Light, Form and Texture 13

On a discovery of minimalist black and white photography where light, form and texture are more important than subject matter.
 

No Dogs (but in Swedish...)

No dogs sign in Karlslunds Parken, Landskrona, Sweden. Nature seems determined to reclaim the sign...

Translation: "Dogs are not allowed in this area."

Graffiti Done Right

I am not always a great fan of graffiti, mostly it's just the ugly scrawls of delinquents defacing public property that ends up costing the taxpayer millions each year to remove. But done right it can become a great local art exhibit that enhances an otherwise dull and dreary space into an attraction of colour and beauty. This pedestrian tunnel under a road is just wonderfully done and turns a grey concrete structure into eyecandy. Well done to the group of young people that created it and also to the local council that granted permission for it. 👍

Light, Form and Texture 12

On a discovery of minimalist black and white photography where light, form and texture are more important than subject matter.

Abandoned Playground

During winter this playground which is normally a hub of activity with the laughing and shouting of excited children becomes an eerie abandoned place filled with a marked silence. It has its own particular beauty at such times with the contrasts of the colourful playground equipment and the surrounding forested area.

All taken with a D850 camera combined with a 50mm f1.8 lens. Hand held. Processed in DxO PL 6.

Some Street Scenes in Landskrona

Just a few random pics from around Landskrona in southern Sweden. These were taken on my favourite walkabout camera, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 2 combined with the amazing Olympus 17mm f1.8, which makes for a really small setup that doesn't attract any attention and pops easily into my jacket pocket. Just a pity that when I went out yesterday the battery was fairly flat so my photo walk ended rather prematurely... rookie mistake. 😁

Lill-Olas Beach - in Black and White

 Sometimes you just feel it better in monochrome.

Two Angles of Views Across the same Öresund Strait

Two views over the Öresund Strait between Sweden and Denmark today, one with the 50mm and one with the 16mm. Both were taken from almost the same spot about 18 minutes apart. The different angles of view give two different looking photos but to be honest, I like them both. The 16mm has a 180° field of view which is quite dramatic and can include the pier to the right, the stretch of beach to the left, as well as a good amount of foreground and sky, while the 50mm just looks straight ahead at the central part of that landscape. To my eyes both have sufficient visual appeal and drama to stand on their own. The 50mm is a much more versatile lens and can be used for pretty much any kind of photography while the 16mm is quite specific in what it can do and does it very well. For that reason I will still keep the 50mm semi permanently mounted to my camera. It's my favourite lens and I could happily take only that out and get pics I'm happy with all day long... but it is nice to be able to break the mould occasionally.

 

New Apartment Complex

 New apartment complex being built in Landskrona, right downtown. Looks like it may be finished soon.

Rådhustorget in Landskrona

 This is the smallest and prettiest town I have ever lived in, very happy to be here. 

Landskrona Theater

 The 16mm f2.8 fisheye is fast becoming my favourite lens. It certainly has a look of it's own...

Walking Street Landskrona Central

 Nikon D850, Nikon 16mm f2.8 fisheye lens, hand held, processed in DxO PL 6.

Sails on the Roundabout

There is a roundabout in Landskrona where they have an art installation meant (I assume) to emulate sails in the wind. Landskrona is a coastal town so this is a fitting theme and actually I think they pulled it off quite well. In general the town keeps their roundabouts and parks, etc. in very good nick and take a pride in providing it's inhabitants with very pretty surroundings to live in.

I took two photos, the first is taken with the 16mm fisheye and the second with a 35mm. I prefer the 16mm as it provides a more interesting composition, not everyone may agree.

The other interesting thing about using the ultra wide is that the first photo is taken on the roundabout itself only about one meter from the long grass in the foreground. The second pic was taken from across a two lane road. So I suppose the question is does one want aesthetically accurate or "artistic". The ultrawide fisheye look is not for everyone.

Landskrona Citadel - 16mm Handheld Night Shot

As the title says took this one hand held after sunset with my Nikon 16mm f/2.8 fisheye, a tiny and incredibly sharp old style "D" lens that performs great on any full frame camera. At night I tend to shoot at -1.7EV (or whatever negative compensation works best at the time) to get closer to the actual scene in front of me instead of having the camera try to expose to what it thinks is a well exposed shot but instead (at night) is actually overexposed. I also have auto iso set between 64 and 8000 to keep the shutter speeds as high as possible in low light, combined with the -EV I can generally get sharp enough pics hand held, after all... who wants to carry around a heavy tripod and have the hassle of setting it up and tearing it down after every shot? Not this lazy guy. 😎 The final stage is to process the raw file in DxO Photolab 6 which applies its own special magic pixie dust to produce the best possible result from the original file.

Anyway, here is the photo:

16mm, 1/25s, f5.6, ISO8000, -1.7EV, handheld

Winter Wood

There is an allure to the starkness of trees during winter when they look so ominous and foreboding, as if all life has been reduced to monochromatic contrast almost devoid of any sign of life. Great photo opportunity! D850 and 16mm fisheye lens.