Author Topic: 'T' by the sea  (Read 5692 times)

Pete_R

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'T' by the sea
« on: May 07, 2008, 10:37:38 AM »
With apologies to Ndroo for nicking his subject line.

The 'T' in this case was my Yashica T Zoom which I keep in the car for when I get the chance for a few pictures between jobs. These were taken in Worthing (a resort on the south coast of England for those unfamiliar with our geography).


A closed up shelter on the sea front


Pier 1


Pier 2


Pier 3


Beach from the pier
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LT

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2008, 10:41:29 AM »
these are very nice Peter - especially the first one and pier 3
L.

Stu

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2008, 01:35:31 PM »
Nice. The OCD in me likes the nearly symmetry in 'Pier 2' but I also particularly like the first one.

Andrea.

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2008, 02:24:48 PM »
Yes, lovely series. My fav is Pier 2 too.

Sunny_16

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2008, 03:28:53 PM »
Love these!
The first one is beautiful!
Clare x

dbrooks

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2008, 06:13:52 PM »
Great shots. If there was a vote I'd vote for Pier 3.

sausage100uk

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2008, 08:00:25 PM »
Worthing looks better in B&W than in real life  :D :D
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Fintan

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #7 on: May 07, 2008, 09:53:17 PM »
Superb composition, these are simply wonderful.

Ed Wenn

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2008, 12:36:21 AM »
I'm with the others...this is a beautiful series. Something very peaceful about the subject  matter and yet the composition is strong throughout which means there's  nothing wimpy about this lot. Well done.




ndroo

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #9 on: May 08, 2008, 03:21:58 AM »
Hahaha. I'm gonna sue you for copyright infringement!  :P

I love these! The T seems to be a great cam. Love the simple yet stunning compositions.

Pete_R

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #10 on: May 08, 2008, 08:04:39 AM »
Hey, thanks for all the nice comments. These were really only quick snaps taken within about 15 minutes without much thought - but I think I often work best that way. The more I think about the pictures, often, the less good they are.

Hahaha. I'm gonna sue you for copyright infringement!  :P

Yeah, sorry - it just seemed to fit.

Quote
I love these! The T seems to be a great cam. Love the simple yet stunning compositions.

It's only a point and shoot but is capable of some good results. I should use it more maybe.
"I've been loading films into spirals for so many years I can almost do it with my eyes shut."

LT

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #11 on: May 08, 2008, 08:48:16 AM »
but is it the camera or is it the eye?

Not meaning to sound offensive to anyone,  but I often wonder as to the relevance of "these pictures are great, I must get one of these cameras" type comments. Surely it's the person using the camera who makes the outstanding image, not the equipment.   It might even be seen as slightly offensive - denying the person the skill and effort involved. I think this is what often happens in the world of lomography or toycameras.  People see great work using these cameras and assume that they will manage the same, and invariably they dont. 

Along similar lines, a friend of a friend wanted to buy one of my pictures a few years back.  he lived locally so knew some of the places in the pictures.  He couldn't decide which one of two pictures to buy, so he opted for one then asked me, "Where exactly is the location of the other one and I'll go and take the picture myself"!!!  (he wasn't involved in making photographs in any way).  I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be slightly annoyed by this - and not through some grandiose idea like "he could never take a picture like me" or anything, just a bit dismayed that he would think it's as simple as taking a camera and pointing it at something nice :)

 I guess it all depends on what is the aim of an individual's photography .... the enjoyment of messing around with cameras, or the production of high quality images - but, of course,  the two are not mutually exclusive.

although this is a slight rant, t I am also playing devil's advocate to some degree so it would be good to hear other's thoughts on the matter.

(peter sorry to hijack your thread - the pics are great :)

   
« Last Edit: May 08, 2008, 05:16:12 PM by leon taylor »
L.

rdbkorn

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2008, 05:03:13 PM »
Peter - these are all lovely images. There's something about the tones and composition of the pier photos that immediately made me think of people dressed in white promenading along the pier.

Leon - both Peter's images and the ones that Karl posted taken with his point and shoot got me thinking very much along the same lines as you. That it takes a great deal of hard work, experience and skill to produce such arresting images. While it may be interesting to know what camera/film was used, in these cases in particular the more important point for me was that Peter and Karl are always ready to make images when even the briefest opportunity presents itself, and they have the skills required to make wonderful images with a simple set-up.

The point about toy cameras rings very true to me. I confess that after seeing some of the best toycam images out there, I went out and bought a few. But I will say that I never fooled myself about why the images were so great - I knew that without the experience and skill, those photographers would not have been able to exploit the unique properties of toycams to produce such wonderful images. And I know that personally I have a lot of work ahead before I have those skills - but I'm enjoying the journey.

Paul

Heather

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #13 on: May 10, 2008, 09:06:41 AM »
Leon - I think it might depend on the person. I know when I bought my ilford sporti on ebay, I checked flickr for photos taken with it to see how they might turn out. I try to do this for all my new camera purchases if I can, just to see what other people are doing with it. You might have inspired that person you mentioned, to look at an area of interest in a new light with your vision (help I'm using annoying art school terms again).  I have heaps of "toy" cameras (much debate on that topic. they're a bit vintage-y) and composition is still the key thing to any image I take. I can look at something and frame it in my mind before the camera even comes out of the bag. Over the last year or so, I've also developed the skill of realising I do not need to meter every single shot and my brain tells me that this scene might need a stop or two more or less than the previous setting. If it doesn't, it just requires the camera to be pulled out of the bag, pointed in the right direction and *click*ed.
I'm going to bite my tongue on the lomo thing; I just don't like it and feel I don't need to take up a paragraph the size of the above on the topic.
Heather
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Andrea.

