..
Ken,
Your word picture is terrific. Visualization is one skill, verbalization -
the art
of painting that same image with words on paper - is quite another.
It is a rare artist who can combine those skills. Well done Sir.
Rick
..
On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 8:36 PM, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Patience. Is it a virtue or a sickness? In the world of photography, I
> think it can be both. Patience, in this case, happens to be B&W film
> photography.
>
> This evening, the overcast sky was rather interesting. It had more
> character than normal. I identified three different layers of stratus
> which were in various stages of decay and openness. To the north of
> Newton is a new wind farm, so I drove up there to see if there was
> anything worthwhile to photograph. Some wind turbines are bigger than
> others. These are the biggest. The blades are so long that this
> particular type of wind turbine can only be located in certain areas
> because you can't transport them from the factory just anywhere.
>
> I found a nice spot to photograph a handful of towers, got out the
> DMC-L1 and shot a few pictures which are fine, but I know there was
> something "missing". So, back to the Jeep, where I peel out the OM-3Ti
> took pictures with the 24/2.8, 50/1.4 and 100/2. I still wasn't quite
> satisfied. I then grabbed the filter stack and pulled out the Red #25.
> Held it up to the eye and saw what I was looking for.
>
> The view through the viewfinder completely changed. Suddenly, all new
> compositions openned up. Otherwise boring shots came alive. Exciting
> shots changed--sometimes better, sometimes worse. I even dug out the
> tripod!!!
>
> Two particular compositions caused me to stop in my tracks. I'm
> normally very quick with my compositions--especially with Four-Thirds
> because the viewed image is so small that I'm leaning on the normal
> tricks of the trade. These two, though, took on a life of their own. I
> stopped and considered that they would look like enlarged beyond my
> normal size. What would these look like blown way up?
>
> At that point, I started really tweaking the composition. I studied
> the eye-flow to see how the eye would follow one turbine blade from a
> distant tower to one on the nearest tower. Then the eye would move
> down the tower to the ground, slide over, back up the other tower and
> across the blades to complete the circle. Basic stuff, really, but not
> something I can do very often.
>
> The other shot totally surprised me. Street signs in the country
> rarely hold much interest and a digital shot would have been a
> complete throwaway. I'm not sure why I pointed the camera that
> direction--maybe it was the sky. Whatever it was, it grabbed my
> undivided attention. The red filter turned the green paint of the sign
> black. The fields are barren so they stayed neutral and the sky was
> very interesting. Even the distant cows filled out the frame. Yes,
> there was a fence. Always a fence...
>
> Patience. I must wait for the results. It'll be weeks before I process
> the film and make work prints. With digital, the satisfaction would
> have been immedate. For instant gratifaction, digital so rules. B&W
> film photography is either a virtue or a sickness. We film
> photographers are either brilliant or totally stupid. Ask me another
> day and I might give you a different answer.
>
> I'm reminded how much of a "friend" the OM system has been to me
> photographically. The cameras have helped me see in ways I wouldn't
> have seen otherwise. I'm not blessed with that perfect
> previsualization that so many have. Somethings do come naturally for
> me, others I have to work at. The OM system has been a great partner
> in this aspect. The silent assistant that just says "look over here,
> please".
>
> I'm eagerly anticipating what can be done with these images.
> Photography isn't just about Bokeh. It's nice to explore other options
> and styles too. But it does help when the camera (and lens) suggests
> something to you. It's not often that I see images that grab me like
> this in the viewfinder. It's probably been at least three years for
> me.
>
> AG
> --
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