Rape Seed/Trinity College/Begger - C&C

slumped

Hi All

Took these over the last few weeks and have to say I am very pleased with them. However I'm sure they can be improved upon so feel free to comment!

Rape Seed Field in Co. Kildare


Bell Tower in Trinity College Dublin
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/129/f/5/Trinity_College_Dublin_by_slumped.jpg

Bell Tower 2 in Trinity College Dublin
http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/129/f/7/Trinity_College_Dublin_Ireland_by_slumped.jpg

Begging and Ignoring

AnimalRights

#2 and especially #3 are nice.
#1 while gorgeous it also looks like you've over used the photoshop, not saying you even did use it but that what it looks like, the 2 trees either look like they were slapped in there or the others removed.
#4 looks like you've lit the begger up too much or darkened the rest of the photo.

Paulw

#1 - Stunning. Love the colour, light, angle, DOF ... brilliant photo.

#2, #3 really nice images. Not a big fan of B&W but these look great.

#4 - Does nothing for me at all.

PaulieC

#1 I like as it's almost like 3 pics in one - the sunny foreground, the overcast midground with the stripes and the background with the trees. I would like to see it with the clouds bumped up a bit - I think there's scope in there to bring them out a bit to give then a bit more oomph.

#2,#3 - I like #3 the best of these, again because it's like 2 pics in one - the top half looks kind o mediterranean and the bottom looks more like what it is - serious academia...

Nice set

PopeBuckfastXVI

First three are pretty nice.

Beggertography has been done to death imo.

There's always a contrast to be had between a begger/people at pass machine or a begger/people shopping. It's because beggers hang around where people with money will be!

And on the other side of things beggers and the homeless weren't put on this earth for our amusement and so we can get their picture outside a big corporate building and think how clever we are for building such an interesting dichotomy.

No offence OP, this isn't really directed at you in particular, but at beggertography in general.

run_Forrest_run

I love #1, tis the season for rapeseed pics, I was going to stop the car on the way from Kilkenny to Dublin last Sunday to take a pic but realised I had no camera:(

slumped

AnimalRights wrote: »

#1 while gorgeous it also looks like you've over used the photoshop, not saying you even did use it but that what it looks like, the 2 trees either look like they were slapped in there or the others removed.

The photo has been processed very little. The trees are natural and nothing has been added.

I increase saturation on yellows and adjusted contrast in sky.

S

decsramble

Love #1 The dof with the division of the shot into 3 bands of color and then the lines draw me in. Great composition. BTW there seems to be a black line in the bottom left?

Personally I prefer #2 to #3 it's nicely framed, the b&w suits it and it's more original than #3.

#4 I agree with AnimalRights, beggar looks too bright?

shepthedog

Very strong set of images there and a nice variation in subjects.. Number one and two really stand out for me.. Rapeseed is the subject of the month on boards anyway.. Cool shots overall/

pippatee

Very strong panel of images ... they show a good understanding of different aspects of photography ...

Number 1 is my favourite, but only because I would prefer landscape photography,

I would brighten the top of the image if it were mine ... but ... well ... it isn't ...

lovely set,

Philip

slumped

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

First three are pretty nice.

Beggertography has been done to death imo.

No offence OP, this isn't really directed at you in particular, but at beggertography in general.

This is actually the only beggartographic shot I've ever taken but know what you mean.

S

Dodgykeeper

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Beggertography has been done to death imo.


.

Agreed!

Valentia

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

First three are pretty nice.

Beggertography has been done to death imo.

There's always a contrast to be had between a begger/people at pass machine or a begger/people shopping. It's because beggers hang around where people with money will be!

And on the other side of things beggers and the homeless weren't put on this earth for our amusement and so we can get their picture outside a big corporate building and think how clever we are for building such an interesting dichotomy.

No offence OP, this isn't really directed at you in particular, but at beggertography in general.

My nomination for post of the month. It's like rapeseed fields or the bell tower in Trinity haven't been done to death.......LOL!! Talk about showing bias.......

I like all the shots. The rapeseed shot really works well because of the difference in the foreground and the mid ground contrast and saturation.

The B&Ws are well converted and composed. OK Frank Lampart might appear to be a little lit up but I wouldn't use the shot to have a go at someone else's style. Especially when that style requires a little bit more risk than shooting a blue sky.

slumped

Valentia wrote: »

The B&Ws are well converted and composed. OK Frank Lampart might appear to be a little lit up but I wouldn't use the shot to have a go at someone else's style. Especially when that style requires a little bit more risk than shooting a blue sky.

