Taking a closer look.

[Tom dinning]

Christine says my photos could be of anywhere.
She's right in the sense most people wouldn't know where they were taken unless they had fell on it.

Finding Italy close up is a challenge. I'm looking for the ingredients; like the melody to a tune or the colour on an artists brush.

An italian chef once said to me: You can cook italian food. Its easy. But to have it taste like italian food requires it is cooked in italy. Only there are ALL the ingredients.

Never the less, I search for the ingredients and hopefully bring some home.

_DSF9003 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr


_DSF8322 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr


_DSF7882 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr


_DSF9224 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr​

 

[Andy brown]

Squisito!!

 

[Tom dinning]

_DSC0424 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr


_DSF5804 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr


_DSF6434 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr


_DSF5808 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr​

Maybe this is all it is.
A collection of paint tins in the back of a truck.

_DSF6131 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr​

 

[Asher Kelman]

Excellent series.

I will return!

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

Very nice pictures, even taken individually. The only thing I doubt is the necessity of the heavy processing on all of them. But it is a quibble.

 

[Tom dinning]

Very nice pictures, even taken individually. The only thing I doubt is the necessity of the heavy processing on all of them. But it is a quibble.

Is any of this necessary, Jerome?
I'm a mere mortal, filling in time until the rot sets in.
I sit here in front of the monitor and do what I do until I have gone too far; then back off one step.
It's a process I would like to apply to life in general, but, alas, as the thread strips on the screw, so does my chances of redeeming myself.
I have a tendency to dress like that as well.
Christine says I could pass as gay, which is a bit stereotypical of her to say so, but a complement none the less.

 

[Andy brown]

Tom,
My son dresses like a poof. It comes easily to him being a poof and all.
He actually dresses like a extremely stylish young man (which he is), presumably unlike me and you who dress like aging old buggers from the sticks who aren't quite prepared to wear a flannie , jeans and a friggin' Akubra.
We're more ya 'I've got pin stripe duds and I'll wear 'em like jeans with a Hawaiin shirt (a subtle one mind you), only a couple of colours, not pizza vomit, that's just silly'.
We look cool cos we are cool, don't particularly give a toss what people think, it's what we think that counts, and we're cool.

An ex 'girlfriend' said to my now wife, when we'd just met, in response to my now wife's claim that I was the blokiest fella she'd ever dated.... "Christ around here, Andy's practically a poof."

I process till I know I've gone too far, back off two steps then give myself an uppercut for being a big Jessie.

 

[Antonio Correia]

It is indeed a very good set of images, Tom !

This is the one I like nest:

 

[Tom dinning]

We could be banned for being sexist and politically incorrect, Andy.
While you're having a dig at gays women and anyone called Jessie, why don't you try the rest of ex fringe dwellers?
I've never owned a flannel shirt. Far too sensitive skin. Had an akubra. The cat pissed in it.
Not a thong wearer either.
And before all you nongs out there think I've been trying on Christine's undies, forget it. Although silk next to my skin is rather pleasant.
You should try Darwin for blokes. We have the mould here. In the Noonamar pub if you pulled a tissue out to wipe your nose you'd be stabbed. They have a strict dress code. Thongs, stubbies, a black Jack Daniels t shirt and a mullet, a tat of you girlfriend being humped by a vampire and 'mum ****s' across whatever fingers you might have left.
The original Croc Dundee drank there until he shot a few coppers.

One has to adapt to survive.

 

[Jerome Marot]

Is any of this necessary, Jerome?

In the great scheme of things, the Sun will run out of hydrogen in about 5 billions years, then our planet will disappear and we will all be dead and forgotten. So, indeed, one can argue none of what we do is ever necessary. Is this what you had in mind?

 

[Asher Kelman]

...................and we'll have our own fission to keep going. At that time, when there will there be the best vineyards on Mars, will there still be marriage and baptisms and bar mitzvahs?

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

_DSF9003

by Tom Dinning, on Flickr​

The form of the composition, in itself is strong and already impressive. The additional elements of two people observing the globe and beyond, adds a lot of new dimensions to explore.

One tiny regret is that we do not have the complete shadows. Had the two figures been cut in half, it would be seen as an important critical design element and who knows, even profound. However, scrimping on real estate for the feathered end of a shadow is, to me at least, too Scrooge-like!

The hard processing here actually helps to make the geometric motif stronger. I do not know what it would feel like if it were softer. But it would be a learning experience to see it that way. Can we rely on the human brain to appreciate the cleavage even when it's subtle?

Asher

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Asher,

...................and we'll have our own fission to keep going. At that time, when there will there be the best vineyards on Mars, will there still be marriage and baptisms and bar mitzvahs?

