Notes from the road. A project.

[luiman]

Notes from the road is a photographic project located on the uncertain boundary between autobiography and landscape.

The project stems from a fortuitous circumstance, a short trip that I will have to make a twice a week over the next six months to go to a rehabilitation center for a physical therapy.

The center is located on the seashore. To get there by car I will have to walk down the roads in a countryside more or less urbanized. These are the first images of the series. I am happy to share with you this project outset. Later, more details...

Thanks in advance who will want to take a look and tell me some advice and/or critical notes.

01

02

03

[...]

 

[Michael Markey]

Looking forward to seeing more ...beautifully done.

 

[Darshan]

great set..

 

[lxmike]

very nice images I love these

 

[Harryo1962]

Very nice. I love the skies.
Can you include any local residents?

 

[helen.HH]

Off to a Great Start visually and in the written word ...😉
At present we leave the viewer with a sense of mystery in whats to come

Too early to tell re: editing of photos
But i may question as we see more is photo 2 necessary

Look forward toseeing this progress
Best Wishes- H

 

[cz23]

Sounds like a good project and has a nice start. I'll look forward to following along. All the best with your PT as well.

John

 

[leicapixie]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142189

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142189

A very nice set of photos.
I suggest making a few prints and placing where you see them daily.
You will keep track of what you shot and where you're going..
Today it's too easy to shoot and send immediately.
Go slower. There is no deadline.
Enjoy the trip and good luck with the rehab.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Nice start! Keep them coming! Great tone and composition!
Good luck with the project and with your therapy!
Cheers,
Juan

 

[MUEvans]

Based on your excellent web site photos, I am excited to watch this story unfold.

 

[luiman]

Thank you all for the encouraging words on project (and rehab.), and for early criticism on it. I always appreciate both and I find many good raisons to continue my work. 🙂

I agree with Helen about editing: photo #02 is redundant and it needs attention. A further choice will be necessary for the whole series for reducing it to a coherent whole.

These photos come from a first selection, as a basis for the ultimate editing that I hope to do with the RFF friends help... Your comments/criticism/suggestions are welcome.

I also like the idea to keep track of the shots and primarily to go slower. I'm interested in this sort of tale but I will try to avoid too much images. I hate redundance; I think this will be a process, a choice to do step by step. It's my first project, I have to learn still more and more...

Another interesting point concerne the human presence: I don't know if it will be possible because I will shoot only along the roads and it's hard to find there the persons. But I'll keep in mind this point...

So I already have many things to think about...🙂

Thanks again to everyone. See you soon...

 

[lynnb]

A very good start Luigi. Some useful advice here already about editing. I am also in favour of the idea of putting prints on the wall for a while (with Blu-Tack) and living with them every day - before long you will see which ones demand attention. Putting them on the wall with removable adhesive also helps with sequencing. Good luck!

 

[konicaman]

Interesting - I really like the idea. I'll be following this.

 

[shortstop]

Nice photos. Technical data?

 

[luiman]

Thank you all! Blue tack is ready to use...

Some technical data:
Equipment: Olympus E-P2 + 14-42mm lens Olympus
Shooting: JPG image (I try to do it simple and quick)
Development process file: after saving in TIFF format, in Silver Efex; levels adjustement in Photoshop.
Image size: 26X24,46 cm; 314 ppi; grayscale.

 

[luiman]

From 2014/05/06

From 2014/05/06

Other day, other photos:

04

05

06

PS: I'm trying to go more slowly and select the photos. I deleted the old #02...
I still hope in your help with comments and criticisms. 🙂

 

[Vince Lupo]

I'm drawn to photos #1 and #4 (maybe because they have echos of things that I'm currently working on). Not that you're necessarily feeling this when you do this drive or take the photos, but I get a sense of solitude with a touch of sadness/loneliness. #1 has that sense of driving 'the lonely road'. A solo road trip (nobody in that passenger seat, so you must be on your own on this drive). Definitely a 'weightiness' to #1, like you're carrying a burden. If there is in fact an element of those feelings when you're doing this drive/taking these photos, maybe explore that and have that reflect more in what you photograph or what you're looking for. With #4 I'm almost wanting to see more of the surroundings. I've always gotten a sense of solitude/loneliness whenever I see telephone poles with wires that go on forever, and the blowing grasses in the foreground accentuate that. But with that one I'd love to see more context, more of that vast expanse (maybe the square format is also mucking with the way I'm approaching them). The landscape seems very 'horizontal' to me, and I'm almost wanting more 'horizontal' going on and less vertical (with the square you've made them equal). Does that make sense? Here again, just my personal perception.

And I don't have a problem with you shooting the same thing/same scene over and over again. Sometimes it takes several times to get the shot you want, and fortunately you have the luxury of being able to revisit something that you shot on the previous trip. You might see something on your 20th attempt at the same scene that you didn't see on the previous 19 shots you did of that same thing. Of course, in the final editing you might take out all those others -- or maybe not! Actually, I'd be interested to see a 'working through' of shooting the same scene. I had the good fortune many years ago to look at some of Andre Kertesz's original contact sheets/negatives (from his New York days), and it was interesting to look at how he worked. He'd shoot a scene wide, then get closer and closer, then he'd go shoot a completely different scene, but then later on in the roll of film he'd be back to that first scene - only refining it. So I say shoot away!

Speaking briefly about the technical quality (at least on my screen) -- they look great! Nice deep tonalities, I like the thin black line around the photo, and the white frame looks good. Doesn't detract at all. BTW I'm a big fan of the E-P2, so nice to see someone still using this 'old' camera 🙂

 

[luiman]

Thank you very much Vince for your interesting comment. It gives a lot to think about. While the choice is subjective, certain aspects come out however. The sense of loneliness, weightiness (or anxiety about what will be after the trip or the project). Perhaps I will close out the series with a photo like the #01, but at the end of the project.

I agree on the "narrowness" of the square format. In the landscape it becomes even more apparent. Lack of width is often frustrating here. It is a limitation: I have a few (self)imposed rules in this project, and I try to make sense of these limitations.

The camera's choice is not accidental : it is an old E-P2 chosen because it is a damaged camera. Its sensor had a black vertical line next to the right edge, so I only use the part before the line (in the viewfinder I can already see the scene in its final form). In a sense, this is a project on the imperfection, the uncertainty, the damage (which is also reflected on the landscape and biography which are the two main themes of this kind of journal).

I 'm thinking a lot about the selection, about the repetitions (and the attempts over the time to redo the same photograph). I very much agree with your thoughts on this. A project is done in a time; you drive on those roads over and over again; things are seen differently. I have already made a first selection and converted some photos in bw, but I have not shared all them here. On the one hand, I am tempted to share all the BW converted photos (not more than 5-6 per trip); on the other hand, I don't want take advantage of the attention of RFF friends. However, the ultimate editing will be with also a look on the photos "in doubt".

I don't know how this project will develop in the future, but I think it will be for me a good exercise on the seeing and on shooting, through the dialogue on the forum. 🙂

 

[IanBiggar]

Good solid seeing Luigi - I feel a great sense of silence looking at you photos which I could do for a long time.
Pleases keep the project active.
Ian

 

[luiman]

Thank you Ian for the encouragement. I'm liking the comments, all really useful to thinking about this work. I will continue the project...