Thanks Valentia.

Didn't spot the Frank Lampard lookalike until you said it!

There was a little risk in this but to be honest I was standing at bank of Ireland on Westmoreland street and the begger was across the road at AIB.

It's not the best shot I've ever taken but was a new departure for me. Also really getting the hang of Photoshop which helps a lot!

PopeBuckfastXVI

Valentia wrote: »

My nomination for post of the month. It's like rapeseed fields or the bell tower in Trinity haven't been done to death.......LOL!! Talk about showing bias.......

Well rapeseed fields and the trinners bell tower aren't people who have been f*cked over by life. Beggers are not inanimate objects/subjects, they are people, who are not there to provide some sort of quote-unquote gritty urban subject matter.

I can see a thousand rape seed pictures and, tbh, the one in this post is one of the best I've seen, and tire of them, but every so often see an uplifting one.

I can see a thousand pictures of the homeless or beggers and just get f*cking depressed, it's not some amazing exposé, oh my god there's homeless people, who would have thunk it!? Is it art? Is it right to treat poor people as art?

I don't have the answers, I just think it's a cheap way of building what people seem to think is a clever dichotomy, but it's not clever, it's cheap and easy.

Anyway I don't want to hijack the OP's thread. The 4th picture is well taken, and nicely composed, I just don't think it should have been taken at all.

Valentia

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Well rapeseed fields and the trinners bell tower aren't people who have been f*cked over by life. Beggers are not inanimate objects/subjects, they are people, who are not there to provide some sort of quote-unquote gritty urban subject matter.

I can see a thousand rape seed pictures and, tbh, the one in this post is one of the best I've seen, and tire of them, but every so often see an uplifting one.

I can see a thousand pictures of the homeless or beggers and just get f*cking depressed, it's not some amazing exposé, oh my god there's homeless people, who would have thunk it!? Is it art? Is it right to treat poor people as art?

I don't have the answers, I just think it's a cheap way of building what people seem to think is a clever dichotomy, but it's not clever, it's cheap and easy.

Anyway I don't want to hijack the OP's thread. The 4th picture is well taken, and nicely composed, I just don't think it should have been taken at all.

No, no. It has everything to do with the original post. So photography should stick with "nice" things so that you don't get depressed and photographers who take "beggers", homeless, and disadvantaged people are taking the easy option a should stick to the death defying tasks of rapeseed fields and well built victorian archicture. And you don't see the dichotomy there?

Valentia

slumped wrote: »

There was a little risk in this

I realise that I think that His Holiness was referring to someone else who does take enormous risks to capture the more uncomfortable reality that we try to ignore.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Valentia wrote: »

I realise that I think that His Holiness was referring to someone else who does take enormous risks to capture the more uncomfortable reality that we try to ignore.

D'oh... not on two threads at once... but no... all you need for a shot with a homeless person next to a rich person is access to a camera and a city centre anywhere in the world. I'd call that pretty easy.

Valentia

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

D'oh... not on two threads at once... but no... all you need for a shot with a homeless person next to a rich person is access to a camera and a city centre anywhere in the world. I'd call that pretty easy.

D'oh is right. What's that got to do with what I said??

PopeBuckfastXVI

Valentia wrote: »

D'oh is right. What's that got to do with what I said??

"I think that His Holiness was referring to someone else who does take enormous risks to capture the more uncomfortable reality that we try to ignore"

I wasn't

djmike

The rapeseed is a lovely shot. I live beside a massive rapeseed field so Im hoping for a lot of similar photos this summer.


Ethically , Id have a problem with shots like # 4, so I coudnt really comment on it

slumped

djmike wrote: »

The rapeseed is a lovely shot. I live beside a massive rapeseed field so Im hoping for a lot of similar photos this summer.


Ethically , Id have a problem with shots like # 4, so I coudnt really comment on it

see my comments in other thread.

I really don't know what the fuss is about!

DjDangerousDave

Toady at lunch myself and a friend were talking about rape seed oil as a fuel. I was wondering what a feild of rape seed looks like, Its really quite nice.

Love the #1, I dont know if I would of saturated the yellows so much. But its still very nice and well composed.

Dave.

Dragan

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Beggertography has been done to death imo.

While i appreciate where you are coming from, should us new photographers not explore these type of themes for our own benefit?

Slumped, no.1 is a great shot for me. Excellent compostion and personally i love the almost "unreal" nature of the trees.

