Forms and Light - Manmade and Natural

[Harry Lavo]

Two still-lifes that attempt to capture the essence of form - manmade and natural - and a light environment that sets them off. A bit pretentious, I know, but so be it.


Chair
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX, 1/50s f/4.0 at 35.0mm iso160

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Rock
Nikon D7000, Tokina 12-24mm f/4 AT-X AF Pro DX, 1/640s f/8.0 at 12.0mm iso200

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Your comments pro or con always welcome.

 

[Bob Coutant]

Interesting experiment, Harry. I wonder, however, if you have not included too much in both images for a clear emphasis of form. In the first, for example, the blinds, the chair, and the table all compete for my attention. The chair, by itself, comprises a mix of horizontal and vertical lines and curves. I think I might prefer to see those lines and curves as they define the form of the chair – perhaps with a bit more contrast to reveal the grain of the wood and the decorative carving.

The rock doesn’t “grab me” – maybe because I’ve had too many failures in trying to photograph rocks that I thought would make interesting images:redface:.

 

[Harry Lavo]

I see where you are coming from, Bob. I suppose "Form" suggests abstracts, but that was not really what I was after. "Form in Context" might have been a better description. I'll attempt to descirbe my thought processes.

In the case of Chair, I was showing the instricacies of the manmade shapes of the chair against the equally manmade straight and round lines of the blinds and the table. And while the lighting was natural, the manmade blinds essentially control it. As for the chair carvings, I wanted to show the detail but in a way where it was not at all central, as the carvings are not "form". On my monitor, at least, this is how it shows. I suppose I should print it out to get a better feel.

Rock, however, is all primitive nature. Both the rock itself and the Golden Hour sunlight are nature's work, not mans. As are the shadows that largely diminish the background. I further deemphasized the background by using a 12mm close-up focal length to recess it.

My goal was to emphasize the form and light in a natral setting, not as an abstract per se. Clearly if others share your opinion I missed my mark.

In any case, here is another that combines elements of manmade and of nature. I took this this morning after experimenting to get the right light and focal length (all through a chain link fence). See what you think.

Poolside Table
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED-IF AF, 1/640s f/4.5 at 300.0mm iso800

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In any case, Bob, I very much appreciate your critique. I agree with some of it, not all of it. But all of it is thought-provoking.

 

[Bob Coutant]

Harry, I think you accomplished your goal with Chair, it’s just that there is just too much there for my simple mind. [I struggle a bit with the concept of minimalism – I think I might have been trying to read that into your image.]

On the other hand, Poolside Table works very well for me – although there is considerable geometrical detail in both the fence and the table, the juxtaposition of the lines (or squares) with the curves makes a simple statement (to me:smile.