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Re: [OM] In Addition To The TOPE 9

Subject: Re: [OM] In Addition To The TOPE 9
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 22:26:52 -0500
At 21:45 3/30/02, you wrote:
The intesity of the blue sky and red barn is amazing. As flat as the area
is, did you really need the shift? It is crisp, contrasty and impressive.
Nice!
-Mickey

Thanks! This one surprised me some with how well the Kodachrome looked after the film was processed.

Some of my thoughts at the time I was making it:
It was very late in the afternoon and the view is due east with a low winter sun in the southern sky (look at the shadows). The sky gained a deeper blue as the sun sank lower and waited until the cloud formations were acceptable (and their shadows would not be visible in the photograph). Then had to watch how long some of the shadows were getting. The low sun provides high reflectivity off of the horizontal surfaces (barn, grain elevators, etc.) and can cause them to almost glow with light. Too low a sun would eventually make shadows from trees behind me too long and they would become too prominent; it's often a trade-off between the two. I pushed waiting for lower sun angle hard in this one. I had visualized making a photograph here some time ago; siezed the opportunity when the afternoon weather on a weekend provided what I wanted. [Just looked at the night sky; might have the weather I want for a repeat of the other one early tomorrow morning.]

About using the shift lens . . .
Parked on the far side of the grain elevator so my vehicle would be hidden. Walked down through the field until the AOV picked up everything I wanted and set up the tripod (used the 35/2 to check periodically). Aimed dead level straight down the side of the highway for as flat a perspective of the barn and grain elevator as possible. Shifted to the left to move the vanishing point (created by the highway) to the right, then shifted down until the top of the nearest power pole was near the top of the frame.

You're absolutely right it could have been made with a straight 35mm, 28mm and perhaps a 24mm, especially with the buildings rather distant. I found working with the shift lens allows just a little more control with selecting perspective, then framing the image. Used it specifically to practice, gain experience with it in rural and landscape settings, and learn how to "visualize" with it better.

Thanks,
-- John


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