Angles and Angles

I made this photograph of the Pierce Point Ranch in Pt Reyes Nat'l Seashore in Late November when I visited Dan Baumbach. We would have liked some fog, but it wasn't to be.

I know there's not much 'nature' here (except for the little bird perched on the roof peak--it's a bluebird, and the hill in the background) but, I thought I'd post it for fun, and to get your thoughts.

Tachihara 4x5
210mm Symmar-S
Astia 100-F

--P

It's not a wowee zowee photo, but works for me as a mood photo. The light and composition (gate in the foreground) are such that I feel like I could almost step right into the scene. Nice.

Interesting geometry, looks a little cockeyed to the left though, right-on exposure.

I like it. It is my kind of image. I would also be real curious to see it in B&W. The colors work great with the greens, whites and blue, but it also has a great tonal range that may enhance the lines and angles. ??

I agree with Reno on the slight tilt. Maybe a slight CW rotation?

Excellent Preston. Funny, I have an image taken from the other side of the fence some 15+ years ago looking more towards Tomales Pt. I also used this image in teaching a class on composition; the lesson: the open gate allowing the viewer to "walk in" to the scene. Basic stuff, but having this gate open I think is the key to this image - and kind of starts off all the angles too.

Makes me want to take another trip out that way. Pt. Reyes is so huge though that you can only really visit one part at a time.

Cool stuff Preston.

Lon

Thanks, guys.

I just rotated the master image CW a bit--much better. I guess I either wasn't careful enough, even with a gridded groundglass, or the tranny was askew just a wee bit in the scanner tray.

Lon: Give Dan a call. He knows the place well and is always happy to show his favorite haunts. I'd like to go back to this spot when there is fog. Not only for the buildings, but also for the huge cypress trees nearby: They would look wonderful on misty day!

--P

Rural buildings just give off a sense of nature, especially with all that weathering. It's like a hint nature is nearby. I like the green coastal feel unlike the brown one we have down here.

This came out very nice, Preston. Good color. For nature, you neglected to mention the Coyote to our right.

Lon, if you want to do a Pt. Reyes trip, let me know.

- Dan.

Old buildings, especially wooden ones exude a natural mood, because the environment is weathering them. It's so hard to tell with architecture with all of the angles an lines if the horizon is tilted or not. The image does have that appearance but I think it's the building in the mid ground not being exactly horizontal to the frame, knowing you were (probably) using a tripod I would bet the image is level. It's crisp,clean and vibrant as always Preston. BW is a consideration there is plenty of tonal range in the image.

Paul

Dan, I forgot about Coyote!

Paul: I always start with my 4x5 level and plumb, and I check the building lines against the grids on my groundglass when making adjustments with back swing and/or tilt. As I think about it, the likely culprit was the tranny got slightly off kilter in the scanner.

I like idea of trying B&W, and I might give it a go.

This particular image gave me the inspiration to do more of this kind of photograph. We have lots of old buildings, including Victorian style, in my area. While my first love is nature photography, using the capabilities of my view camera when photographing architecture is just good fun!

Thanks again for your comments.

--P

Well done, Preston. Even if it isn't an absolute nature image, I still like it
and hope to see more of this.

I was just about to say, all this needs is a small bird... and them bam, I noticed the small bird! I like the general mix of shapes and how you framed them here. It has a nice balance to it. As mentioned, I too like a slight CW rotation.