Luka - Outstanding series. Gorgeous photos from gorgeous places. Cruise is a sickening phenomenon for people who likes to 'travel'. It is a cheap version of Star Trek. In a big ship with controlled environment, go explore some 'exotic place' then go on. Strange thing.
Anyway, it is hard to pick a favorite, but I really like the D6. It is one of those shots that I can almost feel the air, smell the food, the sound coming from homes, kids playing somewhere, it captures a lot of 'life'. The total opposite of cruise ship. D12, to me is also really interesting. It really is this kind of medieval meandering street that makes each town unique. P4, P6, P9, P11 are also my fav.
Snopchenko wrote:
Stellar! Guess I'll never again post a pic here, mine are sickening to look at after seeing beauty like this...
Hmm.. well, my perspective is somewhat different. To be honest I can't say that I'm particularly excited by most of the things I've shot the past month. I took the photos mostly because of a sense that I should than any real inspiration. The type of simple compositions used in these shots I do without thinking - they're reflex actions more than conscious selections. The rest is just pretty scenery, camera hardware and PP. I feel that my own creative contribution was minimal. I can blame it on a number of things including lack of time and opportunity, but they're just excuses. To be honest, I'm bored with this type of photography.
My own preference is for more abstract photography, working with compositions, colors and shapes. But I've never really had the nerve to actually follow that through in a scenic place. Instead I revert to very conventional landscape photography where I know I'll get decent results. And sure I can get some visually pleasing pictures but there's not much creativity involved. From Dubrovnik, this is actually my favorite photo:
Anyway, I've been in a situation like this before. When I started with photography I did a lot of wildlife stuff until I got thoroughly bored by the whole AF high FPS thing. It was fun for a while but I soon realized that my own creative contribution was zero. I pointed the camera, held the shutter release and then picked one out of 500 photos that looked nice. The switch to manual focus lenses was the solution as I started thinking about composition, rendering etc Now I've come to the point where I can do a rules of third or golden ratio or diagonal etc composition with my eyes closed. I don't even think about it, just move the camera and press the shutter. If the scenery in front of the camera is interesting then the picture will be visually pleasing. I'm however again at the point where it's no interesting challenge and the output lacks originality. So I'll need to refocus now or I'll lose interest in photography altogether.
Fortunately this forum does provide quite a bit of inspiration as one can find great and original photos on a regular basis.
I think for my own part I badly need to visit a construction site or a similar place where I can experiment with compositions and work with basic colors, shapes and textures. If I see another grand vista or a waterfall, I'm going to be sick
Luka, sounds like you need a trip to a big, modern city with a huge mix of architecture... maybe the Berlin trip will be a good chance to jumpstart your creative vision (I assume you're going - haven't been following the thread).
Hmm, D19 is subtly interesting with the different planes and directions of the walls. I agree that D17 was a great find.
I can say pretty much the same as Luka. I can't get excited at the thought of more statues, palaces and gardes. Of course, I would "do" them if I am there, but I have started to look longingly at trash cans, spent beer cans, to see if I cans...
And I really look forward to the Berlin trip with an urbex site, which will be a first for me.
Luka, D17 is delightful!
rscheffler wrote:
Luka, sounds like you need a trip to a big, modern city with a huge mix of architecture... maybe the Berlin trip will be a good chance to jumpstart your creative vision (I assume you're going - haven't been following the thread).
Agree 100%. Waterfalls and sunsets are great, but people, and their seemingly ordinary lives, often times make the most memorable subjects, since their actions can rarely, if ever, be duplicated spontaneously.
Ron, yes perhaps that would do the trick. I'm unfortunately not going this time as I have some work obligation.
I think that primarily though I need to work on my discipline and not to take the obvious conventional shots but to limit myself to the type of shots I actually like. Perhaps it's time for me to dust off my Pentax 67 and try to shoot some medium format film for a while. Having only ten shots and the hassle of getting the film developed and scanning it tends to limit the urge to press the shutter release
Guess I'll never again post a pic here, mine are sickening to look at after seeing beauty like this... 
