Potential for an Edit
In the hope of looking at all the images from the current project so far in a slightly more organised way, I thought I’d put them all here for us. I’d really appreciate some preliminary edit advice, even if your decisions need to be based purely on aesthetics, feel really. I’ll try and order images with a similar feel together in the hope of giving them some unity at least, but it’s hard on a screen. I’ll put the couple which I feel will be getting axed at the very bottom.
After this, I think I’ll try to afford to get some prints done, and then we can attempt a physical edit soon, which’ll be much easier.
And the potentially rejected..
Right then.. Any glaring images that don’t seem to fit? Any semblance of a natural order seem to show itself?
Some thoughts, in no particular order:
Top two are stunning and look great together but maybe are a bit to similar to sit next to each other in the series?
The underpass shot (5 from bottom) seems slightly weaker to me than some of the others as some of the elements are quite similar to the new shot (dual bollards etc) and for me the new shot has the edge. Also I find the light in underpass a little harsh, but i suspect this may just be due to the way it displays on my screen.
Car/ mist shot is another of my favorites, my impression is that it might work best at the end or the beginning, as it feels a bit different compositionally and is a little hard to place any where in the middle.
As i mentioned in the last comment the red car image and the phone box image (which i love) both tie in aesthetically but (particularly with the car image) i would be interested to hear more about your thoughts in order to fully understand the full conceptual link.
For me the simplicity and cleanness of the more concrete shots is what makes me love this series (some element of edgar martins here i feel) but I think with out playing with them as prints its hard to say whether these would work better grouped together or dispersed.
Hope some of this was helpful.
Just read your reply to my last comment. Purely in the interest of comparing to other peoples opinions the images I would include if I were to make the most incredibly tight edit I could do would be (based on order in this post):
1,2,3,5,8,12,15,16,17
I am certainly not suggesting cutting the rest, but these are the ones I think stand out for me. Comparisons to other peoples ideas on this would be interesting… thoughts?
Not being one for hugely long comments very often, I’ll cut to the chase, here’s my edit based on purely my own opinion, I’d keep:
1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16.
The others (mostly) I feel don’t fit as well either because the subjects are too obvious or there is too much light in comparison to the others. I still like 6, 7, 15 a lot too, and the Blueprint shot has always been a great image for me, but probably on it’s own, as you hint, it probably doesn’t fit in this series. Don’t stop now!
To be honest, after compiling that edit, I have to warn you not to pay too much attention to the ordering. I found it far too difficult and ended up just alternating the focal points of each image, essentially from left, centre, right, centre etc.
The underpass 5 from bottom.. I’ve seen that shot on other monitors for the first time a couple of days ago, and it is far from pretty.. In retrospect, even on my screen, the light in the tunnel is a bit brutal. I may attempt to reshoot it, but getting a sky that powerful is a game of pure luck.
As for associations with the new archway image, I’m really not sure I agree. Yes, it features bollards, but a few of the shots do. Aside from that, it’s an entirely different structure both in style and in purpose, not to mention the composition and the frame lighting.. The closest shot I feel to it is 7, and that’s only because they’re the same structure functionally. Maybe I’m missing something?
That’s an interesting edit. I won’t say any more on the subject until I maybe hear some more from people, but I think I’ll feel a lot better once I’ve got a few more shots (currently one to upload and one to go out and shoot) and we can get some physical prints on the table.
As an aside, I agree that the mist and the car shot is a tricky one compositionally.
Maybe it’s just me that sees a similarity between the two, I think it is mainly the distinctive shape of the 2 bollards within an archway of light which I see as similar, also not knowing what the some of the scenes actually are to the same extent as you may make me see it differently. It is this obscurity and not knowing that makes the series work I think though.