Harold Davis's Blog, page 177

Cheap Shots

 

 

Very fun Flower Photography Workshop in Heidelberg

A very fun four-day creative flower photography workshop was had at the Heidelberg Summer School of Photography. This was a great group of compatible people and talented photographers genuinely excited by the subject matter. English was spoken (because of me) and also German (my feeble attempts at German were lovingly corrected). Italian was also spoken—not to mention the universal language of “photography.” The agenda included field trips to a lovely horticultural nursery and to the greenhouses at the Heidelberg University Botanical Gardens. We also practiced studio flower photography, and followed the full workflow of my method for capturing and processing flowers for transparency on a light box.

Pilea ovalis and Ancona muricata © Harold Davis

The image above is a study from the Heidelberg Botanical Gardens field trip. Since it is in monochromatic, it is a fitting segway to the next workshop, Creative Black & White Photography that starts in a few days. I hope it is as much fun and fosters gemütlichkeit as much as the Flower Photography did. You can see some of this gemütlichkeit, umlauts and all, in the row of wine glasses I shot at our farewell dinner, shown below.

Wine Glasses at a Dinner Party © Harold Davis

Neuenheim

Street Sculpture © Harold Davis

I am told that Neuenheim was originally a small and somewhat impoverished fishing village across the Neckar River from Heidelberg, Germany. Today it has been incorporated into Heidelberg, connected with bridges that straddle the Neckar at roughly one kilometer intervals, and boasts some of the most expensive residential real estate in Germany.

Uferstrasse follows the banks of the Neckar on the Neuenheim side, with a pleasant grass meadow verging from the street to the river. On a pleasant summer afternoon you are likely to see people sun bathing, flying kites, picnicking and generally frolicking on the grass.

At the corner of Schulzeng and Uferstrasse the gargoyle-like sculpture shown on the left is built into an otherwise fairly ordinary apartment building. This is a distinctive corner of the world with layers of history, and it is hard to say what the face represents, but I think it can be fairly characterized as slightly odd and quite interesting—like the city of Heidelberg itself!

Nuenheim

Street Sculpture © Harold Davis

I am told that Nuenheim was originally a small and somewhat impoverished fishing village across the Neckar River from Heidelberg, Germany. Today it has been incorporated into Heidelberg, connected with bridges that straddle the Neckar at roughly one kilometer intervals, and boasts some of the most expensive residential real estate in Germany.

Uferstrasse follows the banks of the Neckar on the Nuenheim side, with a pleasant grass meadow verging from the street to the river. On a pleasant summer afternoon you are likely to see people sun bathing, flying kites, picnicking and generally frolicking on the grass.

At the corner of Schulzeng and Uferstrasse the gargoyle-like sculpture shown on the left is built into an otherwise fairly ordinary apartment building. This is a distinctive corner of the world with layers of history, and it is hard to say what the face represents, but I think it can be fairly characterized as slightly odd and quite interesting—like the city of Heidelberg itself!

Jesuit Light

The old Jesuit Church in Heidelberg, Germany has been remodeled in a high-key. It’s been sandblasted and the interior painted white, and practically gleams of lightness—except the confessionals, which are shrouded in dark black curtains. There’s enough of the Catholic symbolism around so that it can be seen—barely—as an old-style church.

Scouting for locations for next week’s black and white workshop with Gerhard, my host and the director of the Heidelberg Summer School of Photography, we explored the nooks and crannies of this somewhat unusual church. Definitely a good place for the monochromatic vision, particularly in a high-key—and I photographed from behind the pulpit stairs, bracketing and overexposing with the high-key light in mind.

Behind the Pulpit Stair © Harold Davis

Alte Brucke in Heidelberg

This is the Alte Brucke (old bridge) in Heidelberg, Germany. It crosses the Neckar River and leads through an arch in a tower to the pedestrian-only area around the cathedral. I photographed the bridge after sunset, and used a one minute exposure.

Alte Brucke Heidelberg © Harold Davis

Exploring Heidelberg

The only way to combat jet lag flying east—there is a nine hour time difference between California and Germany—is to try to get some sleep on the plane, then stay up as long as possible, until something like a normal bedtime. This makes for a very long day. What better way to fill it than with exploration and photography?

My first photo was of a courtyard in old Heidelberg, converted via Waterlogue:

Courtyard in Heidelberg © Harold Davis

Here are the stairs in the hotel I am staying in. Modern, but still very cool:

Hotel Panorama Stairs © Harold Davis

I had dinner in a hole-in-the-wall place called “Schnitzelbank” in old Heidelberg. This place actually does make a pretty mean schnitzel, and they were nice to me, too. Seating is communal, and the general style is touristic-pseudo-genuine, with a nod to being genuine so a bit of being seedy and outspoken is okay. That said, as noted they were kind and the food was pretty good.

Schnitzelbank © Harold Davis

There are many bicycles in Heidelberg. When you are recovering from jet lag, the trick is not to get run over by one of them, particularly if there is a reflection of another bicycle in a mirror world to further confuse:

Mirror World © Harold Davis

 

Peonies, iPhones and implementation details

How are peonies, iPhones and implementation details related?

The relationship between how a photo was made and the perception of the photo by those who view it is an interesting thing. Or, perhaps it is the perception of how it was made?

Peonies on a Lightbox © Harold Davis

Like all professional photographers, I’ve had the experience of showing an image to someone and getting the response, “Oh, that’s great! You must have a good camera.”

Perhaps the person saying this doesn’t realize it is an insult. Or maybe they do. It also mistakes the tool used for the real work of the artist.

The other side of the coin is showing someone an iPhone image. They think it is great, until you tell them you made it with an iPhone. Then they dismiss the image.

People who know me, know my views on all this. There is an issue of using appropriate technology: if you are going to blow something up to mural size and have it be sharp, you need a decent size sensor, many megapixels, and a big file.

On the other hand, for many (probably most) uses, good enough technically is, well, good enough.

The key issue in photography is who the photographer is, how the photographer sees the world, and whether the photographer can create images that resonate and emotionally rock.

Nothing else matters. Period.

So next time, don’t ask what camera an image was made with. This like asking a painter what brush he used. Ask instead whether the photo moves you, and if so, why and how?

Considering the important things and not the implementation details will help you become a better viewer of photos, and—yes!—will also help you become a better image maker.

Peonies © Harold Davis

Everett & Jones BBQ

Some of the best BBQ in the Bay area, with a decor that gives you plenty to look at as your slab comes off the grill. Then—bang, bang, bang—the slab is chopped with sauce that is mild, medium or hot and you walk away with a picnic feast.

Everett & Jones BBQ © Harold Davis

Tender Dance

Tender Dance © Harold Davis