City - Ochikawa State - TOKYO, HINO CITY Country - Japan
About
I've tried to photograph this stretch of river several times using different cameras and lenses, but I can't seem to capture the very attractive essence of the scene. I love walking the dog along the banks of the river, meeting other dog owners and the occasional jogger. Kuu Chan, our Shetland Sheepdog, loves the skiers who practice on skiis with wheels! Here, I think, with my Widelux swing-lens camera, is a panorama that captures something of the mood... Early spring, with a nip still in the early morning air. I used an ND filter to compensate for the bright light with my 400 ISO film. I chose the angle to minimise the peculiar distortion to which swing-lens cameras are subject.
Thank you for a thoughtful critique, Matej. I have to agree that this panorama lacks impact, but although I realized that, I felt it captured the peacefulness, the breadth and the colours that made the scene attractive to me. I'm glad I put it in Critiquer's Corner... its deficiencies have generated some splendid critiques! And I suppose that's the best thing that could happen, and a good use of the function.
First, I've just read Hugo's thoughts on the character of the scenery and its suitability for panoramic format, and he expressed more or less what I think as well. There are relatively few strong elements, leaving a lot of 'unused' space, but at the same time they are not few enough for me to perceive the photo as intentionally minimalistic. So it's something inbetween, and I'm having trouble interpreting it. Of course I also read your replies to Hugo and the whole 'problem' may be with what kind of scenery each of us prefers... (I was born and for 9 years lived in an agricultural region, with lots of very flat landscape, and I never found it very exciting).
Second, as has already been stated, there's a number of lines that lead to the jogger, suggesting that he is, if not the main subject, then at least intentionally a very dominant one (this message is also strengthened by the fact that he is the only dynamic element in a static scene - I'm not counting some other people in the background, who are dynamic but almost invisible). But, he is not very dominant in terms of size in the frame... so there is this uncertainty, a conflict if you will, between what one aspect of the composition is telling me (the converging lines) and what a second aspect of the composition says (the manner in which the frame has been filled).
That is my first reaction, which has been living as a general idea in my for several days now, but only today have I managed to organize it into sentences :-) If anything else comes up, I'll let you know.
Thanks, John. First reactions are important. Most everything we say is an elaboration of that first reaction! One problem with this kind of panorama camera is that you can't angle it up or down. It has to be strictly horizontal, with the horizon central within the frame. Bit of a bummer! This is a scene I have found VERY difficult, for various reasons...
Good to see there is still SOME open space left in Tokyo, even if there are still high-voltage cables overhead. A very nice gentle scene.
I always seem to look at pano shots from left to right. And because of this I would like to see the riverside path at more of an oblique angle, so that my eyes were brought by the path from the background at the left to the foreground at the right. But it looks as though this would have required you to stand on a high step-ladder to get the necessary point of view.
And now I've just read your subsequent exchanges with Hugo. OK, I think my comment still stands in that it represents my first reaction, although I appreciate that you were after a carefully constructed peaceful image.
Hugo, this discussion might fit better into the Panorama forum, but I'd just like to say that Holland, with its wide, flat expanses and enormous skies, seems an IDEAL place for panoramas... How else to do that scenery justice? I agree that shrubs, rocks and trees etc., can provide a useful "frame" for the p-image that adds a sense of depth and increases the impact of the wide format. So we share this awareness. The large empty areas at the bottom of most p-images are also a drawback to the format, but here I've got that broad red arrow filling the space and pointing in to a center of interest. All in all, and not wanting to be too defensive about this one, I think it works well as a panorama. Thanks for the feedback. You are much more courteous than I was about lensbaby!
Hi Roger, Thanks for your reply; I realise your aim was not high impact, and the lines pointing towards the jogger are quite apparent, too. In that aspect, you shot him at the exact right place, and a lower PoV, like I mentioned in my previous comment would not have had the desired effect....
What I meant by possibly not the most suitable scene for panoramic photography referred to the relatively flat country; I'm quite familiar with that, and maybe that's why I think a more rugged terrain, with various elements, big and small, near and far to build the composition. My guess is that you're likely to find these scenes in more accentuated terrains with shrubs, rocks and trees. Hope you see what I mean.
Despite the way my first comment might've sounded, I actually like this shot; my mind just got carried away..:)
Thank you, Hugo. The aim of this shot was not (fortunately) high impact... it is a very peaceful place, and I thought that it was particularly suited to the panorama format. I was actually very, very careful with the composition of this. You can see various leading lines pointing towards the jogger if you look carefully. I've tried to take this scene any number of times, and this is my best attempt so far!
Hi Roger, as usual, I'm impressed by your display of technological expertise; a very well taken shot, as far as I can tell.
Essentially, it also captures a nice mood, and I see the spring feel you describe very well; yet IMO, the impact of this shot is not as strong as I would've liked.
I think perhaps you could've made this a bit stronger by choosing a lower PoV, but I'm not too sure about that; maybe it has to do with the nature of this scene being not the most suitable for panoramic photography, hard to tell without the exact knowledge.
Over all I think its'a rather pleasant scene, and a good capture, too.
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