And if there were saloons on Mars, would they have to close on Sunday?

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi, Asher,



And if there were saloons on Mars, would they have to close on Sunday?

Best regards,

Doug

Saloons?

Of course, for the "Reps" on vacation! ................all the brains of our surviving community are kept in vaults on the moon and hooked up electronically to our robotic "representatives" that can fly through space. The "Reps" taste the wine for us and transmit the complex aromatic signals back to our biochamber in the moon vaults, for "experiensis". Long ago we gave up limbs. Oh you forgot about that, LOL!

Asher

 

[Tom dinning]

In the great scheme of things, the Sun will run out of hydrogen in about 5 billions years, then our planet will disappear and we will all be dead and forgotten. So, indeed, one can argue none of what we do is ever necessary. Is this what you had in mind?

Something like that, Jerome, but a little closer to our own time frame.

I did once consider such excessive behavior as done in haste or bad taste; to seek improvement from those who would seek to find the silk purse.
I was hanging onto my own past, my own ideals, my own inhibitions.

I still have a long way to go, Jerome, but I'm on the way to something else.

The enlightenment came in a gradual realization the I am here for not other reason than a coincidence of actions and reactions, not at the grace of others. What I do is my own doing. Others may place value in their own thoughts but unless I deem them more than the coincidences of life, I am content with my own actions and reaction.
Thank you for dropping by and commenting. You have helped me very much.

 

[Tom dinning]

One tiny regret is that we do not have the complete shadows. Had the two figures been cut in half, it would be seen as an important critical design element and who knows, even profound. However, scrimping on real estate for the feathered end of a shadow is, to me at least, too Scrooge-like!


Asher

No regrets, Asher. Not even tiny. Regret does not alter the fact, just heightens the anxiety brought about by the existence of such regret.
Accept the fact that the picture exists as it is and allow your thoughts to process it as such: a fact of existence.

Your own mind is already at work, I see. Transforming the fact into an imaginary excellence adorned with superlatives and your own values and governed by your own criteria for what has value.

But leave that aside for a moment. Leave the geometry to the mathematician. Leave the aesthetics to the designer See beyond how you might want it to look. Take your senses and sensitivities to the individuals on the shore. What do you hear? Where do your own experiences overlap with what you see here.
The photo is a facsimile of a moment in time. No matter how poorly you might think I have recorded it, it is that moment you are best approaching. From that you can learn much about yourself. By expressing that which you have learnt, we will gain more understanding than any pretense you might have for improving my photo.

Thanks for popping in.

Xx

 

[Asher Kelman]

No regrets, Asher. Not even tiny. Regret does not alter the fact, just heightens the anxiety brought about by the existence of such regret.
Accept the fact that the picture exists as it is and allow your thoughts to process it as such: a fact of existence.

Your own mind is already at work, I see. Transforming the fact into an imaginary excellence adorned with superlatives and your own values and governed by your own criteria for what has value.

But leave that aside for a moment. Leave the geometry to the mathematician. Leave the aesthetics to the designer See beyond how you might want it to look. Take your senses and sensitivities to the individuals on the shore. What do you hear? Where do your own experiences overlap with what you see here.
The photo is a facsimile of a moment in time. No matter how poorly you might think I have recorded it, it is that moment you are best approaching. From that you can learn much about yourself. By expressing that which you have learnt, we will gain more understanding than any pretense you might have for improving my photo.

Thanks for popping in.

Xx

You are right, Tom. I was mistaken.

Asher

 

[Tom dinning]

You are right, Tom. I was mistaken.

Asher

Not mistaken, my friend, just on a different path.
One day I might join you.
One day.

xx

 

[Tom dinning]

Not mistaken, my friend, just on a different path.
One day I might join you.
One day.

xx

Here's a different path again,
Same day same spot different moment.
The story is never the same, yet the 'important' design elements remain the same, just used differently.
My greatest influence is the feelings of the moment. I don't give much time to 'getting it right'.
Christine and I will often talk at times like this of what we 'see'. Each of us creates an image in our head of what is happening and we express it to each other in words. We do it on trains, with passers-by, scenes like this, people at work, a beggar in the street. Thats what I like capturing. Chrisitne, with her newly acquired Fujifilm X-Q2, is doing the same thing.
We look at each others photos and share our stories. For a laugh, she will comment on some 'fault' in my shots; something that she would do differently. I know she is imitating (taking the piss) out of me and all those who see less than what is there and more of what they would like to see.
We even have 'best of the day' competitions. She always wins.

