View allAll Photos Tagged Simplify
only f/22 - 1/13 sec. hand-held ICM (Intentional Camera Movement)
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海 - Mare Adriatico - Adriatic Sea - Grottammare (Ascoli Piceno) Marche Italy
Olympus E-P1 Pen M.Zuiko 14-42mm
The picture shows tower no. 31 of the Prussian semaphore system located in Entrup near Nieheim in Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Prussian Semaphore System was a telegraphic communications system used between Berlin and the Rhine Province from 1832 to 1849. It could transmit administrative and military messages by optical signal over a distance of nearly 550 kilometres (340 mi). The telegraph line comprised 62 stations each furnished with a signal mast with six cable-operated arms. The stations were equipped with telescopes that operators used to copy coded messages and forward them to the next station. Although electric telegraphy made the system obsolete for military use, simplified semaphores were still used for railway signals. (see Wikipedia)
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Seen in Western North Carolina, on vacation. Back in S. FL now
Taken 10/13/09, Uploaded 10/29/09, #8432, Topaz Simplify
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"Our life is frittered away with detail. Simplify, Simplify."
~ Henry David Thoreau ~
Thank you French Kiss, For the text brush.
the few belongings of the sage Ramana Maharshi; a walking stick, an eating bowl, a drinking vessel, a hand fan.
Placed at the place where he left the body, the so called Maha Nirvana room at Sri Ramanasramam.
This shot was taken on a weekend away at the Coast. It's my second attempt at a fine art peice and was shot using a 10 stop ND filter. This gave a long exposure of 51 seconds at F22 and ISO100. I hope you like the shot, please let me know if you do. Thanks and have a great weekeng, Graham.
Thank you for your visit, comment or fave. All are much appreciated. Thank you also to all who invite my photos to their groups.
All photos and textures used are my own.
All rights reserved. This photo is not authorized for use on your blogs, pin boards, websites or use in any other way.
#040 Very dull down West Beach Littlehampton this morning and rather than take the whole jetty, I thought I would simplify the composition as much as possible
Complex simplification
Man I’ve struggled to write this text. It’s felt like digging a hole from England to Australia. The first few spades full were effortless as I enthusiastically threw them over my shoulder, but the hole quickly became very deep and then I hit ROCK. Now the task of finishing the job has become very daunting and if I’m to continue, it’s going to be slow and arduous. So…I’m going to start this with a paradoxical conclusion, then offer some alternative perspectives on digging …but first the conclusion, “simplicity turns out to be rather bloody complex!”
My messy mind
When photographing in a location, I’ve often observed how my ‘state of mind’ influences the way I see world and engage with it. Now this is a massive topic and I’d be foolish to attempt to cover it here, (man it looks very dark in the bottom of that hole). But more recently, I have observed whilst in the most peaceful locations, ‘self imposed artistic ideals’ creep into and distort my particular view of that reality. These thoughts can be very productive when wanted, but sometimes have become irritants when not, placing unattainable expectations of ‘perfection’ of light subject and composition over what is essentially reality.
To experience a ‘beautiful’ location in ‘perfect’ light is indeed, very special but, ‘the very act of photographing’ the location is further introducing complications on how one engage with any given scene. Often, (even without the camera), instead of enjoying the view, I have a sometimes (self diagnosed), irritating tendency to scout for locations, attempt to second-guess the weather, seek out detail, light and foreground interest. When I do have the camera (if I’m honest most of the time when in these locations) and feel inspired to take the tripod off my back, I’m often racing the fast moving conditions, setting up equipment and looking at the world through the viewfinder.
So why is this a problem you ask? Isn’t it your intention to seek out these locations and try to convey some of the feelings you have in a photographic representation? Well yes, but it’s those very ‘feelings’, that are being distorted by the process, that I want to experience as ‘pure’ in order to attempt to convey. I’ve noticed that often I actually ‘see’ and ‘feel’ more for a location when viewing the ‘image’ some time after its making, when I’ve have had time to reflect, things have slowed down and I’ve allowed my mind to dig deeper into the image and location. Unusually I see and feel things that I didn’t when I was making the image, which is bizarre, as you would think that being there in the flesh enables you to see more, but the opposite seems to be true. I would speculate that on location, our senses can become overloaded and the previously mentioned reasons, all influence the unique filtrated perception of the location.
