<<< o >>>Photo Friday: Emptiness 20 comments + add yours
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Update: I’m really pleased to be able to say that this picture got awarded a noteworthy in the Photo Friday challenge – Emptiness. So many thanks to everyone who voted for this image. And if you’ve got the time (or inclination) you could always add me to your favourites at photoblogs.org :-)

<edit> A few times in recent months the weekly Photo Friday challenge has come around and something I’ve posted only a few days previously has been ideal – but I’ve resisted the urge to use it and have either taken something else, or used a photograph from my archive. But this time I’ve decided to break my own rule and use the image that I posted yesterday, a) because it’s only around twelve hours since I took it, and b) because I really think that it fits this week’s theme – Emptiness. </edit>

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks worrying about things like resolution (or the lack of it) and the problems of trying to take good photographs with anything less than a DSLR, and finally realised today that my worrying has nothing to do with what constitutes good photography. Sure, without a 1Ds (or other camera with a massive resolution and lenses to match) I’m not going to produce landscapes that rival an Ansel Adams (but then I strongly suspect that even with an 8x10 plate camera and all the time in the world I wouldn’t get close anyway), but that shouldn’t be an issue. Taking good photographs isn’t only/even about resolution (though it obviously helps) ...

Anyway, today I remembered that photography is about vision, and imagination, and capturing the world in a way that you might not normally see – so I decided to stop worrying about the technical limitations of my camera and start taking more pictures. I also decided that I’m going to try and concentrate a bit more on the form of my images rather than their content. So, today’s effort is a move in that direction – a simple (perhaps overly simple) exploration of light and shape. And for anyone who’s interested: it’s a shot of an uplighter (about 14 inches diameter) with minimal post-processing and no colour correction.

Incidentally, I finally got around to sorting out my links to other sites. For months I’ve been collecting bookmarks but haven’t incorporated them on this site, nor have I voted for them at photoblogs.org – I’ve now done both. You can see which sites I visit in the dropdown menu in the sidebar of this page.

camera
capture date
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
focal length
image quality
white balance
optical filter
 
Canon G5
8.02pm on 29/1/04
f3.2
1/160
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
50
7.2mm
RAW
auto
B+W UV 010
 
 
1x1 + photo friday [noteworthy]
comment by tomo at 09:03 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2004

this is awesome. simple but gorgeous!

comment by Constantin at 09:12 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2004

brilliant! and thanks for your comments!

comment by Jem at 10:25 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2004

hehe, hello ;o) Thanks for your comment. Highly unusual to find someone else in Huddersfield on photoblog :oD *waves*

comment by Brian the Red at 10:29 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2004

...

Pardon my silence, as I stare at this image, there is so much I want to say, but nothing comes out. I guess my only response is, "perfect."

comment by Judith Polakoff at 05:43 AM (GMT) on 2 February, 2004

Another creative, very beautiful photo. Perfectly balanced with the negative (empty) space above.

comment by Frank at 12:27 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2004

As with all of the previous comments for your photo, all I can come up with is "simply brilliant"...

comment by Bob Wagner at 03:02 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2004

This is a great shot! I love the symmetry and color contrast. Thank you for sharing it with us.

comment by djn1 at 01:36 AM (GMT) on 3 February, 2004

Thanks for all your comments – they're much appreciated, especially since there are so many really good entries for this week's theme.

One that really stands out for me is Gavin Gough's entry – a photograph of a room in the former S-21 security prison in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. After seeing his picture, and reading the accompanying description, I'm left feeling that my own attempt is rather trivial in the scale of things.

comment by Darren Rowse at 03:57 AM (GMT) on 3 February, 2004

stunning picture - really lovely. Well done.

comment by kane at 02:38 PM (GMT) on 3 February, 2004

An empty bowl offering so much. Very cool image.

comment by Gregz at 08:09 PM (GMT) on 3 February, 2004

Simply the best!

comment by nantel at 12:17 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2004

Thanks for the comment - Nice picture on your end. I simply don't have the eye for this kind of thing which is why I usually let nature do it for me.

comment by CeeJay at 12:49 AM (GMT) on 7 February, 2004

Elegant in its simplicity--from a photographer who truly understands the concept and portrays it beautifully.

comment by juli at 10:51 PM (GMT) on 7 February, 2004

I am dumb-struck by the simplicity and balance of your photo. In all fairness I must continue viewing down the list so I can say I saw all before voting, still...

My link will take you to a prior photo friday entry of mine that could be a complicated twin of yours. It's the ceiling lamp in my loft...

comment by djn1 at 01:11 AM (GMT) on 8 February, 2004

Thanks for your positive responses to this picture, and if you haven't already done, go and have a look at the entry from ground glass – it's absolutely stunning.

comment by seriocomic at 04:36 AM (GMT) on 10 February, 2004

Congrats on the 'Noteworthy' selection for this image.

Also a big thanks on behalf of all the people who appreciate all the nice comments you take the time to leave on their websites (including mine).

comment by Jon at 04:40 AM (GMT) on 10 February, 2004

Second that. Nice work and congratulations on the noteworthy vote. Cheers!

comment by djn1 at 09:59 AM (GMT) on 10 February, 2004

Thanks again for all the wonderful comments. And if you're interested, I've just written a brief entry about this image on my other blog.

comment by fredrik at 09:31 PM (GMT) on 11 February, 2004

very nice shot, and a well-earned noteworthy indeed:) i'll be back for more...

comment by Ed at 11:08 PM (GMT) on 12 February, 2004

Hello out there. I myself use a G5, but I guess the similarity ends there. You're vision is wonderful.