am
@Nimrod: Thanks Nimrod!.....I've got mixed feelings about this one. I tried processing it in different ways too which is never a good sign for me. Usually the best shots for me seem obvious but with this one I feel I'm missing something or that somehow I've failed with it. It's very frustrating.
I'm posting a very strong photo on Saturday which proves the point......it hardly needed any post processing and no thought on my part at all....the whole thing seemed to happen of its own accord. There's a sneak preview here if your interested : http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6898578
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
There's such a quietness about this that you'd swear the person is saying 'hush' by putting her finger in front of her nose and mouth...Lovely again!!! and the stairs going down: priceless
31 Jan 2008 11:01am
@Lorraine: Thanks very much Lorraine...I'm very pleased that you find quietness in this one as its something I value very highly in other people's photos!
danthro from Suburbia, United States
nice shot. it's almost like a mix between the style and color of some of your cityscapes and the composition of some of your street photos, if that makes sense.
31 Jan 2008 7:30pm
@danthro: Thanks!.....yes, I do know what you mean and I've wondered if thats where this one went a bit astray : maybe I was trying to do too much with it...it seems a bit too busy to me.
Steven from Chicagoland, United States
The various lighting sources that you have captured sure set the ambience.
31 Jan 2008 11:53pm
@Steven: Thanks very much Steven!
Michael Rawluk from Prince George, Canada
Terrific shot. It is like a story being told; someone is about to appear.
1 Feb 2008 1:49am
@Michael Rawluk: Thanks very much Michael...it's frustrating this one but I'm glad you can see why I didn't want to send it to the recycle bin!
amy from Rocky Mountain House, Canada
I do really like the "above ground and underground" idea. But for me I think the balance would be better without the woman by the underground. She just seems to contradict the lines which flow naturally from the underground railing to the figure in mid-ground to the arc. I really like the surreal feel to the light and colour.
1 Feb 2008 3:47am
@amy: Yes, it was a snatched shot I'm afraid and rather impefect in many ways but at the same time I couldn't let go of it.
@Paul van der Meer: Thanks Paul!
Twelvebit from Victoria, United States
Again, I find myself in general agreement with jkjond's analysis of composition except that sometimes you can't really call out all the compositional choices after the fact. For instance, a rotation to the left may have better balanced the composition or it may have introduced a distraction or component that yielded a less satisfactory overall composition. We weren't there. You generally don't get to take perfect photos; you have to make choices; and there are always trade offs. In the end I think the question is whether the sum of those choices and trade offs still produce a good image, and as I like this image a lot, I think the answer is yes.
7 Feb 2008 3:19pm
Nikon D40
1/30 second
F/1.4
ISO 320
45 mm (35mm equiv.)