_DSF9001 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr

 

[Tom dinning]

Some might see this as a portrait.
But that's not how is is meant to be.
I see this as a moment we can all recognise in our own lives. I, just as many, if they spare a moment, will look past the unkempt appearance of the man and his surroundings, the possible slip of a design feature and the alteration by some hideous computer software and read into it what they can; of live, of humanity and the nature of things.
Why some might even suggest a godly connection or a manifestation of sort. That's their business, although I'm happy to hear from them.
I must admit I do grow tired of the trite conversations around photos some days. Surely we are an evolutionary step beyond being pleased to see the photo or judge it by arbitrary design merits.
Even those who hate my guts must have some sort of brain that sees beyond their hatred.
I'm here for a conversation, no matter how difficult it might be. An opinion is one thing. A similarity in opinions is an affirmation. A difference of opinion is when we learn new things.
As I have said before; I am more interested in the people who look at my photos than the photo itself. Its the only reason I show people what I do.

_DSF5706 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr​

 

[Tom dinning]

_DSF5681 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr​

The curious story behind the old man.
He visits this church daily. Each morning he is fed by the staff, he enters the church, has a walk around, leaves, sits in the court yard until lunch where he magically pulls a sandwich from his bag, then leaves to sleep in the adjoining park. My inquiry revealed he has been doing this for as long as anyone can remember.
I never heard him speak.

I do ask myself what responsibility I should demonstrate in recording these photos. For me and only me, do I need to justify their recording. Once recorded, they become part of my story. The photos belong to me and me alone. I choose to have no responsibility to ask, acknowledge, or share in any particular way,
As one collects a shell from the beach, I collect images of my surroundings. Small fragments I can reflect on.

As with the shell, my collection needs no alterations. And as with the shell, we can hold the photo to our mind and hear the sea; or anything else that bounces of the surface.

 

[Jerome Marot]

Something like that, Jerome, but a little closer to our own time frame.

I did once consider such excessive behavior as done in haste or bad taste; to seek improvement from those who would seek to find the silk purse.
I was hanging onto my own past, my own ideals, my own inhibitions.

I still have a long way to go, Jerome, but I'm on the way to something else.

The enlightenment came in a gradual realization the I am here for not other reason than a coincidence of actions and reactions, not at the grace of others. What I do is my own doing. Others may place value in their own thoughts but unless I deem them more than the coincidences of life, I am content with my own actions and reaction.
Thank you for dropping by and commenting. You have helped me very much.

Maybe I should explain a bit more. I'll take the following picture as an example, first because Asher already chose it and second because I like it very much.

_DSF9003 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr​

I won't talk about orbs, shadows or composition this time. For me, this is simply a picture which tells me a story: two friends near the seaside, watching the sun set off season. I lived my young years near the sea. If you live near the sea, it is part of your life. It is always there, it is the ultimate frontier, the place that ends the world you can walk or drive on. And I have experienced exactly that situation: sitting near sea side in the evening. Being there off season, when the tourists are gone. The sun is still warm, there is the evening breeze on your skin, the gentle noise of the waves and the smell of the sea in the air. It is nice to be there with a friend. Often, I was there alone.
So it is a very nice story this picture is telling me. Of course, we don't know what was really there. Maybe there are hordes of tourists just left of the frame, loud disco music and the smell of cheap donuts. That may also happen on the seaside. But as the picture stands, it tells me the story of two friends enjoying a calm evening and I like that story, whether it is true or not.
Now, I could just describe the composition and what details make the story work. I won't, I don't think it is necessary at this point.

As to the post-processing, which started this discussion, I said it was not necessary for all the pictures presented. You corrected me and indeed maybe I should not have used that particular wording.
On that particular picture, I agree that some form of post-processing is necessary, in the sense that it helps to make the story work. The same picture with plain colours may not be as strong. Some kind of structure also helps. On the other hand, it seems that you tried to add structure through sharpening. I am not so sure that I like that, especially for a picture resized to a relatively small size by flickr. For me, the strong structure distracts a bit from the story, I think I would prefer the processing to be a bit lighter.

Where do we go from here? I realise that you will not change the picture for me. I also realise that you may have had something completely different in mind, another story. Or maybe no story at all. And of course, none of this is, strictly speaking, necessary: soon enough we will all be gone and forgotten. But the sea will be there a little longer for the enjoyment of other people, probably.

So this is what it is: the record of what another person, which lives on the other side of the planet from you and which you will probably never meet saw in one of these little rectangular frames from you. Nothing more.

 

[Jerome Marot]

This one, BTW, is different to me. Here the two people are obviously a couple, not a pair of friends.

_DSF9001 by Tom Dinning, on Flickr​

 

[Tom dinning]

Thanks for your input, Jerome.
You don't need to explain yourself. I understand where you are coming from, I think.
Even if you lived in Nome Alaska I'd heed what you say. Or next door for that matter.

