Rakemans Digital Living » Urbandetail

Secondary Alterations

rakeman — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 21:05:14 +0000

I’ve been wanting to use the term “human urban interface” but that will have to be in a different context. Perhaps secondary alteration is a more fitting term. Whereas the first alteration generalises all efforts to set up something for the (intended) benefit of the community, secondary implies an action taken by an individual for whichever reason.

It can be a complex process, or, in this case something more shallow – at first glance. Our reactionary artist hasn’t merely added a willy, on a more abstract note he has simply removed the prohibited item and substituted it.

But his endeavour is doomed – for his revolutionary action to succeed, the public would have to accept his proposal. This is unlikely to happen, as he has questioned common norms most people are happy to live with.

Perhaps it’s a cry for help.

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texture: hasselbrook

rakeman — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:31:10 +0000

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Masters do not equal technology

rakeman — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:50:25 +0000

An old topic, but one I’m quite happy to hop onto again: it’s not about technology, it’s about creativity, intuition and other “personal” qualities. Obviously, Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Capa an others did not rely on HD-able top range digital cameras. Perhaps the better so? Here’s a great blog post about the (un)importance of technology in photography.

The takeaway? Use all available light, set your camera to f8, and it’s OK for blacked-out areas in the photograph, of course depending on your composition. Since the ols masters were shooting in black and white, they already had some level of abstraction working for them. Which brings me to two ideas or decisions: first, set the camera to f8 and experiment a bit. Second, must reactivate my father’s Kiev rangefinder again and do some b/w shooting.

Here’s a first go with the 350 today. Not that I am a Capa or anything, just plain fun.

[Link via Kottke]

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Copenhagen, Bavaria

rakeman — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:28:35 +0000

Stumbled across this picture which I took in Copenhagen last summer: typical Bavarian beer tables lined up outside a wine bar (!) along Skt. Jörgens Sö. So now there’s no need anymore to head south to the Mediterannean beaches to have that “home” experience. It’s perfectly safe to go north too.

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Urban Camouflage

rakeman — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:41:07 +0000

Telephone exchange boxes, or whatever they are, tend to be grey and ugly, so I am partial to this camouflaged specimen:

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Look!

rakeman — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:55:45 +0000

I’m sure one could come up with a great metaphor, with the Pharaoh, E&Y, the look, etc.

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Flickr Urbandetail Update

rakeman — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:02:30 +0000

I’ve finally managed to update my urbandetail shots over at Flickr. Here are some of my favourites (click for larger version):

Oh, and I really think it’s time to start shooting again :)

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As if nothing…

rakeman — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:40:29 +0000

It took me a while this morning to realise what was wrong with what I could see out of the train window.

Commuting to work on a train, Economist billboards are fairly common in London, where I spent several years. But in Munich? This advertising boldly goes where no other has been, that’s for sure.

I do wonder, though, whether the creative process leading to this campaign was a 100k exercise or more of a “what the heck, let’s just go with what we have and save plenty of dosh”?

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Happiness is…

rakeman — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 13:29:27 +0000

…a boring job finished.

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Weitwinkelexperimente

rakeman — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:33:17 +0000

Zu meiner EOS350d habe ich eine feine Weitwinkellinse bekommen (10-20 bzw. 16-28), die ich alleerdings viel zu selten nutze. Zeit also für ein Paar Experimente im Untergrund.

Sechs Fotos ab hier. Gut gefallen mir die Farben, allerdings müsste ich es mit ISO 400 statt 200 versuchen, um die U-Bahn auch scharf zu bekommen. Weitwinkel sieht in räumlich beengten Orten allerdings ziemlich stark aus.

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