Tag: CCY

A castle, a river and mountains

May 5, 2016 · 4 Comments ·

Cee’s Compose Yourself – the challenge is: “landscapes”.

Two photos from Weinheim an der Bergstraße in Germany:

I prefer the second shot. In the first one, the area looks cramped as if it was in a narrow valley when in fact the Wachenburg looks over the wide Rhine plain. The clouds not only add depth to the sky but the shadows they cast also add texture to the forest.

Another German river valley, this time the Moselle. Vinyards rise on both sides of the river. The barge and the houses, especially the mansion on the left, serve as scale and enhance the steepness of the vinyards.

Same river, a number of kilometers downstream and at a different time of year:

The autumn mists casting a haze over the valley in the back, contrasting with the vivid colours of the yellowing leaves.

This is the Kleinwalsertal – a small anomaly as it is part of Austria but can only be reached from Germany because of the high mountain ridge towards the Austrian side.

This is half way up, looking straight out to the mountains of Germany:

Above Grindelwald in Switzerland, the bare rocks attest the higher altitude in this part of the Alps. The photographer in the foreground is deceiving the viewer. The shadow on his side of the mountain almost lets him look like a giant.

My final photo for this challenge – also from Switzerland with a paraglider high up in the air. Again this perspective is teasing the viewer because as high as the paraglider is – he is well below the peaks in the background to the right.

Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge: #21 Landscapes

CCY

The colour wheel goes round and round, round and round, …

May 3, 2016May 3, 2016 · 4 Comments ·

My last entry for Cee’s Compose Yourself – with this I’ve caught up with the current topic. This is about “Complimentary colours”, i.e. colours that are next to each other or at least close on a colour wheel.

The photos appear as the colours move clockwise through the colour wheel. The photos are harmonious in itself but not necessarily next to each other so the overall effect is less calming than the individual photos would be but I couldn’t decide where to start the circle.

Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge: #17 Complimentary/Harmonious Colors

CCY

Like two sides to every story

Apr 22, 2016Apr 22, 2016 · Leave a comment ·

The next step: “Symmetry“. Horizontal symmetry is more difficult to find than vertical symmetry. Often, though, horizontal symmetry is encountered in reflections. The photo below has little to do with photographic skills, it was taken on a compact camera without viewer which meant I took the shot practically blind because the screen was almost unreadable. Being at the right time at the right spot (at 2265 m altitude on the First above Grindelwald in Switzerland) was all it took.

In any case symmetry in architecture is easier to find than in landscapes because architects have discovered the power of symmetry long ago. The doors below are a case in point.

So are these. But although we look for symmetry as Cee states it is also a fact that flawless symmetry is not something we appreciate too much. Faces that are artificially made completely symmetric are rejected by viewers as they tend to look wrong. I find that slight deviations in the symmetry can enhance the pleasing effect of a photo. In the picture below it is the chalk lettering left by the Epiphany singers with the initials of the three kings, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, and the year for which their blessing was given (2015) as well as the off centre doorknob which tip the balance.

Here the whole house has been built symmetrically, from the windows which are symmetrical in themselves, to the door with accompanying windows, the pediment, the steps and the railings.

Windows are often paired and lend themselves to symmetrical shots or, the photo can be cropped appropriately. The different reflections in the window panes keep the photofrom being boring but I could have done without the electrical icicles on the right.

Another set of interesting and symmetrical windows. The shadows, of course, point in the same direction and are thus not strictly symmetrical, neither is the plant in the left window but I think this adds interest.

These two doors obviously lead into houses that are build in mirror symmetry but probably furnished individually just like the colour difference. Having once moved from one side of such a house to the other, I know that this mirroring can be quite disconcerting.

An old church with a symmetrical entry through several arches.

But not just architecture, nature itself provides symmetrical topics altough I find them easier to discover on macro level. Again, it shows that’s Louis’ face is approximated rather than perfect symmetry and this is what makes him so attractive.

CEE’S COMPOSE YOURSELF PHOTO CHALLENGE: WEEK #14 Symmetry

CCY

Evil is as evil does

Apr 22, 2016Apr 22, 2016 · 2 Comments ·

“Perspective” and knowing what your main topic is – or, in my case, this often means only finding out later when I review my photos what the main topic was.

