Barfleur, France, 2023
Heavy Metal
Author: Tobias M. Schiel
Abstract arts lover, Jazz enthusiast, mystery buff, compulsive reader - and how do I get it all into pictures? Photography has been a good way over the last couple of years.1. .
The Oranges of St-Vaast-la-Hougue
Rope, Net, Chain, Shackle
St-Vaast-la-Hougue Harbour, France, 2023
Looking at Strangers
Amiens, France, 2023. – The Old Town seemed like an example for gentrification … on the upside, we saw phantastic street art (some of which was just impossible to photograph).
Tangle
After posting an action figure sequence from 2021, here’s a brand new contribution for the lens-artists’ challenge telling a story. Showing K2-SO in the middle of an activity (enigmatic as it may be) implies that there was a ‘before’ and there will be an ‘after’ – a story.
Telling a Story: Spidey Hop Revisited
When I photograph toys, it’s mostly with a story in mind. So when I learned the lens-artists’ challenge was about telling a story, I just had to go through my archives. Skimming through my toy stories, I found that this Spidey sequence (2021) is one of my favorites. It’s short, sweet and consistent; it invites interpretation, and it’s about things that mean a lot to me: Jazz, narratives, and dancing. Enjoy this throwback … and let the good times roll!
Harbour Blues
Fragments of Château de Gratot
Cotentin, France, May 2023. – At first it did not seem like there was much to see, or photograph. But then we started reconstructing this castle in our minds, trying to figure what it originally was meant to be: a fortification built to defend its inhabitants, then a monument to their wealth. Until the roof came tumbling down on a table already set for a wedding dinner.
As for the photography, I remembered I used to like these bright, cloudy skies because they allow me to work with negative space. So I investigated the interaction of architecture and picture plane a bit, which for me is always a very satisfying way of connecting with the ‘spacial meaning’ of built structures.
No Parking
Granville, France, 2023
Old Mill, New Museum
Küppersmühle, an industrial mill in the port of Duisburg, Germany, has been converted into a museum. It now displays a great collection of modern and contemporary art. But I never really get to enjoy the art in full because the museum now features two beautiful staircases which are themselves works of art – and they are very distracting!
With some of the old silos still standing, you get a strong industrial vibe while the building also frames the art nicely.
But I compulsively return to the stairs…
The architecture just lends itself to this kind of abstract photography I so much like – using built space for compositions within the rectangualr space of the picture. And I think the pictures lend themselves to contributing to Anne’s wonderful lens artists challenge #251: Buildings and Other Structures. Oh, and here’s one other structure, a work of art nicely interacting with the architecture.
„Mama Don’t Allow“
Around Here
Area 23: Main Gate
This backlit gate is part of a larger series, and it is also my entry for this week’s lens-artists challenge.
Once Upon a Time in the West
Downtown
The light from the desk lamp through a window of one of the miniature façades I use for my miniature toy photography: Glowing moments like these provide for good pictures but I also take them as proof that even with staged photos, there are moments that are unrepeatable (or very hard to reproduce). This is an enty for the lens-artists’ photo challenge #244 – only one ‘glowing moment’ cause this kind of photography is very slow.
Lucky Dog
This Cadillac is no longer than 6.3 cm (or roughly 2 1/2 inches), and the white wall was cut from a cardboard box. I added a wooden roof and paper flagstones … and the miniature dog.
Continue reading “Lucky Dog”Near Area 23
Chicken, Gravy and Biscuits
Although I was sure about the sign pointing toward some kind of food joint, and the construction of its lighting, I had no idea what the sign should actually say. Then I remembered a song by Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Chicken, gravy and biscuits – and I had it!
Canine Delinquent
The Long Arm of the Law
There was Jo’s question about an arrest in the last post, and there was also a prompt to do a noir photo in the toy photographers’ community so I tried my hand at some ‘neo noir’. I wanted to see if noir, which we mostly associate with black-and-white, also works in color. And though this picture was motivated by Jo’s question, I am afraid we’re none the wiser. I chose the mystery.
empire of lights 