Eight Minutes Old

The last two rolls of film from Australia are developed, but I still keep on scanning. Can’t hear the scanner-sound anymore. But it will take some more hours to finish with that. Right now, I only have a collection of raw scans on my harddrive. Editing them, even in the most simple form (removing dust, one or two scratches and adjusting the graduation curve) will keep me busy in the weeks to come.

But the above picture I had to share with you now. When I scanned this shot, I fell in love with it right away. I took it at the Sydney Opera House, where I was looking for pictures of architectural details and maybe some tourists (it’s a hobby of mine to photograph people watching things and sceneries. Don’t know why ). The contrasts in illumination were extreme, owing to the strong Australian summer-sunlight. That allowed me to make this silhouette photo. A man with a backpack is standing in front of one of the Opera House buildings, looking up to the impressive architecture. He stands in the shadow, but in front of a streak of light which falls through a gap between two parts of the opera. This results in him being a shadow figure in front of the illuminated area. Part of the building is well lit by the sun, so one can recognise the building. And as a bonus, at least to me, are the contrasty clouds in the sky.

I like the simple, abstract structures in this one, which combine with the human perspective in form of the tourist. But he, too is abstract, only a silhouette which might be filled with anybody.

Tags: Sydney, Architecture, Australia, black and white, Clouds, Contrast, Film Photography, Fuji Neopan Acros 100, Human, Light, Scanning, Shadow, Silhouette, Sky, Sydney Opera House, Tourism, Tourist

As some of you might remember, I have this ongoing photo-series project: I take pictures of coin-operated binoculars and public pay-telescopes. As I don’t know of any proper name for them, I coined the term ‘Touristscopes‘. They fascinate me because of their appearance: they resemble faces, robot-like. The effect is called pareidolia. It is a human habit to recognize a face in the strangest things.

When I was in France last summer, in Normandy to be precise, I was able to collect some more touristscope photos. I used to shot them in a very standardized manner, filling the frame like head-on portraits. I always use the same 24mm lens and preferably a 100 ISO black and white film. The touristscope-types do not vary a lot, there seem to be three major models in France, which I have seen in Germany, too. That’s why I decidetd to also take pictures of the surrounding, the context of the touristscopes, in the future.

Below, I present you five of the touristscopes from Normandy. I choose to show them as a list, because that was the January Monthly Special: Lists at Take Out Photo. Finally, I managed to participate in a monthly challenge again.

Arromanches-les-Bains (overlooking the beach where the allied invasion landed on D-Day. Arromanches was where the allies build a temporary harbour to offload supplies for the troops.):

In Arromanches, too. Note the similar posture of the tourists :

Fecamp:

Le Havre:

Villers-Sur-Mer (Situated right next to the Greenwich Meridian, obviously.) :

Tags: Arromanches-les-Bains, D-Day, Fecamp, Greenwich Meridian, Le Havre, Villers-Sur-Mer, Beach, black and white, Canon EOS 50E, EF 24mm f/2.8, Film Photography, France, Fuji Neopan Acros 100, Haute Normandie, List, Normandy, Photo Series, Photography, Portrait, red filter, Sky, Street Photography, Telescope, Tourism, Tourist

It’s summer and the time most people make their annual vacation. It is a period of relaxation, travelling and new experiences. Most document their trips to foreign countries (or within their country) in photos and those with even more passion see travel photography as one of the more important ingredients to their travels.

But the joy can be gone fast if your camera gets stolen. Not only is a valuable piece of equipment lost, most probably you also loose the invaluable pictures taken and the possibility to take further photographs, not to speak of the insecure feeling and bad mood after being robbed or pick pocketed.

To avoid this situation I apply some simple rules of behaviour and take precautions. Until now, following these, I haven’t lost anything. I would like to share them here with you and encourage you to add your tips, too. The tips are, of cause, not only applicable when travelling, I follow them when in known territories, too. But during travels the photographer, as a tourist, a more worthwhile target for criminals. Furthermore he/she is distracted more than at home and should be so. After all, it is the travel you should concentrate on and the unknown scenes you sees.