With some humility, I do consider myself a reasonable sort of photographer with more than enough experience to make up my own mind as to the content and look of my photos.
From time to time I make alterations that others suggest, but its rare, since I usually take some time to come to the final product, listening to my inner self for the right moment to stop.
I do that because it is my thoughts I wish to express, not those of others.
Could I do it better? That's relative and unnecessary since your interpretation will be different to mine, never the less.
Maybe I've arrived at a false assumption here at OPF.
I was under the impression that the photographers here were well versed in their craft and did not require the likes of me or others to tell them what is 'better'. It's why I joined, at least.
But I was mistaken, perhaps. My confidence in my own skills is probably over-estimated. It seems I still need to be told how to do things to suit others, and possibly myself.

I understand Asher's point of view. He approaches photographs on many levels, both his own and those of others. From time to time he voices an opinion which is inconsistent with my purpose for posting. At other times he expands his search for meaning into words. Like many here, he is sometimes discriminatory in regard to the subject matter. For example, on more than one occasion I have been asked to keep my opinions to myself if I feel necessary to comment on my aesthetic qualification of his or another photographers image. I have also been reprimanded by many when I bring forward thought on religion, race, or just plain old sarcasm; thoughts which naturally occur to me when viewing photos.

The point is, there is no way we can have an open conversation about anything when we are doomed to offend someone. Nor are we going to learn from others if we, in some way, prevent them from saying what is important to them. In some cases these two things will occur in the same sentence.

I understand why Asher and you would suggest the images to be presented in some other way. Truely!!
But if I disagree, then what do I do? Sit here like a log and keep my mouth shut? Not "Piss in the Pool", as Asher suggests I am guilty of from time to time and threaten me with ....? He does sound like my mother some days.

Once again, I fear my interpretation of the idea of a forum might be off the mark. I was under the assumption that its about 'open' discussion, where people could express their views, regardless of their
credibility, value, correctness or coherence with a set of values.

Asher has his finger on the pulse. He also his his finger on the trap door. At any time he could remove any of us. So far he has not done that to me (although I have done it to myself from time to time.)
This gives me confidence. It also gives me a mandate to say what I want until that mandate is taken from me by a vote of ONE!.

The most beguiling and interesting conversations I have had here at OPF come from those who disagree and are willing to say so. he likes of Fahim. MAggie, Doug and a few others will know who I mean. It is there that I have the opportunity to test my own ideals and see value in the ideas of others. Such conversations also point out to me the inconsistencies in arguments; mine included.

If I present a photograph, please feel free to comment however you wish. Tell me you don't like the camera I used or the way I comb what hair I have, or what side I dress on. You can even tell me you think I cut the shadow off too soon.
But in doing so, please feel comfortable about my right of reply, even if its one you dont like.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Tom,

You were simply asked to avoid harassing several others. That's what we mean by the metaphor you quoted. Do not make this a public discussion. Personal comments can be sent to respective folk by PM, but in the TOS, will be removed.

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

Maybe I've arrived at a false assumption here at OPF.
I was under the impression that the photographers here were well versed in their craft and did not require the likes of me or others to tell them what is 'better'. It's why I joined, at least.
But I was mistaken, perhaps. My confidence in my own skills is probably over-estimated. It seems I still need to be told how to do things to suit others, and possibly myself.

That is not the point.

If you publish a picture, be it on a forum or anywhere else, what use is there for the publication if you are going to systematically ignore any comments? (I am not saying you ignore comments, I am asking a question). I mean: you could just as well take pictures for yourself and never publish them for anyone to see. Some photographers did just that, most notably Vivian Maier.

But you publish them, thereby implying that other people are expected to look at them and, possibly, comment.

Now, it takes two to tango. When I am commenting on a picture, I invest some time to write the comments. I am also expecting something in exchange. Not that you change your pictures and not that you change your opinions, but some appreciation that the comments were read and understood maybe. If the only answer I ever get is that I am not supposed to comment, I will certainly stop. If the only answer I ever get (not from you) is that the only comments I am supposed to make is unqualified praise, I will also stop.

I understand why Asher and you would suggest the images to be presented in some other way. Truely!!
But if I disagree, then what do I do?

Actually, I did not suggest that you present the images in a different way, just that you consider it. And there lies the answer to your question: if you disagree (which is fine with me), just tell me why.

Tell me you don't like the camera I used or the way I comb what hair I have, or what side I dress on. You can even tell me you think I cut the shadow off too soon.
But in doing so, please feel comfortable about my right of reply, even if its one you dont like.

I don't think I ever complained about any of the answers you gave me. I may have disagreed, but that is normal: I am just as opinionated as you are.