ARCHIVE: STILL LIFE 29 – CHRISTMAS STEPS (MONO)

Morning sunlight blasts up Christmas Steps, an ancient thoroughfare in Bristol city centre; 16 Sept 2016.

Close-in with a wide angle lens, low angle sunlight, and textures all around.  This was never going to be a colour image but, as always, I like to capture images in colour, and then convert them to mono post-capture with Silver Efex Pro 2.  This method does, I think, provide far more options and potential for the final image(or images) than having the camera itself shoot mono images.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window – recommended.

Technique: X-T1 with 10-24 Fujinon lens at 24mm (equiv); 1600 ISO; Silver Efex Pro 2, starting at the Film Noir 1 preset.

ARCHIVE STILL LIFE

This is a new category on this blog – Archive Still Life studies.  The Still Life definition will certainly be followed loosely – e.g. some studies may only have been made “still” by the split second opening of the camera’s shutter – and my objective will be to use as many different types / genres of subject matter as possible.  Some images will be Minimalist and, in general, I try to make simpler images, rather than cramming them with visual content.

Some new Still Life studies will (hopefully!) continue to appear.

ARCHIVE STILL LIFE PICTURE GALLERY 2 : POSTS 11-20

ARCHIVE STILL LIFE PICTURE GALLERIES

I’m currently posting images from my large archive of (loosely defined!) still life photos.  These photos are being posted singly, with full text.

To make viewing of these images easier for those with little time to spare, I’m also posting groups of these images with minimal titles.  This is the second gallery – you can find the earlier galleries here: 1 .

Clicking onto each image will open a larger version in a separate window: doing this often enhances the image.

Looking down onto the shadow of a footbridge; 2014.

Dustbin and blue cord, in a churchyard; 2014.

The upper deck of a bus, on a sunny day; 2017.

My wife’s glass of wine, in a Bristol pub, on a sweaty afternoon; 2016.

Looking into a building at night; 2016.

Teasels, in the valley of the River Chew; 2013.

Seascape, Lizard Point, Cornwall; 2016.

Public seating; 2016.

Small tree, on the Mendip Hills; 2018.

Advertisement, a little the worse for wear; 2017.

STILL LIFE 261 – THE VIEW INTO A FISH AND CHIP SHOP DURING THE PANDEMIC

Looking in through the windows of a fish and chip shop during the pandemic, just as the sun was rising.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window – recommended.

Technique: TG-5 at 100mm (equiv); 320 ISO; spot metering; Lightroom, starting at the Modern 01 profile; south Bristol; 1 June 2021.

ARCHIVE: STILL LIFE 8 – LITTLE KING STREET

Tag on the wall of a bar.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window – recommended.

Technique: X-T1 with 55-200 Fujinon lens at 223mm (equiv); 400 ISO; Lightroom, using the Velvia/Vivid film simulation; Little King Street, central Bristol; 19 July 2016.

ARCHIVE STILL LIFE

This is a new category on this blog – Archive Still Life studies.  The Still Life definition will certainly be followed loosely – e.g. some studies may only have been made “still” by the split second opening of the camera’s shutter – and my objective will be to use as many different types / genres of subject matter as possible.  Some images will be Minimalist and, in general, I try to make simpler images, rather than cramming them with visual content.

Some new Still Life studies will (hopefully!) continue to appear.

STILL LIFE 256 – SECURITY SHUTTER WITH SHADOWS OF STREET SIGN AND VEHICLE (MONO)

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Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

Technique: TG-5 at 25mm (equiv); 320 ISO; spot metering; Lightroom, starting at the B&W 04 profile; south Bristol; 6 Apr 2021.

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STILL LIFE 253 – THE SHADOW OF A VAN ON A SECURITY SHUTTER

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Walking past shuttered shops and looking at the shadow of a van.  The van’s tinted windows colour the warm, early morning light passing through them and the shadow of the steering wheel is ready and alert.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

Technique: TG-5 at 100mm (equiv); 800 ISO; spot metering; Lightroom, starting at the Camera Vivid profile; south Bristol; 6 Apr 2021.

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PEOPLE 399 – PHOTOGRAPHING A TREE

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Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window – recommended.

Technique: TG-5 at 25mm (equiv); 800 ISO; spot metering; Lightroom, starting at the Camera Vivid profile; south Bristol; 24 Apr 2021.

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OUTER SUBURBS 311 – DANCER

 

 

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Walking in the frosty sunrise, and squeezing into the shadow of a tree – getting a tree’s eye view perhaps …    But when you’re as bulky as me, squeezing in can be quite tricky – the bulge on the right of the trunk’s shadow may be my elbow.

The tree’s shadow is moving as the sun rises: on the left of the trunk’s shadow there is a halo of white, still unmelted frost, only just exposed to the sun’s weak winter rays.

And when I look at this image I see a dancer, perhaps a woman in a long dress, inclining her head to the left and raising her arms in celebration of the new morning’s warmth and light.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

Technique: TG-5 at 70mm (equiv); 400 ISO; spot metering; Lightroom, starting at the Modern 05 profile; south Bristol; 26 Feb 2021.
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ARCHIVE: LOOKING AT CARS 51 – CARS AFTER A RAIN SHOWER

 

 

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An early morning trip into Bristol city centre.  A humid early morning, heavy with the threat of thunder storms moving up from the south on warm, moisture-laden winds.  I made it into Hart’s bakery in the dry, gorged on white, sourdough toast spread thickly with raspberry jam – and loved the way the jam was not served in emotionless, commercial sachets but, rather, was simply brought to the table in an open jar, with a spoon sticking up in the middle of it – people after my own heart >>> no pun intended!!! 

And there was a cake too and, when the staff weren’t looking, that also got plastered in raspberry jam.  But maybe the (always friendly and pleasant) staff did notice after all because when one of them came over to ask me if the food and coffee had been alright and I asked to be carried to the door, she suggested it might be better rolling me to the door, whereupon I told her she was really very rude and we both laughed.

And when I emerged from that veritable gastronomic heaven, there had been a rain shower and, looking towards the light, I saw this scene.

The Looking at Cars series: looking back through the nine years of the FATman Photos archives (and some new images too), I’m posting pictures of cars in various contexts and styles.  These Looking at Cars posts are here: 1 (with context); 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 .  Each post will open in a separate window. 

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window – recommended.

Technique: X-T2 with 55-200 Fujinon lens at 250mm (equiv); 200 ISO; spot metering for the highlights; Lightroom, using the Velvia/Vivid film simulation; Temple Meads, central Bristol; 12 May 2017.

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ARCHIVE 608 – DRINKING GLASS IN FRONT OF VENETIAN BLINDS, ROTATED (MONO)

 

 

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Drinking glass in front of venetian blinds, Hayling Island, Hampshire; 21 Sept 2010.

During one of our cheapo caravan holidays, a drinking glass stands in front of window blinds.  Light leaking in through the blinds makes strong (now) vertical stripes.  Just below the (now) upper side of the drinking glass, the glass’s curvature distorts the blind’s straight slats. 

The light inside the caravan causes the glass to cast a thin, dark shadow on the blind, below the glass as we now see it.

I’ve added lots of grain and strong copper toning in SEP2.  Clockwise rotation has turned the glass tumbler into a more abstract object.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

Technique: D700 with 70-300 Nikkor lens at 180mm; 200 ISO; Silver Efex Pro 2’s Film Noir 1 preset and strong copper toning; rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

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