Of course not all of the tips have to be followed and they will not guarantee absolute safety. But to have an enjoyable photo trip, some caution seems reasonable.

Use Cameras Not Worth Stealing.

Ok, this might not be the most useful tip for those that do not rank among the camera collectors. But if you have to decide which camera to take and you don’t see a reason to chose the more valuable one, go with the cheaper. I mostly use my Canon SLR, an EOS 50E I got used from eBay for ~40 Euro. It’s worth is definitely not comparable to any digital SLRs, and even much cheaper than the last generation of film SLRs. Moreover, the body has shiny silver parts which clearly mark is an old camera. I do not know of any modern DSLR in silver.

Still, the lenses are another thing. As they determine the image quality I take my better ones. They can be worth several hundred Euro, even used, giving a reason for further security measures.

Hide the Obvious

Obvious signs of photo equipment and well known brand names might attract criminals, so you might want to hide them. There always are the guys that only buy expensive equipment to show of. We can’t help them. Personally, I prefer to use good equipment to produce nice photos that people like, not use equipment people like, maybe that much that they rob me.

I carry my equipment in a photo backpack by Jack Wolfskin, the ACS Photopack 24. It is a nice backpack, easy to carry around and it provides enough space for my small collection of prime lenses. But is has a significant drawback: There is “Jack Wolfskin – ACS PHOTOPACK 24” written in bright yellow letters on the back: they could have put a “STEAL ME!” sign next to it.

I solved this problem by putting black tape above the writing and at on or two other random positions. This not only hides the otherwise obvious content of the backpack, it also gives it a battered look that does not fit with the hundreds of euro worth in the inside. (You might also try to put some dirt on your bag, but until now I have not bee that desperate. ) The tape can also cover parts of the camera, hiding brand names or typical features. Combined with simple, non expensive cloth

es I hope this makes me a less attractive target for thieves.

Bags That Stay With You

Speaking of backpacks, I consider them the best way to carry equipment consisting of more than one body-lens combination. It frees both hands and is more fixed to you than a bag with only one strap. The latter one can easily be cut or ripped off your shoulder, a backpack will stay with you. It will also give more mobility and non-photography stuff like water, clothes and maps can be stuffed into it, too.

The drawback is that your equipment is always behind you, out of sight. When in a crowded area where people are pushing and bumping into you from all sides it is easy for a thief to open and empty the pockets. To avoid this, one aspect is to be extra-watchful in areas like subways or in front of attractions many tourists visit. Look around frequently, keep moving or at least turn from time to time so you feel if someone’s hand mysteriously got lost in one of your pockets.

Another means to make sure pockets stay closed is to ‘lock’ them somehow. I’m not talking about a huge padlock, that might draw more attention than necessary. I use a safety pin to fix the two zipper sliders of the most important compartments together. A safety pin will not draw attention as no one will realize it is there to lock the zipper. Attaching something to it will increase the ragged look we are aiming for, but please don’t attach typical souvenirs. You can open the safety pin easily without a key (that might get lost) but it still needs some fumble around. As a word of caution: I regularity prick my thumb with the safety pin.

If your bag allows it, you might also run the pin through the sliders of two adjacent zippers, further increasing the difficulty to open them unnoticed.

Don’t Travel Alone

You do not have eyes in your back, but when travelling with others you can easily look for each other. In particular when taking a shot you look through the viewfinder and concentrate on your subject, framing and composition. You do not necessarily realize what is going on around you. It is comforting to know one of your companions is in your back.

When accessing your bag to change the lens, film, filter, memory card or whatever, a second person should scan the surrounding and step in the way of approaching people that might otherwise grab something from the bag (or the whole thing) and run away. I made the experience that whenever I stop and open my backpack, I become an even more attractive target for all kinds of unpleasant guys, be it beggars, street vendors or potential thieves. With your backpack lying open on the floor you cannot simply turn and go away. It is good to know there is a reliable friend who warns you if someone heads into your direction. This gives you time to stow away your stuff.

