Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/05/29

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Lincoln center flowers
From: mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)
Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 20:08:40 -0400

Sometimes I may be feeling a little low and I take a look at my LUG gallery
layout;  like looking at a contact sheet and it gives me a boost.  In a way
a contact sheet with lots of little pictures on it makes a  total picture in
of itself. And I like my LUG Gallery total picture. Random snaps with little
regard to composition I'm don't get from it but I'd be the last one you'd
want to ask as  can't claim to step back from my work and  look at it as if
it was done by somebody else. But if a week or more goes by that helps.
I find a quick measure of the success of a shot by how many people looked at
it. The number at the bottom.
The Lincoln Center Flowers has been looked at by 25 people over the weekend
and that's about normal at this point so its at the front of the list of all
the shots in the gallery as it has the least clicks.

As to the randomness aspects I do shoot fast and often don't even stop
walking when I click a shot.  The flowers though outside of Lincolns center
shot is a result of three separate shoots on three separate days one was
during the day. Each shoot involved about a hundred captures. So the shot
you are seeing is in effect edited out of 300 pix. To me if its a strong
image and I think it is much of it is because of its bench. There are 299
shots sitting on it sipping Gater Aid who want to go in. but at this time
only 110517_232552 is playing.
There is  20 real strong shots which have 5 stars in them in Bridge.  A few
I left in color.  Some are square.  Several are 1:2. Finally I had to just
go with this one with the itching feeling that I'd change my mind soon and
have recriminations and wish I'd gone with another one.
Next time I look at them I have a feeling I'll be adding that shot which
seems to be the winner now so  you all can see it and maybe even comment.

I'm happy to be able to stop down and get deep focus hand held at night for
the first time in my life and the amazing controls I have on my black and
white output with all the color sliders having amazing effect and the
ability to tone and or duotone the end result.  Beats Bergs Toner any way.
Again like dying and going to heaven.

And if the first page looks a little weak to you click on the second page.
That would represent my best work in a sense these are the shots which got
the most clicks by far.  But the mean being around 25o clicks.
That of course indicates how long they've been up there as well anything
else. As more time equals more clicks.
Few things in my life have I been more happy about than my work on the LUG
gallery.  I don't show people my website  as often the lug gallery gets top
billing on all my emails which I send to new friends. I'll edit the other
things off the list.

The reason why I will often indicate what iso a certain shot has is because
its set at auto. Auto iso. So having set my shutter speed set to 100 and my
f stop set to 5.6 the only variable is the iso. So where the iso "falls" to
me has the top amount of meaning.  Though I've been experiencing with
shooting at F8 as well as f 16 in the noon day sun as I'm getting out more.

The new thing for me though is the idea of having a shot be added to this
"portfolio" after having shot it so recently. Normally I'd not let a shot be
put in such a context unless I'd tested it out first and seen it through a
few peoples eyes over a period of a month or so. Let it settle and cure and
simmer.
Then I'd put it in the "portfolio" a stack of pix in a Box or in pages in a
portfolio case. Or in this case an internet gallery to upload to.
Letting people see tried and tested images is nerve wracking to me.
But every once in a while I look at my lug gallery and a shot stands out as
weak. So I go into delete mode in the software and thin the gallery out.
I'd guess about 25 shots are gone now making the final effect way stronger.
After doing that I look at the page and I like the total picture I'm seeing
much better.

In my  first 8 or 9 years on the LUG there was no LUG GALLERY. And many
people expressed their opinions  and rhetoric  in effect  on a blind stage.
I had no way of knowing  what photography experience someone under their
belt they had to back up their  contentious attitudes with.  In a "put your
pictures where you mouth is" sense.  Now I do.

Mark

--------------------
Mark William Rabiner
Photography
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/
mark at rabinergroup.com
Cars:   http://tinyurl.com/2f7ptxb




> From: Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 15:09:12 -0700
> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Lincoln center flowers
> 
> 
> On May 29, 2011, at 1:14 PM, Nathan Wajsman wrote:
> 
>> I write this with a certain amount of trepidation, but I can't help it...
>> 
>> What am I missing? Everyone goes gaga over Marc's B&W pictures of flowers 
>> and
>> trees and the like around Manhattan
> 
> 
> I don't go gaga over them...
> 
> 
>> while I just don't get it. To me, they look like random snapshots, with
>> little regard for composition, designed to show off the camera's high ISO
>> capabilities and not much else.
> 
> 
> they have a certain rather eccentric,    je ne sais quoi... !
> 
> (rather like his manner of writing....)
> 
> that pulls you in,
> 
> Steve
> 
> 
> 
>> 
>> I know from other contexts that Marc is a good photographer, and 
>> prestigious
>> organizations like the NYT pay him for his pictures, but that does not 
>> mean
>> that every picture he posts is great.
>> 
>> Or am I simply missing the point, just as I do when I look at pictures by
>> Cindy Sherman or Eggleston (sp)?
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> Nathan
>> 
>> Nathan Wajsman
>> Alicante, Spain
>> http://www.frozenlight.eu
>> http://www.greatpix.eu
>> http://www.nathanfoto.com
>> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
>> Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog
>> 
>> YNWA
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On May 29, 2011, at 8:01 PM, philippe.amard wrote:
>> 
>>> Oh yes Sir Rabs, f?erique !
>>> 
>>> Thanks
>>> Philippe
>>> 
>>> Le 27 mai 11 ? 22:12, Mark Rabiner a ?crit :
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/110517_232552.jpg.html
>>>> 
>>>> Shot in my favorite 1:2 format; ok cropped later I soaked my SanDisk in 
>>>> a
>>>> bleach redevelop bath of Kodaks sepia toner. This coated each pixel 
>>>> with a
>>>> layer of sulfide which in effect makes them impervious to the sulfur
>>>> dioxide
>>>> in the atmosphere.  And prepares the image for hand coloring.
>>>> F 4.5 @ a 60th @ iso 6400 and be there.
>>>> With my ubiquitous Nikon 45mm 2.5 silver pancake made in actuality by
>>>> Cosina.
>>>> 
>>>> I don't NEED auto focus I AM auto focus.
>>>> 
>>>> Mark Focus
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information




Replies: Reply from photo at frozenlight.eu (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] Lincoln center flowers)
In reply to: Message from steve.barbour at gmail.com (Steve Barbour) ([Leica] Lincoln center flowers)