Details of Bodie
While on a trip to Bodie in October for photographer’s day, I used the mid-day time to shoot some of the details of the town. I was facsinated by the old wood on the buildings.
Being an OLD ghost town, Bodie has some great old buildings and the wood in them is just amazing. Stained, filled with rusty nails, and the patterns of the boards make for some great shots. Using the Nikkor 105 f2.8 to capture smaller details
Here are four six of them. I would love to hear what you think.
Tags: Bodie, Images, Photography
Posted in Photography Trips and Photos and Uncategorized 2 years, 1 month ago at 9:42 am. 3 comments
Previous Post: Ansel Adams I’m Not #2 Next Post: Mono Lake Tufas
Four images? The other two images must be ghosts!
Interesting images! Keep in mind that my comments are from someone usually very disinterested in color but fascinated by both patterns and fractal abstracts. I am a huge Jackson Pollock fan. So with that in mind….
My first thought was that #2 (top right) was that there was a horned toad on the wood! It doesn’t hold my attention once I figured out what it was. Or what it wasn’t. Image #3 (middle left) also does not interest me. I tend to be less interested in round shapes.
Image #5 (lower left) is interesting for several reasons. First and foremost, it reminds me of a sagittal slice of a dog’s lumbar vertebral column. Seriously. The dorsal and ventral muscles, articular facets, intervertebral spaces, they are all right there. The horizontal yellow core is narrow for the spinal cord but otherwise, it looks like a colorized version of a radiograph of a dog’s lumbar spine. I know that isn’t the answer that you are looking for but that is what I clearly see when I look at the image. I would suspect that I am the only person that thinks this. Think of it as my personal Rorschach test.
In a more conventional sense, image #5 is also interesting because of the contrast in depth of field. I don’t know the term for this but it makes me take a second glance. I also really like the yellow line which is a nice focal point. Or a spinal cord.
Image #1 (top left) is interesting because it is basically black and white and a single color, which is the way that I visualize memories. Strange quirk on my part but it always intrigues me when I see it in real life. I don’t like images (photos or paintings) that have been manipulated to this black/white/single color effect because they appear very artificial to me. In cases like this, where it is occurring naturally, it becomes very interesting. Unfortunately, I find myself squinting at the lower right of this image trying to get it in focus. It probably is in focus but the rot and mold have softened the edges. Either way, I am distracted by the lower right. I like your angulation of the lines, it also provides interest.
Image #4 (middle right) originally only received a quick, somewhat disinterested glance. However when I finally went back and REALLY looked at it I am struck by the fine gradient of warm hues in the striations of the wood. Gorgeous. The indigo of the rusted area is a nice contrast to the honey color of the middle section. I like your decision to NOT angulate this image. If the striations in this image were angled like image #1 I would have focused on the angulation and lost the warmth of the colors. It’s a happy image.
Last but not least, image #6 (lower right) is stunning. I am repeatedly drawn to its simplicity. There are no round nails to distract from the crisp lines. I like the occasional vertical line. There is enough variation in color to be interesting.
Most of all, I love the lower left area of image #6. I like the subtle depth of field so it looks like it is inset from the rest of the wood. When viewing this image I want to know what is to the lower left. I think it is the header of window with an inset frame that I would imagine holds glass. Strangely enough, I find myself wondering about who lived here. There is a story here. The fact that I have thought that much about the location of this image is an indication of its visual interest.
My teenagers also like #6 best but they don’t know why. Kids, sheesh.
I love that there is 6. Not 4.
The 4/6 problem has been fixed. Thank you PITA.
Thank you Marti. Strangely, I really like #4 and #6 also. They are my favorites. I also like #3 because of the nail. I think it gives the viewer a place to comeback to as they look around the image. It provides contrast.
I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you.