Don’t Give It Out of Your Hands

Never ever give your camera to strangers to let them take a picture of you (and your companions). Instead, use a wide angle lens and have a long arm, that will work in most of the cases. Especially with digital cameras where you can instantly check whether everything is in frame or not.

During my last stay in Paris I noticed another possibility. I walked around with a big, pro-looking camera and was approached several times by people with simple point and shoot digital cameras asking me to take their pictures. I think that might have two advantages for them: first, the guy with the bigger camera obviously does not need to steal their little one, and second, he will probably know how to take a good picture. Still, I would not advise this behaviour. maybe thieves start walking around with expensive equipment now, waiting to be offered other’s cameras .

Rest Frequently and Safely

Speaking of securing stuff: You will want to rest frequently, especially as it is your vacation, not a job, right? Resting also increases safety because, as you are more relaxed, you can be more attentive and have faster reactions.

When sitting down I take my bag besides me or between my feet, where I have it in sight, and make sure to have at least one strap slung around an arm or leg. This way nobody can grab it and run away and I would be aware of any person trying to open it.

Camera Strap

I also use a strap attached to the camera which I wear either around my neck (which I don’t prefer because a SLR becomes quite heavy after some time) or wrapped around my right wrist several times, holding the body in my hand. That way the camera is ready all the time, it can not be snatched out of my hand and, as it is rather big, I can even swing it. That once came in handy when some proselytizing Christians plagued me. The were intimidated when I waved my heavy SLR body including battery pack about. Never got rid of them that fast before ;-).

The optimum strap will probably not have the camera brand name written in huge letters across it. I must admit I’m lacking in that respect, but at least my strap is an old one, not the new “Canon EOS Digital whatever” ones.

Using a strap also avoids dropping the camera, but check whether it is really fixed. A damaged camera is of little more use than a stolen one. Plus: You will probably have to blame yourself for it.

Don’t Be Distracted

Don’t be afraid of becoming rude if someone does not accept that you want to be left alone. Everywhere on the world tourists are beleaguered by all kind of folks, including street vendors, beggars or unidentified shady characters. Of cause, as a tourist, one should be friendly. But as everything, there are limits if you become overly annoyed. Declare that you are not interested, maybe give your face a unfriendly expression and move on. When you are in a place with many other tourists, sooner or later they will stop following you and try their luck with them.

Don’t react to obvious distractions too easily, too. Most people look if two persons shout at each other on the street or someone drops a glass. I use to watch the watchers then, which I find more interesting and I might be more aware if the event was caused by a thieves’ accomplice.

And finally, always be vigilant but not afraid or over-sensitive. It is most important to enjoy your trip.

Do you have some tips to add? I’d be happy to include them: write a comment or an post on your own blog with a trackback to this article. I will then collect all your tips and present them in another post, linking back to your blog.

As promised in my review of the MAGNUM’S first exhibition, this is my review of the William Eggleston exhibition “Democratic Camera – Photographs and Video, 1961 - 2008” in the „Haus der Kunst“ in Munich. I’ll focus on the photographs.

The show is curated by Elisabeth Sussmann and Thomas Waski. It was previously on display at the Whitney museum of American Art in New York, which organized the show in association with the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany.

