Chair 10

[davidmires]

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This is the last of the fixed-grip, double chairlifts at my local ski hill. It is slated to be replaced with a high-speed quad chair within the next two seasons. It is a sad day because the newer, faster chairs will bring the screaming masses to an otherwise quiet, and often overlooked part of the mountain.

Anyway, I took this photo to remember what will be lost in the years to come...

[kamilsukun]

David,

Would you consider removing the yellow overcast on converting to B&W?

Just a two cents worth opinion.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[jmr]

David,

 

you are a true connoisseur of chair-lifts.

 

Very nice photo too btw.

[davidmires]

Kamil- This is a JPEG, shot with tungsten wb. (I forgot...) It was so blue before, I didn't notice the yellow cast after adjustment. I will open the DNG later, and try both a color corrected, and a B+W version later tonight...

JMR- Yes, I am;) , and thanks for the compliment.

[davidmires]

O.K. here's one that's further color corrected. I didn't really care for the B+W...

[farnz]

David,

 

It's a great perspective and a well-thought out shot, even apart from your stated reasons, but it would work better for me with greater depth of field.

 

The ropes, chairs, supports and trees all lead the eye beautifully to the horizon but because it's oof the eye returns to the in-focus area, which is the chair directly in front.

 

Regrettably, for me, the chair on its own doesn't contain enough interest to hold the eye but if there'd been someone, say, in a bright jacket wearing skis occupying the chair (cliched perhaps) then the shot would work really well. ...You did ask.

 

I think the image has very strong lines and is technically well-captured.

 

Thanks for sharing,

Pete.

[davidmires]

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Pete, thanks for the reply. This is why I post photos, to learn how others view them.

 

The most important thing to me is the short DOF. It shows that the horizon is still far away, it's a long ride. I also wanted to get that "3D" effect. You've seen one chair, and you know all of the other chairs, even those far in the distance, look exactly like this one. The chair in focus is where I want the viewer to return. I want to keep the viewer in the trees, where it is darker. I want the viewer's eyes to be drawn to the ground, and see the tracks of other skiers and of the animals which live in the woods, to remain in this quiet place for a while, far away from the harsh sunlight and other people.

Regarding the empty chair: I let those chairs go by empty in front of me so I could express the solitude that can be had on this lift. The concentric empty chairs directly ahead was an unexpected bonus.

 

Thanks again for the comments, a different perspective is nice to think about. Maybe I will try another, different picture there sometime...

[farnz]

David,

 

I understand now what you were trying to achieve and it appeals to me much more than my cliched version with a skier as the focal point.

 

Might I respectfully suggest a crop off the top that puts the concentric chairs on the top left intersection of thirds so that they naturally become the focal point and the distance to the snow beneath is emphasised?

 

Pete.