2015 Project 52: 1st Quarter by Shane (ShaneS)

[Stagecoach]

Hi Shane,

I admire what you are doing with regard to your points 1 to 4 above and all I say is good luck.

Some very good comments made and rather than repeat the same as long as you get pleasure out of what you are doing that's really all that matters.

Are you sure you are not just changing direction to something that does not require very early morning starts

Grahame

[ShaneS]

Grahame I am still tempted to get up early, tempted....

You bring up another interesting point though...if I am honest with myself I have probably been unconsciously competing with much more talented landscape photographers that myself. One of the excuses that I use is that landscape photography is well represented in Hawaii (just Google it ) and that I obviously have nothing to add...

Based on the comments on this thread I am rethinking that...maybe I should reword it to "What is the landscape of my Hawaii?"

[Brownbear]

I just Googled Hawaii Landscape photography and your landscape images are equally beautiful but far more unique and special. I especially admire all your seascape and high key black and white scenic mages. So I'd say that a few early morning rises should always be on your schedule.

Grahame I am still tempted to get up early, tempted....

You bring up another interesting point though...if I am honest with myself I have probably been unconsciously competing with much more talented landscape photographers that myself. One of the excuses that I use is that landscape photography is well represented in Hawaii (just Google it ) and that I obviously have nothing to add...

Based on the comments on this thread I am rethinking that...maybe I should reword it to "What is the landscape of my Hawaii?"

[Mike Buckley]

I completely agree with Christina.

landscape photography is well represented in Hawaii (just Google it ) and that I obviously have nothing to add...

Hogwash! Balderdash! Bunk! Drivel! Hooey! Poppycock!

I have to admit that I thought only of the first two on my own and used the thesaurus for the others.

[ShaneS]

Thank you Mike and Christina! I am hanging my head humbly and trying to figure out how to find time to photograph everything and still have time for work, a husband, friends, and laundry

Good use of the thesaurus Mike

[mknittle]

I think this is a very important statement, "I am getting less concerned about producing a technically perfect shot but one that portrays more 'feeling' in its composition and processing."

[ShaneS]

Here we go...next installment takes my back to my photo essay and my attempt to document a local neighborhood. I mentioned in my previous post that many of my shots feel sterile to me of late...well this one was taken back in mid-January and I really liked the mood of it but I was having a heck of a time with the processing!

I about gave up on the color version as I couldn't seem to get it right so I converted it to mono and worked on it, gave up, went back to the color version and so on quite a few times...

The lighting on this shot is anything but sterile to me and I will present the current color version for your C&C as the photo essay is intended to be in color.

Parking Meter at Sunset



Any and all C&C welcome

[Mike Buckley]

I'm really beginning to think that your disappointment in your images has to do with over-thinking them. This is a wonderful image from the get-go for me, so I don't understand why you vacillated for so long between various renditions of it. The light is magical and I really like that the shape of the parking meter complements the electricity meters on the wall and vice versa. For me, a more appropriate caption would be simply Meters. Great eye!

[Shadowman]

It's all about the shadows, patterns, and lines, not so much the neighborhood, although as warm and cheery as this capture is I wouldn't mind visiting. Nicely captured.

[ShaneS]

Thank you Mike & John...

I'm really beginning to think that your disappointment in your images has to do with over-thinking them.

I have to admit that you are right about this Mike but I'm working on it

John, the neighborhood is one of the oldest in Honolulu and I hope that this image will be part of an essay that gives the viewer a strong feeling of what the neighborhood is about. It is a very eclectic neighborhood with a lot of history that is being preserved but also a lot of cool urban stuff is happening alongside. Just to give you an idea, my husband an I went for dinner there tonight and in the space of about three blocks we had the choice of Japanese, Korean, Mexican, French-American or Thai...we chose the last and it was tasty.

So, I have my work cut out for me to create some strong images that tell the story of the neighborhood...I have given myself the whole year to create the essay so you will be seeing more images over time.

If any other CiC members have undertaken a project like this I would love to hear how it went and take note of anything that you learned along the way...

[Kaye Leggett]

Like Mike and John I think you have captured the light perfectly here - don't be so hard on yourself !!

[Geoff F]

The latest image doesn't doesn't excite me, Shane. Better at full screen size but I still can't 'connect' with the scene.

By holding some card against the screen I wonder about cropping from the top to remove those dials and from the right side which creates a stronger composition from the three poles with bricks in the background.

Alternatively, crop the right side to leave just one dial and have a different size ratio?

I suspect that simplifying the scene may create a stronger and better composition.

[ShaneS]

First off I owe both Kaye and Geoff thanks for their comments!

I've been a bit all over the map with my photography lately but I did create a thread with some images that explored the concept of a photo essay that anyone who is interested in that aspect of photography will likely find very informative - I know I did!

Now I will share a single image with a bit of history and I will ask you if the image works for you...



This is an image of the Coat of Arms of the Hawaiian Kingdom that adorns the gates of Iolani Palace in Honolulu. The motto "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono" translates to "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness" and is attributed to King Kamehameha III in July 31, 1843, when the Hawaiian flag was once more raised after a brief period of unauthorized ursurpation of authority by a British admiral.

Iolani Palace became the prison of Queen Liliuokalani in 1893 (a short 50 years later) when the US government overthrew the Hawaiian Kingdom.

In an odd bit of irony this motto of the overthrown Hawaiian Kingdom was later adopted as the motto of the State of Hawaii.

In an attempt to show this irony (which I realize may only be understood by folks with some knowledge of Hawaiian History) I framed one coat of arms on the foreground fence and showed the second between the bars with the golden finials prominent.

I think that apart from the composition (which I have attempted to explain above) that there are technical issues with the sharpness and focus of the image so I will welcome C&C on all fronts.

[Geoff F]

Clearly a difficult scene to photograph because of several issues. But you seem to have successfully coped with the exposure problems. Maybe it needs a merge of two different focus points to keep all the required elements in focus?

The basic idea and the main crest work fine; it's just the background areas which need to be better focused, or more blurred.

[Mike Buckley]

It's clear that the designers of this scene never gave a thought to serious photographers limited to natural daylight! If I was visiting your area, I would definitely photograph this scene to help me remember the history associated with the two coats of arms. (Thank you for your explanation.) However, I wouldn't attempt to make a really serious photo of both coats of arms in one photo without the help of man-made light. I realize that you're not into hauling lighting equipment around, but perhaps this scene is already lit at night in a way that lends to better separation of the background from the coats of arms.

[ShaneS]

Thank you Mike and Geoff you have confirmed my suspicions and explained why it doesn't quite work even for me.

It's clear that the designers of this scene never gave a thought to serious photographers limited to natural daylight!

Mike, this scene isn't designed at all. In fact they are the side entry gates to the palace grounds and instead of both being wide open only the foreground one was open and the other was at an angle. It didn't help me that there was an overhanging tree blocking some of the available light. And no, I am not that serious about capturing this image to tote around lighting equipment that, as a side note, I would no idea how to properly use

[Mike Buckley]

Mike, this scene isn't designed at all.

It sure is! Somebody decided that the two coats of arms were to be mounted on the gates at the precise place they are hanging and that person is the designer. It might have been an expensive architect, the guy who had the proper tools to get the job done, or whomever. But those coats of arms didn't get mounted by accident; their placement is by design.