We find a description of this Belgian revelry in the contribution of Roel Hendrickx.
This colossus is built on the frame of a Deux Chevaux and yet wonderfully stable. This took place in Leuven, the university city of Flanders, Belgium.
(to enlarge click image>click downarrow)
Due to private matters I am currently absent but hope to be back next week.
Lou
Strange, the "contemplation" in western cloth, but with the flag colors of the country at war Ukraine <> Russia.
Well done, Lou
Fantastic, top.
Lou
A possibly scientific approach in thinking and implemented by the grower. Natural and graphically presented.
Well done, Lou
Those dangling legs belong to the acrobat who sits on a high perch and who will catch the flying trapeze artists.
He will be hanging upside down for that. But here he is still sitting upright, from another angle:
A few more images of the whole performance are here : roelh.zenfolio.com/p774100838
Minnie,
You got them all!
I was trying to be inconspicuous, standing in a doorway in Carlsbad Village, trying to do street photography, manually focusing a Nikon 180mm telephoto lens adapted to my GFX 100s medium format camera. This was my 44th shot of that combo. Most of the others were "practice" shots of signs, and other stationary objects.
It was early evening, my favorite time, and the five o'clock dinner crowd was just beginning to come alive. The little girl and her Grandpop walked past me and I did my best with the ungainly rig. The GFX is not a fast camera, but using a native lens I could have gotten many shots. I was able to get only one before the opportunity was gone.
Later, when I brought up the image on my screen, I was elated that I had nailed the focus. The most noticeable elements of the image to me, other than her sequined dress and silver shoes, were way the little girl's hair stood up in spikes and her tiny hand clutching Grandpop's finger, occupying only half of it.
I noticed that they are in lock-step, only when I was preparing the image to post here. I made this image in September 2021 and it surprised me that I hadn't seen that aspect of the image before, as I was so "focused" on other things. Of course, they were in step only for that instant in time.
They were gone into the crowd in seconds. I wish I knew who they were. I'd send them the image.
Rich
A wonderful complement to Roel's entry this week. It looks like far too much is balanced on that small frame but that is probably part of the charm - the unlikeliness of the construction. the riders/musician seem to be having a fine time of it. Interesting things in Leuven! Thanks for sharing this well taken image.
I would like this as a "street" shot but he color distracts.. But then if Lou's suggestion about a political connotation is correct then I'd have second thoughts ... but I'd still rather have everything except the figure in monochrome ....
WhyNot
I like the picture and idea ..but wonder why you didn't take a step to the left and make it symmetric !??
I have look at this several time and read the comments... I think it is amusing that all the walkways seem to be chained off in one direction only .... leaving people standing in the middle of the road!!!!! i can't believe that I'm reading that story right .. then maybe I don't understand the language or customs ...
WhyNot
You are reading it right. I tried to get the crossing and chains plus people talking. I don't know what the locals were discussing, but I was perplexed.
Many thanks for your interest, Bryan!
Pleased you enjoyed, Paula. Thank you!
The composition choices can overwhelm me at times, so I go more with first instinct than "working the scene." Tilt-shift lens...ah, boys and their toys! If you ever have the opportunity to photograph trellis-style orchards with that lens, I'd love to see the result. Thanks for your comments!
Thank you very much, Lou. I've been seeing the "trellis-style" orchard growing for several years now. Not sure of the percentage relative to the older trees, but commercially speaking, the trellis-style has many benefits.
I was not interested in symmetry here. For me, it would be kind of a cliche - too easy 🙂
I'm fascinated by this uneasy feeling of chaos in the very regimented, precisely constructed forms. And I also like the additional geometric shapes achieved by the offset from symmetrical. I appreciate your time and comments!
Your title is very important here. It completely shapes our response. Without it, we might have been more struck by the shapes and repetition. With the title, we think of the apple tree orchards and the wild apple tree glades of previous times. Here the trees are uniform in size and shape. They are dominated by the controlling structures and the whole image marches away into the horizon- as far as we can see.
Is this the future we want? Is it already too late to change the ship's direction?
I can't look at this without recalling the Huxley vision of the future in Brave New World with life a process of cloning.
An image, and title, of exceptional power.
The dark background boosts the oomph pf the leaves and flower.
The composition balance between the flower and the leaves extending to the right is spot on. Your chosen dof works well. The sharp flower pops against the slightly softer leaves while the leaves retain enough form to be easily recognized. I liked the serrated edges of the leaves matching up with the serrated edges of the outlined petals.
I decided that the chaining off is an experiment in safety. Even in Italy it is considered unsafe for a driver to hit a pedestrian on a marked crossing. There may be legal consequences. If the pedestrian isn't on a marked crossing drivers are not at risk.
It's nice to learn about a country that goes to so much trouble to make things easy for the photographer.
The sitting figures are a good touch. These fellas are settling in for the long haul.
Good luck with the landslides though.
The camera takes us to the image and makes the point with a 50/50 split between the technology and its outcome. A. Adams would have approved.
The faded brass/brown tones suggest age and the era. History and nostalgia.