The second Bell Tower shot would be my favourite.

AnimalRights

Dragan wrote: »

While i appreciate where you are coming from, should us new photographers not explore these type of themes for our own benefit?

Hehe good point, I was so excited when I finally got round to my "Swans test"
Don't know if I'll do my Rapeseed test living in the City Centre though!

Dragan

AnimalRights wrote: »

Hehe good point, I was so excited when I finally got round to my "Swans test"
Don't know if I'll do my Rapeseed test living in the City Centre though!

Personally i will not be missing an opportuinity to photograph any subject just because some people don't like seeing it and it has been done already. I can only assume to develop as a photographer and find my own style i need to embrace a broad range of subjects?:)

Alicat

Dragan wrote: »

Personally i will not be missing an opportuinity to photograph any subject just because some people don't like seeing it and it has been done already. I can only assume to develop as a photographer and find my own style i need to embrace a broad range of subjects?:)

Two thumbs up for this post, I agree thoroughly! I'm still on sunsets/general landscapes and flowers in my garden

Dragan

Alicat wrote: »

Two thumbs up for this post, I agree thoroughly! I'm still on sunsets/general landscapes and flowers in my garden

Me too.....my last 2 weeks has really be concentrating around sunsets and landscapes......my DA is starting to look like a Tourism Ireland advert!!

Actually, Slumped, where is that field, out of interest??

#2 and #3 are amazing - fantastic photos

I like 4 but think the guy is a bit too dark.. but what do I know?

magicbastarder

Dragan wrote: »

While i appreciate where you are coming from, should us new photographers not explore these type of themes for our own benefit?

it's nothing to do with what you think about the merits or lack thereof in photographing beggars.
it's about what the beggars think.

you wouldn't (i assume) take a candid photo of an adult crying. similar principle.

Alicat

magicbastarder wrote: »

it's nothing to do with what you think about the merits or lack thereof in photographing beggars.
it's about what the beggars think.

you wouldn't (i assume) take a candid photo of an adult crying. similar principle.

I don't think that's what they were discussing...I think it was more that beggars have been a common subject for many photographs, as have other subjects, and some people feel they are overused, and perhaps abused, but I don't think that was the last two posters were talking about. Merely their opinion on "overused" subjects, not the ethical side of it.

MY opinion would be that although it might not be very nice to some sensitive souls to show a darker, more depressing side of society, it still exists in our culture and cannot be ignored. If you don't like those types of photographs, you don't have to take them, but don't criticize others for doing it. Photography and "art" are open to interpretation.

Dragan

magicbastarder wrote: »

it's nothing to do with what you think about the merits or lack thereof in photographing beggars.
it's about what the beggars think.

you wouldn't (i assume) take a candid photo of an adult crying. similar principle.

(I feel really bad for continuing the off topic but i am finding this very interesting, very sorry Slumped ))

If this were the case then we could not take a spontaneous photo of anyone, at any time as we do not know what they are feeling, or how they would feel about it.

It seems to me that people are assuming that homeless people do not want there photo to be taken, that the photographer is somehow taking advantage of the disadvantaged for their owns gains.

I would disagree. I posted my own such shot in the random photo thread. I took the shot and then went up the the man in question afterwards and asked him did he mind. He asked to see the photo and i showed it to him and he looked up at me and said "Funnily enough i remember what i was thinking when you took it." We chatted for a while about various things and one thing he did say was that he finds it interesting that people would want to take his photo but that he appreciated it as "most people don't even see a person, or someone to be interested in."

Then on Monday i was walking the back streets to find new pieces of street art (Asbestos is back in action it seems for any others who like to document their work ) and met a couple in one of the alleys. They saw me and asked me would i like to take there picture. The stood up and posed together, both with big happy smiles on their faces.

Now these are just small examples but at the end of the day they are examples.

I find the idea that i should NOT take someones photo because of their circumstance to be a bit iffy myself.

As for candid photo's of an adult crying, i have done that as well, although it was of myself so i doubt that counts. But obviously yes, if someone seems to be stressed out or upset then you would obviously think twice about taking the shot....but that still happens everyday, well, last time i checked the papers anyway.

Alicat

Your photos are lovely Slumped! Apologies for ranting in your nice thread

Mellor

Is it better to photo a child that is pretending to cry,
or one that is actually crying, and really upset?


What about a homeless person, or a person pretending to be homeless for the photo,

For me, the presence of real emotion is what makes the photo ok,
Faking it is horrible, as is pretending it doesn't exist or ignoring it,