I do believe that we in fact absorbed the overlooked information, somewhere deep in the subconscious mind, but it is only when reflecting on the imagery later that we begin to process the mechanical representations disentangling the thoughts, laden them with significance, and produce feelings. The photograph then seems not only to be historical record of the place we were. But actively catalyzing the emotions surrounding the experience, digging not only into the very place we were making the image, but deep into the recesses of our memory and dragging out past seemingly tenuously connected feelings.
Now all this mental clutter isn’t necessarily a problem, I suppose it depends on how you choose to look at why you were there in the first place. I do however wonder why we naturally filter out that information? I wonder if we simplify it because we cannot possibly process it all to satisfactory levels whilst there (it that just me?) maybe I need a few more slots of ram, or a better fan on my processor.
But seriously I feel analysis of the seemingly natural way our brains simplify any given experience into manageable chunks, offers us some incite as to a method of improving the ‘power’ in our photography.
A compositional tool that distills meaningful elements
The world is a complex place and the act of photographing it has a tendency to simplify our view on it. By choosing to narrow down the subjects, condensing the third and fourth dimension into two and directing the viewers attention onto a particular representation, is offering us an illusion on reality. A distorted view that has been manipulated by the photographer’s actions and thoughts, in a vague representation on a perceived, often overlooked reality. There is a common misinformed perception that photography is truth, but I digress.
If you use landscape painting as a convenient comparison and I’m thinking of artist such as (turner), the simplification of any given perception on reality, enables the artist an ability to distil the multitude of sensory data coming into the mind and focus on presenting only the ones that communicate the desired message/feelings they want to convey. The very act of rejecting elements is in fact paradoxically focusing deeper ones attention on the remaining.
When a shot is simplified, to clear compositional elements, the smallest details can possess greater power. A simple curve can become an overriding factor in the way your eye moves around the presented landscape. The shape and flow of that line, then has to be of impeccable clarity to retain its power. We as viewers linger longer on smaller elements, expecting and actually extracting more from them. The accomplished photographer, then, has primed the work for the viewer, without them even noticing. The ability for a photographer to expose us to the simplified view is then showing us that they are able to creatively distil the elements; it revels to us that we are looking at a skilled practitioner.
When looking at a successfully simplified photograph, I often get some sense of my eye moving over the scene in a controlled manor. It’s almost slowing the viewing process down and highlighting subtle nuances. The experience forces me to really LOOK at the image and draws my attention to normally overlooked elements. Playing with the juxtaposition of these simplified elements has in it hints of ambiguous purity, and when successfully accomplished it’s a powerful viewing experience.
It is also catalyzing a meditative state
We all seem to lead busy lives these days, attempting to squeeze multitudes of tasks and experiences in. Don’t get me wrong I’m the first to admit cramming my free time full of the things I want to do, places I want to photograph, (doesn’t the weekend wiz by), but are we not missing something along the way? It seems to me trying to reach out to wider and wider locations doesn’t necessarily mean greater rewards, as the essence of each place is being overpowered by its very complexity. Slowing down, concentrating on the elemental, gives the experience more depth. Letting your senses see, taste, smell, feel what it is that you’re doing enriches the experience. (For me that is).
Please don’t make the assumption that I’m arrogantly stating this is the only way to enjoy photography, because extracting pleasure in whatever form, is a respectable goal. But it is my intention, no, ‘need’ to dig deep, push my mind into new and uncharted territory, because I thrive on the unpredictable, and looking into oneself through the implementation and reflection of my photography, it’s definitely not simple but incredibly rewarding.
I have written about how Marc's changing needs have dictated a need to simplify our garden. Greater attention is needed to care for his declining health, which means less time in the garden and sadly, less desire by Marc to access it.
I have reduced our borders and the number of plants I grow and returned planting beds to lawns. Over 90 rolls laid. I have raised the canopy of many remaining shrubs and trees so Marc can see through them more easily from his vantage point.
There is much more to do, but gradually.
When we first arrived at Cam Loch the sun was directly above Suilven. Some half an hour later it finally dipped below the hill to the right casting an intense warm glow onto the mountain which was rendered in almost full silhouette due to the high dynamic range.