When I am out and about with my running friends I often snap photos – literally snap because I’m there to participate in the fun and taking pictures comes second. Usually my main objective is to capture the people that are there with me. We were having a break from our jogging/hiking day at the shores of Lake Constance. Beer was waiting for us bobbing on the waves. I like the fancy clothes people are wearing at these occasions and I am particularly drawn to runners’ socks and their messages.

The next four shots were all taken at a pre-wedding party. I was there with my camera and my brief was to take pictures of the guests as unobtrusively as possible.

In the first photo the focus is very obviously on the people and the overall garden setting showing off the newly acquired house of the soon-to-be-weds and the party area in front. Not a great shot per se but one setting the mood and showing the crowd. The second photo was taken from the same position but focussing on the balcony with its pretty flowers and the bird cut-out and reflection in the window.

The following two shots are again taken with completely different objectives in mind. The first one shows three guests on a cigarette break, totally unawares of being photographed. I liked the way they were standing next to the little amorette all in white. It would have been better if the third person had not been blocked by the one in the middle (I could have moved to the right to avoid that). The second shot focusses clearly on the head of one of the women. I found the colours of her dyed hair fascinating. Coming to think of it, this would have been a good photo to illustrate the 2/3 rule, bokeh and all.

CEE’S COMPOSE YOURSELF PHOTO CHALLENGE: WEEK #13 Perspective

CCY

Das Runde muss ins Eckige

Apr 21, 2016Apr 22, 2016 · 4 Comments ·

A quote – reputedly from the former German national football coach Sepp Herberger – that’s not easy to translate since “eckig” means “angular” rather than “square”. But f0r Cee’s next topic: “Centre point – breaking the rule of thirds” it is spot on to say:

“The round thing has to go into the square thing.”

Round things are fairly easy to centre and so these flower balls are perfect to illustrate pictures with a centre point. In white:

and black:

and white again.

The rose below does not quite work as her middle is slightly off centre and the distribution of the petals is unbalanced.

The focal point here is the little bead below the earlobe which almost makes one miss the building reflected in the red stone.

I found this interesting as the centre point of this picture is found in the negative space slightly above and to the right of the knee but because of the diagonal division of the shot I think it works.

I like this little duckling and I’ve included a copy with the centre clearly marked. It is not the beak as one might expect but the fluff on its chest where the feathers create a swirl looking almost as if everything radiates from that point.

And here is Mama Duck with a magnificent orang beak as the centre point of the photo. I have changed the photo to black and white with selective colour for the beak in order to emphasize the centre point and not get distracted by the pinkish feet or the brown duck to the left.

Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge: Week #11 Centerpoint – Breaking the Rule of Thirds

CCY

Two thirds can make a whole

Apr 21, 2016 · 2 Comments ·

Cee’s next challenge is concerned with “Using 2/3 of your photo frame” just the opposite from the previous one.

I’ll start off with a gnarled treebark where the background was so light that it showed off completely white and featureless making the bark almost into a cut-out.

This was a “naturally occurring” 2/3 – a graveside flowerbed in a display of such plantings at the German horticultural show in Brandenburg an der Havel. These small plots showed off gardening en miniature and since it was also a competition for gardeners meticulously cared for, I watched a gardener trim a bed with something that looked like nail scissors. In this case the colourful display contrasted with the two variety of greens of the border.

A macro of a tulip – the spring colours at the moment are stunning. The dark green leaves in the out-of-focus range form the perfect contrast to the bright orange of the blossom.

The same botanical garden features this abundance of tulips. In both shots the colour covers two thirds. I think I prefer the second photo – neither of which I would have taken like this before reading Cee’s essay.

One more flower shot, this time another landscape photo shot from below to block out anything but the clear blue sky in the upper third.

A cockerel contrasted by the green bokeh behind and to the left.

And to finish off a close-up of a white pony.

Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge: Week #10 Using 2/3 of your photo frame

CCY

Audit

Apr 20, 2016 · 1 Comment ·

I haven’t managed to work through the backlog of Cee’s challenge (I hesitate to call it challenge it feels more like my private online tutoring) so my choices are limited to the early assignments.

I’ll start off with a photo which is not the greatest but it reminds me of a wonderful holiday. The diagonal line divides the picture into two contrasting colours – not a hundred percent according to the colour wheel but close enough. The famous Eiger Nordwand is as geometrical as triangles come and the mountain to the right (I think it’s the Jungfrau but don’t quote me) is not only a triangle but the slope of the Eiger and the slope in the foreground create a negative triangle as well.

