Tag: photography

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blog #21 On the edge

The outskirts of town .. ‘no man’s land’ – freedom to move around

How to create a nice tension in a static urban still life image .. Most of the image is kind of empty, the chair – our main subject – far in the upper part a bit in a corner. The more difference between the object and the rest (=negative) space the better it is till you go over the edge .. and you have nothing.

The texture of the concrete jetty, graffiti colors, greenblue-yellowish water .. the setting is amazing at the former NDSM ship yard now a location for creative people, loud music, parties and new developers who in the near future will make lot’s of money out of this.

At the end of the day we – the Paris contestants April 2024 – end up at Noorderlicht a culinary hangout and also a cultural oasis for those seeking refuge from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam. Located in the raw, industrial and artistic ambiance of this old yard.

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blog #20 Colossus of Paris

One of the Seven Wonders of the New World

How the brain works .. we see what we think we see.
The Grande Arche in Paris is standing at the end of a long axis from the Louvre through the Arc de Triomphe to La Defense where it ends at the steps of this huge building. The huge space in front of the Grande Arche is something to inspire photographers and artists from around the world.
The Grande Arche is simply said a frame .. a huge frame with nothing in it but air .. or heaven if you wish.
Good to know that the square has been created for people from all over the world to meet .. all kinds of people, all culture4s, all genders, all colors, all ages etc.
I imagine all kinds of art there at the square and inside the frame. My suggestion is to place several statues of Colossus there at specific well chosen locations to mark the space and the proportions of the building and the people. Preferably in different colors and one wrapped in cloth to honor Christo (who did not do the Arche by the way).

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blog #19 Paris transformations

Only when you have time to watch closer

Paris street corner with a view. And what is in this view exactly? Old neglected house .. cafe probably .. closed. An African man walking there like he lives in the neighborhood. He walks to the left, out of the picture. A young man entering the door at the corner of the house with a case coming from the airport, for an Airbnb stay? He enters the image – from left to right how ‘we’ read – and the house, introducing the new?
How big is the chance they will see each other? And meet? In the mirroring glass we see a new building, money well spent on the walls and window cases. Is the neighborhood about to change?
created April 18, postproduction May 27, 2023
Leica M10, 24mm Summilux
©Paul Struijk

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blog #18 Complex images

Paris perfectionism in social housing

The task at hand is: to make a picture with different textures, each corner of the image has to tell something else about the building. Keep it soft and gentile, human. People must live here. This is not a concrete statement, it is a place you want to live. A house with light and fresh air .. in a big metropolitan area. The image is built up with layers each one with another texture and feeling. Complex but simple and effective, right?