[Leica] Ericspaw Week 5 and 6

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

Eric,
I just took another look too,. My first impression of the electrician 
was that he was sitting playing a fiddle (his pose) which could have 
made it a little more interesting. Enlarging it showed he wasn't - 
compared with (most) of the other shots here, this picture is just an 
also-ran for me. The lakeside feels cold and uninviting, the former CTA 
building is well composed but doesn't say much to me either, the group 
of trees I like very much, even though it has a very desolate 
atmosphere. The Labrador driving is amusing, Reckless Records (inside) 
is interesting for me because I love spending hours in s/h record shops 
, you caught the typical atmosphere so well  that I can nearly smell the 
shop, when I lived in London (early 1970's, I used to spend about 2 
hours every Saturday in shops like that, one of the cheapest and most 
entertaining pastimes in London, even in the seventies, though when I 
think that the rarities he's selling now were fresh of the presses then 
it certainly makes me feel my age.
 BTW, what's the difference between the MFL vinyl and the WB vinyl 
version -which (on my Planar 6) is a bl--dy good recording. 
Unfortunately, the shot outside the store loses something because I can 
hardly discern the name on the record store sign, maybe a little 
selective PS tweaking could add some contrast/brightness there.
The "don't annoy the fish" is a good 'un.But I'm not quite sure whether 
it wouldn't have been better in colour.
Sorry for having been so critical.
Cheers
Douglas

Ted Grant wrote:

> Subject: Re: [Leica] Ericspaw Week 5 and 6
> http://ericspaw.blogspot.com/
> Nathan Wajsman offered:
>
>>>>> Since the electrician in week 6 was someone you were working with,
>>>>
>> couldn't you have come a bit closer to him? As the image stands, it 
>> would be almost impossible to know what this picture is about, were 
>> it not for your caption.
>> > Remember Capa's dictum about not being close enough...<<<<<
>
>
> Hi Eric and Nathan,
> I have to agree with Nathan, as I've opened and closed Eric's 
> electrician/truck/building/ water and whatever else is in here at 
> least a half dozen times without deleting it while trying to find some 
> kind of whatever it is I'm looking for? How's that for trying to 
> figure out a photo?
>
> It's like one's eyes go all over the place looking for an anchor 
> point, a centre of interest.
>
> And for the life of me I've tried to find the motivation for shooting 
> it in this manner.  Maybe I've been looking too hard to see a picture, 
> possibly it's just a snap shot without any real photographic 
> motivational moment, other than being a plain old fashion record of 
> the location.
>
> Eric mon ami, would you please explain what grabbed you visually to 
> take this photograph as we see it? In other words what was the 
> motivation? Remember now, this isn't me playing smart ass and it's not 
> personal. Because as I said, I opened and closed it at least a half 
> dozen times trying to find what grabbed you to make the exposure?
>
> If anything I think you're too far away and I'd have made the shot 
> concentrating on the electrician and truck sign if it were possible?  
> Maybe?
>
> And no I haven't deleted it, yet. Because maybe there's something 
> there I can't get a line on, so your explanation would be very 
> helpful. Thank you.
>
> ted
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>