Eiger

Here are harmonious colours, i.e. colours which are next to each other on the colour wheel. From the yellow green in the bottom third to the deep green of the cornstalks to the blueish hue of the upper third. Surprise! The photo is divided in more or less even thirds, and the different colours and patterns are so well defined that they create horizontal lines.

Another photo teeming with geometrical shapes from the pink rectangle on the left, the acute triangle next to it and the isosceles triangle with the right angle in the upper right hand corner. There are a couple of smaller triangles as well. But I like it because of the great laugh which is so infectious.

Lines seem to show off best in black and white photos.

lines 1

Another leading curved line. The viewer is drawn along the the line created by the pier to the lighthouse which is off centre and a bit to the top. The sky above the horizont is an enormous amount of negative space.

lines 6

And one of my favourites with contrasting colours (blue opposite the orangey rust), the seagull with her head, the focal point, in the upper right 3/9.

I have definitely learned about taking photos and have realised that I use some of the principles now instead of just clicking. But more so Cee has opened my eyes to see why I like some of happy-click photos a lot and others less. I tend now to think more before I click. What I want to say to Cee is: Thank you! You have taught me a lot in the last weeks (and I hope that you will keep doing this).

Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge: #20 Review and Practice

CCY

Drei mal drei macht neune 🎵🎶

Apr 18, 2016 · 2 Comments ·

This time it is Cee’s introduction to the rule of thirds – which harks back to the golden ratio.

Here are some simple versions of the rule of thirds – all taken in Northumberland – where the picture is divided by three lines, more or less dividing it into equal vertical stripes.

And now for something completely different – NOT. The same principle but from a very different landscape (the Odenwald in Southwest Germany) and in very different colours.

Back to the see with a rusty detail. It is often not so easy with automatic cameras to focus on a subject which is off centre – often this can be rescued later on with cropping.

This cat – Louis by name – shows off the rule of thirds to his advantage, the eyes are in the upper left field and are the obvious centre of this shot.

His mate Charly presents two focal point – his eye and his nose, in the upper right and lower left field of the photo. Both focal points vie for attention, the nose through its light pink colour but the eye with his intensive looks take the prize.

This is one of my favourite photographs with a model that posed like a pro. Again, the rule of thirds is displayed in the horizontal lines, the more solid lower one, the upper one being less obvious one, as well as in the main focal point of the photograph, the head of the seagull.

Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge: Week #9 Rule of Thirds Introduction

CCY

Higher and higher

Apr 16, 2016 · 1 Comment ·

“Vertical lines” – #7 from Cee’s Compose Yourself. I thought photographs for this challenge might be easy to find in my “archives” but … not so much.

This face of a building is interesting but I needed to crop it to get rid of the cars driving in front of it. Keeping the same dimensions as the original,the windows to the right and left are distracting. I have the same problem with many photos of similar buildings (usually in fairly narrow streets) but this style fascinates me, nevertheless, it is typical for inner city buildings in the west of Germany, dating from around 1900.

This strange sculpture of two naked children was difficult to photograph as there was no suitable background on any side (cheap grocery stores etc., all in this not very attractive architectural style). The tree trunk in front of it doesn’t help either but it strengthens the vertical line.

Street lamps are usually thin and pointing upwards,

so are church spires.

This picture of this flaming orange tulip works in landscape format because of the close-up.

But even though the background is more cluttered in this portrait shot, I think the picture works better that way..

After having snapped the first shot of my husband walking between these houses in Sunderland, UK, I tried to align the lamps so that only the front one showed (husband plodding along unawares). No question which is the better photo, is it?

This a man-made attraction is highest cold-water geysir in the world. The Andernach geysir shoots water up to 60 metres high at regular interval during summer. It’s situated on a peninsula and ships bring about 300 tourists at a time, they watch the eruption and go back. In the first shot it looks pretty unspectacular, the vertical line isn’t strong and it basically just shows people milling around a fountain. D’oh. The second shot is still nothing spectacular.

In the third shot – again I switched to portrait format to show off the fountain – the viewer joins the crowd in watching the fountain go up, enhanced by many of the onlookers pointing their own cameras upwards.