11 thoughts on “For Badger”

  1. Thanks for the information Araminta. Yes you did get lucky but I honestly believe even people like Cartier Bresson got lucky more times than they would admit. Identifying the subject is their first vital judgement. https://iconicphotos.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/imageserver.gif?w=700 and that is where you started from. He waited a long time to get that through a gap in the fence.

    Then there is the post-production phase where you exercised your artistic judgement at to where and how to crop. I talk like a critic, if only I could put what I say into practice instead of relying on the modern version of contact sheets and Light Room photoshopping. I have a huge coffee table book called https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnum-Contact-Sheets-Kristen-Lubben/dp/050054431X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477748855&sr=1-1&keywords=contact+sheets and to browse it is to learn how many pictures are rejected before the final one is chosen and that is only the beginning of the process.

    A nice Christmas present to add to the one I never sent you last year!

    However, to secure Bresson’s place in 20th C photography greats as perhaps the greatest it is surprising to learn that out of the hundreds of thousands of photos he took with his various Leicas only ‘Puddle Jumper’ and one other were cropped!! (can’t remember the second one, I might post it later if I can find it)

    So you took a great picture Araminta without spending £13,000 on a Leica and lenses.

    Grrr… 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  3. Blimey, Badger, I wouldn’t spend that much on a camera never mind a book!

    As you know, I am no expert in photography, it just all seems too complicated, although I don’t really understand why. Computers are easy by comparison and that really is absurd.

    I am occasionally surprised when I take a reasonable photograph, but yes I’m just lucky. Oddly enough, when I went back through the years to find this, I thought that the really very inexpensive Samsung produced better results than my more recent Panasonic thingy. Either that or I’m just getting worse.

    My only books on the subject are a Digital Photography for Dummies (how appropriate, I hear you say) and one other the title of which I cannot remember but it’s about the same level!

    I think I may improve if I just set my mind to it, or just take more photos, but I never seem to find the time.

    As for post-production, I have tried it with Photoshop with varying degrees of success but I tend to think that’s cheating!

    In conclusion, I rely on sticking my camera on auto and only occasionally experiment with other settings.

    Thanks again for your reply, I am interested in your thoughts and I am aware you know much more about the subject than I could ever hope to achieve.

    PS. I did post this as a reply but the column width is getting rather narrow, so I moved it here.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you Araminta. It’s all luck with me too. But like you, I like to think I have an eye for the subject and no harm in shooting half a dozen. A bit like that one in a million cod’s egg that beats all the odds.

      Bresson thought it was cheating too, the original puddle jumper had a dark blur to the left of the photo where a vertical railing prevented him from getting his camera through the fence so he cropped it.

      I’m nothing like as good so I do crop if I think it improves the shot. Haven’t pressed the shutter button for more that 7 months, I’ve been worried I might find the weight a little too much over time.

      Sigh… must eat more and get up earlier, but that Siberian Snow Goose duvet is irresistible in the winter.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

Add your comment