Noticed

Posted on Mon, 12 May, 2014 by LensScaper

Today’s image was taken last week in London as I walked up Vauxhall Bridge Road from Tate Britain in Pimlico to Victoria Station. The sun was lighting up this tall stepped glass façade and I just snapped it with the G10. A slight exaggeration as I actually took five images in fairly rapid succession as I walked up the road.

IMG_6074_wpThe one shown here was shot with the lens close to its maximum zoom – around 120mm – and the image shown is about half of the original frame.

I could spin you a story saying I saw the man standing in the window and framed the image around him. But I would be lying. I didn’t see him – he just materialised on the desktop as I processed the image (he was a lot fainter in the un-edited RAW file).

I didn’t notice him, and I suspect he didn’t notice me either. But he’s quite a welcome addition. Sometimes you strike lucky.

About LensScaper

Hi - I'm a UK-based photographer who started out 45+ years ago as a lover of landscapes, inspired by my love of outdoor pursuits: skiing, walking and climbing. Now retired, I seldom leave home without a camera and I find images in unexpected places and from different genres. I work on the premise that Photography is Art and that creativity is dependent on the cultivation of 'A Seeing Eye'.
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23 Responses to Noticed

  1. ShimonZ says:
    Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 07:29

    Yes, I think he really makes the picture. You should have noticed him…

    Like

    • LensScaper says:
      Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 12:35

      Thanks Shimon. Yes I should… but there is a world of difference between looking at the back screen of a compact camera held perhaps a foot or more away from the eyes, and looking intently through the viewfinder of an SLR. And I’ve had to work quite hard to bring out the contrast in that small window.t make him visible.

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      • ShimonZ says:
        Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 17:45

        Well, my comment was made with a smile. But I too use compact cameras occasionally, and actually like them a lot. But I don’t like using the monitor outside. It always gives me a hard time. I really liked this photo, though. Bravo!

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  2. archnz says:
    Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 08:12

    Awesome photo!

    Like

  3. Postcard Cafe says:
    Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 10:53

    I like this shot. It’s interesting how sometimes we can be focused on framing and composition and overlook elements that later leap out once they are on the computer. The crop you’ve given this works perfectly with the size of the figure in the window. I had a surprise with this image: http://steelcitystatic.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/pigeon-loft-s11/ I had climbed to the highest point in a derelict chapel and then attached my camera to a monopod and held it high, taking the shot with the self timer. I had hoped to get a good aerial view of the length of the chapel windows. I took a few shots as holding a camera high on a monopod at arms length is shaky at best and composition purely guesswork! When I got home I discovered I had without realising captured the pigeon nesting on top of one of the light fixtures. I couldn’t even see it or the nest from where I was balanced. I’m really pleased with the photo but it wasn’t the one I set out to get! Since the chapel was reduced to a pile of rubble this pigeon has had to find a new home! Here’s to those happy moments of discovering more than we bargained for. Best wishes, Mr Cafe 🙂

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  4. oneowner says:
    Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 10:59

    The photo without the figure in the window would’ve been excellent but the figure elevated it to a higher level. A nice surprise for you and for us.

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  5. Len says:
    Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 11:07

    Love the geometry in this Andy. Great lines and the man adds a terrific dimension to it.

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  6. John Linn says:
    Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 13:06

    Lucky indeed… nice shot.

    Like

  7. Nelson says:
    Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 17:44

    It does happen to me from time to time, you take a shot and there is something that you see only when you get home and open the photo on your computer screen ……. and it gives a completely different photo than what you took at first

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  8. mark says:
    Mon, 12 May, 2014 at 20:19

    The other key thing about the image is how everyone else in the building stayed AWAY from the windows at this moment. We all deserve to get lucky sometimes, and the more you shoot, the more happy accidents will occur.

    Like

  9. Meanderer says:
    Tue, 13 May, 2014 at 12:38

    I love it! How wonderful that the chap just happened to be there at that moment!

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  10. Chillbrook says:
    Wed, 14 May, 2014 at 18:47

    I like the image very much Andy. I spend a lot of time avoiding people in my images only to find that quite often, when they appear unbidden, they frequently add to the image. Perhaps I shouldn’t work so hard to eliminate them.. 🙂

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    • LensScaper says:
      Wed, 14 May, 2014 at 21:16

      Thanks Adrian. That’s an interesting observation. I try to avoid people in my landscapes and mountain-scapes too. But…sometimes they are important, particularly in the wintry world I visit – they add a sense of scale. I think we learn over time when a person will help and when they will hinder.

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  11. Helen Cherry says:
    Sat, 24 May, 2014 at 08:13

    I love when you get home and look at a photo on a big screen and there is something totally unexpected that just works, as this man does.. sorry I’ve been absent from your blog so long Andy ( as with lots of others! ) enjoying a bit of catching up

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