Cedric MASSOULIER
New member
Some reminiscence of impressionism... 
"Lunch in September" - Cedric Massoulier
"Lunch in September" - Cedric Massoulier
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Recalling Impressionism: To start off, "Lunch in September"
- Thread starter Cedric MASSOULIER
- Start date
Charlotte Thompson
Well-known member
Or more like light and time travel- its movement we are unaware of -too fast-
interesting!
Charlotte-
interesting!
Charlotte-
Ken Tanaka
pro member
Cedric,
I am delighted to see someone take a bold step outside the sharpness box to attempt more expressive imagery (even if this was a mistake ;-) ). The ability to use various types of "mistakes" such as motion blur and focus blur offer tremendous possibilities for photography, most particularly color photography. Some of the most revered early color work, such as that of Saul Leiter, used blur like a paintbrush to create very evocative imagery.
I think this image is (to use an American baseball metaphor) a swing but not quite a hit for the following two reasons. First, the most magnetic area of the image is the mustard and ketchup bottles. The luminance and saturation of that table represent the center of the image. This shift doesn't work for the overall image, does it?
Second, the blur is clearly motion blur, not focal blur. Motion blur "works" in scenes tha feature action or energy, the antithesis of this scene. (The blur and the awkward framing suggest that you tried for a surreptitious grab shot in low light...and missed it.) Focal blur works best for scenes like this. Used carefully it provides a calming aethetic, especially where you have some nice contrasts and deep saturations.
I encourage you to earnestly experiment with less-than-sharp color imagery. With practice you'll learn to control it well and learn which of your lenses work best for the technique. It can me an extremely satisfying mode of photography.
I am delighted to see someone take a bold step outside the sharpness box to attempt more expressive imagery (even if this was a mistake ;-) ). The ability to use various types of "mistakes" such as motion blur and focus blur offer tremendous possibilities for photography, most particularly color photography. Some of the most revered early color work, such as that of Saul Leiter, used blur like a paintbrush to create very evocative imagery.
I think this image is (to use an American baseball metaphor) a swing but not quite a hit for the following two reasons. First, the most magnetic area of the image is the mustard and ketchup bottles. The luminance and saturation of that table represent the center of the image. This shift doesn't work for the overall image, does it?
Second, the blur is clearly motion blur, not focal blur. Motion blur "works" in scenes tha feature action or energy, the antithesis of this scene. (The blur and the awkward framing suggest that you tried for a surreptitious grab shot in low light...and missed it.) Focal blur works best for scenes like this. Used carefully it provides a calming aethetic, especially where you have some nice contrasts and deep saturations.
I encourage you to earnestly experiment with less-than-sharp color imagery. With practice you'll learn to control it well and learn which of your lenses work best for the technique. It can me an extremely satisfying mode of photography.
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Some reminiscence of impressionism...
"Lunch in September" - Cedric Massoulier
Ken,
Taking advantage of serendipity is our born right! Accident be damned! I'd rename it, "The Condiment Conundrum!" and then stare you in the eye, and say, "That's how I meant it!"
Asher
Cedric MASSOULIER
New member
Hi Ken,
I have tried some out of focus shots today, like this one :
Indeed, it's quite interesting... i will continue this way to see what i can get. Thank you.
Cedric.
Cedric MASSOULIER
New member
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Cedric,
I have a great respect for and tolerance to blurred images. I know what things look like eactle rendered. However, in life, a lot of time, we cannot spend long enough to do more than glimpse. This then is far more real than most all sharp pictures. What's more, it allows me to continue to chew gum or watch a guy cross the street or find my cell phone. That's what we really do.
Asher
Asher
I have a great respect for and tolerance to blurred images. I know what things look like eactle rendered. However, in life, a lot of time, we cannot spend long enough to do more than glimpse. This then is far more real than most all sharp pictures. What's more, it allows me to continue to chew gum or watch a guy cross the street or find my cell phone. That's what we really do.
Asher
Asher
Cedric MASSOULIER
New member
I agree with you Asher. I was boring about street photography after all these years but here i am trying to re-discover it using other ways : i keep my camera around my neck, i have set focus in manual mode with an arbitrary 5m distance and f5.6 aperture (to get a correct DOF with my 41mm focal equivalent), sensibility at 100 ISO to get low speeds (1/50 or lower) and i press the shutter while walking, without framing (i only move the camera body towards the direction i estimate good). Sigma DP2s is really fantastic for that.
Finally, as you said, it allows to get instant shots which reproduce sensations we have when we quickly walk among the crowd in the streets. It's interesting and i am surprised by the quite good pictures i can get doing this. BTW, it is not a revolution, Gary Winogrand was doing exactly the same thing 40 years ago !
Difficulty is to make pictures with consistency and who can be linked together, as there is a part of random and hazard in them. But it's a good game.
I continue to experiment camera settings : i think i am going to set focus distance to 2 meters and aperture to f4 with a 50 iso sensiblity to blur backgrounds and reduce DOF.
Finally, as you said, it allows to get instant shots which reproduce sensations we have when we quickly walk among the crowd in the streets. It's interesting and i am surprised by the quite good pictures i can get doing this. BTW, it is not a revolution, Gary Winogrand was doing exactly the same thing 40 years ago !
Difficulty is to make pictures with consistency and who can be linked together, as there is a part of random and hazard in them. But it's a good game.
I continue to experiment camera settings : i think i am going to set focus distance to 2 meters and aperture to f4 with a 50 iso sensiblity to blur backgrounds and reduce DOF.
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Nicolas Claris used to laugh at my taking pictures all the time while walking in Bordeaux. I'll have to search out some pictures.
Asher
Asher
Ken Tanaka
pro member
Good! This image reveals some of the little tricks to color blur photography. Deep tones, but generally moderate contrast. Peeks at life. Impression of context. Low detail requirements, making the scene satisfying in itself and avoiding the frustration of viewers wanting to see better. (That's why your second image doesn't work; its impact relies mostly on seeing the details.) This particular image could even be blurred more.Hi Ken,
I have tried some out of focus shots today, like this one :
Indeed, it's quite interesting... i will continue this way to see what i can get. Thank you.
Cedric.
Experiment and practice!