One of several possible entries for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge #267: Recharge.
Seaside Composition
Réserve
LAPC #265: Black and White or Monochrome | Black and white is a preferred choice when I photograph miniature toys. It seems to add another layer of abstraction to pictures which already show abstract depictions of reality – these toys and models have to be abstract due to their size (and my building skills). I feel that the additional layer of abstraction sort of distracts from the fact that we are dealing with tiny plastic toys, but I still cannot grasp why I would think so.
As for the procedure, I firmly believe that shooting color and only creating a black and white picture in editing is not the best way to go at it. A black and white picture is not simply a ‘normal’ picture minus the color. I feel that we pay more attention to light, develop a keener eye for slight nuances as well as stark contrasts in brightness when we are not distracted by colors, and can’t rely on contrasting colors. But maybe that’s just me.
Framing
Framing Your Photos is a wonderful challenge because there are two types of framimg I enjoy a lot. In my more or less abstract real life pictures, I love framing the void, or the spaces ‘in between’. For me that’s a way of exploring space and composition and the reality that provides the material for my pictures. I see these aspects in the pictures above.
Continue reading “Framing”Stompin‘ at the Savoy
A song by Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson, Chick Webb. Since any performance – be it dance, theatre or music – is a work in progress, I think this is a fitting entry for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge #261. [Orginally posted 11/08/2023, but the post got lost when I tried to fix a minor flaw. So I had to repost it. Miraculously enough, the old comments reappeared along with the new post.]
Heavy Metal
Barfleur, France, 2023
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”
empire of lights 