The exhibition in Munich spreads through several halls on the first floor of the building. Starting with early works in black and white it shows the influence Henry Cartier-Bresson had on Eggleston, especially through his book “The decisive moment”.
Egglestons pictures quickly change to color. Using the dye-transfer process that then was offered by Kodak, he was able to produce vibrant colors. Quite a contrast to black and white, but I like that. He really has an eye for colors, tones and how to arrange them in the frame. But his photos are not posed, they are found and exhibit an snapshot-like style. Still, there is more to them. They interact with what is outside of the frame and hint at a story that the viewer makes up in his mind, often involving a feeling of insecure ness and impending danger or violence, thing for example of the boy in a glowing red sweater besides a road in front of a dark sky (plate 80).
There are many different types of pictures in this show, not only the truncated details or people most often associated with Eggleston’s work, but also landscapes. I didn’t find the latter as impressive as the former, but there are some exceptions, like plate 75: A field full of yellow and lavender flowers on a hill, spread to the horizon where the picture ends in a strip of blue sky. There is more to this one than simple flower photography: A fence runs through the field and all but the foreground is blurred due to a shallow depth of field, the colors are extreme, but not implausible.

Today, the vibrant colors produced by the expensive (up to 1000 dollars a print at that time) are fading. Not the colors themselves, the prints are of high quality and I assume the light is dim because of conservation concerns. But their perception fades, as today everybody can get a high saturation by playing around in photoshop. If it were not for Eggleston’s unique style, they would not stand out among today’s flickr-flood for many. As the dye-transfer process was discontinued by Kodak in the 1990s, even Eggleston had to change the printing process.

The building of the “Haus der Kunst” itself (see the photo), erected by the Nazis and inaugurated with an exhibition on “Degenerate Art”, does have a repulsive atmosphere to me. Also, the light was not perfect for a photo exhibition, too dim for my taste. Having been there on a Saturday afternoon, there were lots of visitors and sometimes I had the feeling of being pushed to move on to the next panel, not physically though. But the rooms are big and so the only spots where it really became cramped were in front of some of the more famous pictures.

The catalog is comparably expensive with 49 Euros (or 65 Dollars at the Whitney Museum of American Art), but is worth the money. What you get are not only the more than 200 pictures on display, It also features extensive texts (in English) about Eggelstons photographic career and influences (“I can’t fly, but I can make experiments” by Thomas Weski), an essay about his video works from the 1970s (“The Boat to Canton” by Elisabeth Sussman), and several texts more. Finally, there is an biography over 9 pages including some private black and white photos showing William Eggleston (written by Adam Welch), a list of past exhibitions and a bibliography. The print quality is very well, but again, the book is heavy so be prepared to carry it around with you.
Interestingly, for some of the photos no date of creation could be found. One example is the untitled picture of plate 55 showing two bottles of Ketchup and a pepper caster standing on a counter  in front of a red and white wall with a big window with a poster of a burger. It is from the Los Alamos series, which was produces in the years 1965-1968 and 1972-1974. The attentive observer can find a similar scenery only 45 pages later in plate 81. There a long haired woman is seen in profile, her hands resting on said counter and holding a dollar-bill. The wall if the snack bar to the left is the same as before and most importantly: one can see the ketchup bottles (and even the pepper shaker) blurred in the background. But this picture has a date: 1971 and is from another series: “10.D.70.V2”. I would be the two photos ware taken mere minutes from each other.

All in all, the show is worth a visit, as this is one of the few chances to see so many of Eggleston’s pictures in one place. It is still running until Mai 17 in Munich, Germany, at the “Haus der Kunst” (Prinzregentenstrasse 1, 80538 München), open from 10-22 every day. Admission: 9 Euro or 6 Euro for students and so on (only with some verification like an student ID). More information can be found on the (somewhat badly designed) homepage of the Haus der Kunst and  at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

There will be several shows in the United States in the next month/years, too:
- Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC: June 20 – September 20, 2009
- Art Institute of Chicago, February 20 –May 16, 2010
- Los Angeles Country Museum of Art, October 28, 2010 – January 23, 2011

Tags: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Democratic Camera, Dye Transfer, Eggleston, Haus der Kunst, Henry Cartier-Bresson, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Country Museum of Art, MAGNUM Photo, New York, Washington, whitney museum of american art, William Eggleston, Catalog, Color Photography, Exhibition, Film Photography, Germany, Munich, Museum, Photo Exhibition, Photography, Tourism, USA