Egyptian Obelisk In Central Park
Camera: Fujifilm GFX 100S
Lens: GF 80mm f/1.7
Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!
Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Cleopatra's Needle
Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!
Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Fast Times At The Guggenheim
Motion Pictures
I enjoy capturing motion with a still camera, rendering moving objects as smears of color, as though they were created by sweeping a paint brush across a canvas.
The effect stands out against a sharp, well-focused background, especially when the background contains a recognizable landmark.
Camera: Sony a7R IV
Lens: Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8
Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!
Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved
Friday, July 6, 2018
Giacometti At The Guggenheim
Impressionistic Inspirations In Metal
For decades, I have been a fan of the works of Twentieth-Century Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966). I find his sculptures to be particularly inspiring. With their exaggerated proportions and rough finish, Giacometti's works offer a wildly impressionistic view of the human form and other familiar shapes and items.
The Guggenheim Museum in New York is hosting an impressive collection of Giacometti's sculptures and drawings through 12 September 2018. If you are planning to be in the New York area over the next couple of months, put the Giacometti exhibition at the top of your must-see list.
Camera:
Sony a7R II
Lenses:
Sony FE 35mm f/1.8
Sony FE 85mm f/1.8
For decades, I have been a fan of the works of Twentieth-Century Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966). I find his sculptures to be particularly inspiring. With their exaggerated proportions and rough finish, Giacometti's works offer a wildly impressionistic view of the human form and other familiar shapes and items.
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| Le Chien (Dog) - Alberto Giacometti |
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| Grande Tête Mince (Large Thin Head) - Alberto Giacometti |
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| The Nose (Le Nez) - Alberto Giacometti |
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| Reclining Woman Who Dreams - Alberto Giacometti |
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| Man (Apollo) - Alberto Giacometti |
The Guggenheim Museum in New York is hosting an impressive collection of Giacometti's sculptures and drawings through 12 September 2018. If you are planning to be in the New York area over the next couple of months, put the Giacometti exhibition at the top of your must-see list.
Camera:
Sony a7R II
Lenses:
Sony FE 35mm f/1.8
Sony FE 85mm f/1.8
Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!
Copyright 2018 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Creative License in Black and White
Fact or Fiction
Black and White photography imposes successive distortions on the natural world. First, we compress three dimensions into two. Then we convert all of the colors into shades of gray.
This photograph utilizes a third level of distortion, the compression of time. I left the camera's shutter open for several seconds in order to render the moving water in a dreamlike blur.
It's tempting to think of photographs as accurate depictions of what was visible at a given place and time. We rely on photographs to document important events and occasions. Most people wouldn't think of traveling without a camera and snapping happy memories along the way.
But cameras can alter the appearance of reality in extreme ways. The water that I photographed wasn't gray. The water was blue, and the weather was clear and pleasant. My eyes didn't see a misty blur. Rather, I saw a succession of individual waves. What you see in this photograph looks very different than what I saw while I was standing there creating it.
Photographs aren't always documentaries. Sometimes they are works of fiction. Photographers use the tools of their craft to create moods, imply drama, and inspire an emotional response.
I could have created a photograph of blue water with well-defined waves, and I'm sure that it would have been appealing. But I wanted to express something different with this photograph, a sense of mystery and adventure. I hope that you'll enjoy this experiment in creative license.
Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Black and White photography imposes successive distortions on the natural world. First, we compress three dimensions into two. Then we convert all of the colors into shades of gray.
This photograph utilizes a third level of distortion, the compression of time. I left the camera's shutter open for several seconds in order to render the moving water in a dreamlike blur.
It's tempting to think of photographs as accurate depictions of what was visible at a given place and time. We rely on photographs to document important events and occasions. Most people wouldn't think of traveling without a camera and snapping happy memories along the way.
But cameras can alter the appearance of reality in extreme ways. The water that I photographed wasn't gray. The water was blue, and the weather was clear and pleasant. My eyes didn't see a misty blur. Rather, I saw a succession of individual waves. What you see in this photograph looks very different than what I saw while I was standing there creating it.
Photographs aren't always documentaries. Sometimes they are works of fiction. Photographers use the tools of their craft to create moods, imply drama, and inspire an emotional response.
I could have created a photograph of blue water with well-defined waves, and I'm sure that it would have been appealing. But I wanted to express something different with this photograph, a sense of mystery and adventure. I hope that you'll enjoy this experiment in creative license.
Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!
Copyright 2015 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
Saturday, November 23, 2013
City In Motion - The Inspiration Behind The Photographs
Reflection and Possibility
Urban photographers like to work with reflections. Modern cities are endowed with a generous supply of glass panes and shiny surfaces.
One evening in the summer, I noticed a black marble wall. I pulled out my camera and experimented with shots of the reflections of passing people and the vehicles.
It was an interesting idea, it presented technical challenges. There wasn't much light at that hour, and the dark surface absorbed most of what was available.
Even with a highly sensitive modern digital camera, I was struggling to set a shutter speed that would freeze the motion of my reflected subjects.
My mind began to search for solutions. I considered trying again with extremely fast lenses and using special noise reduction software.
And then I said to myself, "Stop!"
I realized that I was thinking in a habitual ways. I was solving the same problems in the same way, using the same thinking that I had been using for years. It was time for a break, time to set my automatic responses aside and approach the problem from a new perspective.
What if I couldn't freeze the motion of passing objects? What if I let them blur on purpose?
Legendary photographer Ernst Haas used motion blur creatively in his images. Search online for a copy of his photograph, La Suerte De Capa, captured in Pamplona, Spain in 1956. It's one of my all-time favorite photographs in part because it defies common practice. Instead of freezing the motion in the frame, Haas enhanced its impact on the final image.
I began to the see a possibility. I didn't necessarily have to fight to freeze my subjects. If I cold capture motion effective in the frame of a still photograph, I could use it to show the dynamic pace of life in New York City.
Empire State Building: Nikon D800E, PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5
Grand Central: Canon EOD 5D Mark III, TS-E24mm f/3.5L
Urban photographers like to work with reflections. Modern cities are endowed with a generous supply of glass panes and shiny surfaces.
One evening in the summer, I noticed a black marble wall. I pulled out my camera and experimented with shots of the reflections of passing people and the vehicles.
 |
| Empire State Building - New York City in Motion |
It was an interesting idea, it presented technical challenges. There wasn't much light at that hour, and the dark surface absorbed most of what was available.
Even with a highly sensitive modern digital camera, I was struggling to set a shutter speed that would freeze the motion of my reflected subjects.
My mind began to search for solutions. I considered trying again with extremely fast lenses and using special noise reduction software.
And then I said to myself, "Stop!"
I realized that I was thinking in a habitual ways. I was solving the same problems in the same way, using the same thinking that I had been using for years. It was time for a break, time to set my automatic responses aside and approach the problem from a new perspective.
 |
| Grand Central Station - New York City In Motion |
What if I couldn't freeze the motion of passing objects? What if I let them blur on purpose?
Legendary photographer Ernst Haas used motion blur creatively in his images. Search online for a copy of his photograph, La Suerte De Capa, captured in Pamplona, Spain in 1956. It's one of my all-time favorite photographs in part because it defies common practice. Instead of freezing the motion in the frame, Haas enhanced its impact on the final image.
I began to the see a possibility. I didn't necessarily have to fight to freeze my subjects. If I cold capture motion effective in the frame of a still photograph, I could use it to show the dynamic pace of life in New York City.
Empire State Building: Nikon D800E, PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5
Grand Central: Canon EOD 5D Mark III, TS-E24mm f/3.5L
Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!
Copyright © 2013 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
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