Delta, BC Canada
‘Burrvilla’ is an elaborate and sophisticated two storey plus basement wood-frame Queen Anne Revival style residence. It is part of the Deas Island Park heritage grouping and is situated near the Delta Agricultural Hall and Inverholme School.
Similar to its original location, the house is oriented with views towards the Fraser River amidst large expanses of grass and a mixed canopy of deciduous and coniferous trees.
Built in 1905-06 at the corner of 62B and River Road, ‘Burrvilla’ reflects the turn of the nineteenth century economic expansion of Delta's farming industry, and symbolizes the wealth and status attained by the prominent Burr family. It is of great historic importance within the Crescent Island community and is a valuable legacy of Delta’s pioneering origins. The house and its farm were an important centre for community social gatherings for Crescent Islanders and others from Ladner
Also, the Burr property was the location of a steamer landing and briefly housed Crescent Island’s only post office. The house was the most prominent in the area and a well-known community landmark.
The man for whom the house was built, Henry Benjamin Burr (known as ‘Harry’), was the son of W.H. Burr who was an early pioneer involved in the municipal incorporation of Delta. Harry Burr began farming on Crescent Island in the 1890s and married Edith Blanche Mitchell, daughter of pioneer Nathaniel Mitchell, in 1899. The house remained in Burr family ownership until 1974.
The heritage value of ‘Burrvilla’ is also associated with its architecture as an excellent and unusually late example of the popular Queen Anne Revival Style. The house represents a transition point between the elaborate Victorian residential styles and the more simplified expressions of the Edwardian era. It was constructed by carpenter, Fred Land, and designer/builder, David Price, who was Harry Burr's brother-in-law.
Image best viewed in large screen.
Thank-you for your visit, and any comments or faves are always very much appreciated! ~Sonja
Taken from below at Butchart Gardens, where the subtle backlight emphasized the red of the maple seeds against the leaves. Simplified with Topaz to help bring out shapes and depth of what was a somewhat chaotic image.
Smile on Saturday "Seasonal Flora"
(Vancouver Island Trip 2018)
Glassblowing experience was one of the highlights of a family visit this week. This was one of the bowls. The joy was further extended by placing this on a light table and photographing it.
The impressive and lofty rock formations (seen above left at twilight) are called Meteora: The sandstone rock masses were formed 60 million years ago; they are geologically unique and listed in UNESCO world heritage sites.
The historic city beneath the rock formations was called Aeginium (Αἰγίνιον) by Strabo in antiquity until Roman era's end. Then the city's name was altered into the plural noun “Stagoe” (οἱ Σταγοί). During the Ottoman occupation the Sultan's tax collectors recorded the town as Qualabaqqaya, later simplified as Kalampaka (aka Kalambaka), name still in colloquial use today.
The municipal authority of the Kalampaka's greater urban area was legally renamed “Municipality of Meteora” in July 2018 (Act № 3852/2010, Gov.Gaz. A87/7.6.2010); hence the “Meteora” term now refers to both the rock formations and the greater urban area. The latter has got a 16,000 strong population.
📷 :
Canon EOS R5
Canon RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM @ 45 mm
ISO 100 – f/11 – 4 min
Actually there were wonderfully healthy looking Cormorants down there. But only one in this photograph.
There's a trick I use to check my long exposure quickly. Once the dark ND filters are on the lens I set the ISO to 6400 and make a shot (in this instance the exposure time was half a second). Have a look. Exposure ok? Focus fine? If good, then turn your seconds into minutes; return ISO to base; and let it go. So the next shot, at ISO100, could be 0.5 x 6400/100 (basically just simplify it to 0.5 x 60) = 30s (basically half a second turns into half a minute*).
But sometimes I discover I quite like the shot at ISO6400. Here I caught a nice wave rolling through and half a second worked quite well. That sucks because ISO6400 is noisy, isn't it. Or, maybe it doesn't suck that much these days. The noise isn't as serious as it used to be. And the pic next door was shot at ISO64 and ended up looking ancient since I've added noise in "to taste"!
* assuming your cameras base ISO is 100 or close enough to that. If your base ISO is 200 then, in this example, 0.5s would turn into 15s, not 30s. Or to make it sound so confusing, each second would turn into half a minute.