2013-04-07

Black and White

Even at 1/80 and iso3200, the little V1 resolved enough detail for me to see that these are 400mL cans. Not bad. I might even try printing this one to see what happens.

The V1 is why I dislike using the word "better" as a way of categorizing cameras. It's a lousy little device, and my D800 could have done this shot without noise and with more tonal range. But if I was using my D800 I simply wouldn't have taken this shot – my audio recorder was running about fifteen feet away, and I wouldn't have been where I was if I wasn't recording.

Bridge Light

The light underneath bridges can be wonderful. Indirect, reflecting, diffuse but full of interesting shadows and contrasts.

I just wish it wasn't so dark.

Highway Lights

These lamps, which look so impressive from afar, are even taller in person.

North / South

Of course they mean northbound or southbound, but few signs admit it. Partly this is a shorthand that acknowledges that drivers are travelling far too quickly for nuance, and partly reflects the viewpoint that everything is relative to the highway and its few occupants. Both reflect the dominance of the car-centric design of the city.

Paradise

I actually didn't take many photos here. It felt a little like cheating.

2013-04-06

Driving Sound

These days the thing that's getting me out of the house, creatively speaking, is sound recording. Today I ventured far out of my usual range to reach a very specific spot that I had heard about years ago; this effort took substantial planning and a certain selectivity in its timing, all to be able to find a particular set of sounds that I want for a project. And what's more, this is the second time in two weeks that I've done this.

The amusing part is that while the recorder is running I usually have a camera out, so I've also been taking photos in places where I probably wouldn't go otherwise, and certainly in ones where I wouldn't linger if I wasn't anchored to a spot for ten or a hundred minutes. The results have included a few respectably decent photos.

2013-04-05

Dated

It's good to be spending time under bridges again, even if this one has dated graffiti.

I have broken the links to hundreds and hundreds of photos, which will take a long time to repair. The workaround is to replace "photo.matthewpiers" in the link URL with "matthewpiers.smugmug". Awkward, but only temporary.

This is happening because I have revamped matthewpiers dot com. More of what I write and photograph will be going there, so check it out as well.

Older Photos by Month