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #14 on: May 10, 2008, 09:57:17 AM »
Have to agree with Heather on the meter thing - don't meter every shot - especially with the Sporti - just chose 'cloudy' of 'sunny'. :-)
I too think the camera - or at least type of camera does influence how you approach making images - I am much more free and easy with the Sporti [A lovely beast] or the UW&S but less so if I am using a 'box' camera like the Hasselblad or Kowa.
The joy of producing an emotive image with a simple camera and possibly a hands-on alt process to print is very satisfying and, can produce some fine prints [Note; not Fine Art - or even Fine Prints].
I must say I rather fed up with the bods at the local camera club being obsessed with 'sharpness', colour, or chocolate-box images and like to try and be a little more creative and yes, this often leads to failure. But I'd rather fail than never try.

Pete_R

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Re: 'T' by the sea (camera or the eye)
« Reply #15 on: May 11, 2008, 05:19:50 PM »
Before adding my 2 cents worth I think I want to make it clear that I didn't in any way interpret Ndroo's comment in the way you're suggesting Leon. Maybe you aren't either but as it was obviously Ndroo's comment that prompted your posting, it could be seen that way.

I think most people, in this group anyway, will sympathise with your comments Leon. I think we all appreciate that no one can suddenly replicate another's work just because they use the same camera or stand in their footprints. But we photographers rely on cameras and without them, we couldn't do what we do. Obviously different cameras will give different results and it's up to us to choose the right camera for the job - but, ultimately, we are relying on the camera to do the job we are asking of it. So, I suppose I'm saying it's a combination of both the photographer and their camera.

As we are bound to use some form of camera, inevitably, we all have some interest in them. Some of us more than others maybe, but we must all, at least, have sufficient interest, or knowledge, to be able to make that choice of what camera to use. This knowledge will not extend to every camera and we will have some general opinions of what sort of results a certain type of camera will give us. If we then discover that a type of camera from which we expect a certain type of result, actually gives something better, or worse, then it's not unnatural that we comment on it. In Ndroo's post of his 'Holga by the sea' images, Roryot commented that one of the images seemed sharp for a holga. I don't think that means he will be using a Holga in future whenever he wants sharp images, it's just a comment. I took Ndroo's comment about the 'T' to be in the same vein.

Of course some comments, made by your friend for instance Leon, are misguided and there are many people, both photographers and non-photographers, who believe having the right camera or being in the right place at the right time, will guarantee a good result. I don't ever take such a comment as an offence - more I see them as being made in ignorance. I might roll my eyes, grit my teeth and bite my tongue but I think we just have to accept that not everyone is the same and accept it. We might, if given the opportunity, try to enlighten the person, but mostly just let it go.

I think it's also worth raising that many people do not see photographs as we see them. My late mother was one example - she could never seem to appreciate a photograph just for it's artistic merits. To her, a photograph was a record of a time and place. I used to get annoyed no end whenever I showed her a photograph and her first comment would be 'where was it taken'. Mostly she would not have know the location and certainly would have had no intention of going there, but the photograph just wasn't complete without her knowing where it was taken. This is just the sort of comment that might give offence but if we recognise that not everyone has our eye, then sometimes things make more sense.

I think the final comment I would make is that I, and many others who post images, not just on this forum, specify what camera the photographs were taken on and, maybe, what film, processing, exposure etc. etc. was used. This invites comments and we shouldn't be offended if someone then makes one. If I didn't think the fact that I used a P&S camera for these photographs would be of interest to anyone, I wouldn't have mentioned it.

Anyway, I think that's probably a dollars worth so I'll quit now.
"I've been loading films into spirals for so many years I can almost do it with my eyes shut."

LT

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #16 on: May 12, 2008, 09:05:16 AM »
Andrea, Paul, Heather and Peter - all great thoughts and views there - thanks for responding.

Just to be clear though, I didnt read Andrew's post in this light, as he wasnt saying that which I am questioning.   
L.

Fintan

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #17 on: May 12, 2008, 09:34:04 AM »
I must admit I did google the camera you used more for that fact that it got me wondering how many shots I've missed by not having a camera in my car all the time.

The images though would work on any camera/format and the tonality and exposure seem to me, by looking on the scans anyway, that you have your exposure and development time sorted perfectly. This is an area I need to work on myself.

So I do salute you for carrying this great little camera in your car, getting the maximum out of it and for making these photographs.

Karl

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Re: 'T' by the sea
« Reply #18 on: May 12, 2008, 09:06:33 PM »
Some day our brains will catch up with our instruments,
our wisdom with our knowledge,
our purpose with our powers,
Then at last we shall behave like human beings.

Will Durant

Lifted from on being a photographer by David Hurn/Bill Jay which contains the best discussion on cameras (= tools) that I've read (along with most other stuff that they have to say for that matter!)

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ndroo

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Re: 'T' by the sea (camera or the eye)
« Reply #19 on: May 14, 2008, 06:52:53 AM »
Before adding my 2 cents worth I think I want to make it clear that I didn't in any way interpret Ndroo's comment in the way you're suggesting Leon. Maybe you aren't either but as it was obviously Ndroo's comment that prompted your posting, it could be seen that way.

Glad you didn't. I said that because a friend just found one of those T and was telling me 101 things about it. I am a big believer that it's the person and not the equipment ... and no, that's not an excuse because I own mostly crappy cameras  ;D