Large Format Landscapes

An entertaining story – and your sense that Christina was “stern” during your visit is a surprise, not what I would have imagined from the Christina’s World painting above. But a life after being disabled by polio might do that to the best of us. BTW, in the painting she’s often described as “crawling” toward the house. How uncharitable – whether you know she’s disabled or not. I’ve never had that impression at all. To me, she’s been lounging in the autumn sun, and is turning about – naturally and unselfconsciously – simply to see up the hill. I’ve read that Wyeth says she was berry picking. Now I’m curious if she was being “stern” about it![/QUOTE]

Let me posit my opinion about that famous painting. Christina did not have polio but some other rare disease that at the time in the 40s and 50s was a bit of a mystery. I forget what the modern medical diagnosis has been though.
Actually before later times when she resorted to a wheelchair she used to hitch herself along in the fields as well as in the house, being unable to stand unless hanging onto something. Although many neighbors often tried to aid her she was very resolute about getting around by herself. I think her incapacity made her ever more determined to be self sufficient especially because she had the freedom to walk as a young girl.

Watching Christina so disabled around the farm had a profound effect on Andrew and when he featured her in his famous painting it was in a typical pose as he saw her, laboriously moving along on her knees while dragging her feet. This, in fact, is how she picked the low bush field blueberrys around the farm.

Now I'm going to try to understand what Andrew was thinking when he painted the scene. Of course it is a composite. He had made various sketches of Christina in her often typically contorted poses and in the painting he tried to show the the struggle involved in crawling back to the house by making the house distant and diminutive. The whole painting is spare of the trees surrounding the farm all a part of conveying a bleakness to the situation and in
concordance with his minimalist approach to isolating his ideas on canvas.

Many lessons we can take here to improve our own photography but perhaps the most important is the necessity of ruthlessly removing elements that are distractions from what you are trying to show in your image.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Nathan, thank you for the background info. and thank you for the picture. I would hang a print of that in my home any day. Love the shot.

Well, got a bit of time on my hands so I'll post another from one of my favorite NM country roads. This water tower is on the south side of Cumbres Pass in northern NM.
The road follows the old Cumbres and Toltec narrow gauge railroad from Chama NM. to Antonito CO. Marvelous auto excursion in the fall for the aspen color. Lots of high country grazing land bounded by aspens.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8...ac324cf5_c.jpg
45NC02-43[t2 by hypolimnas, on Flickr

TK45S with 500mm Nikon T ED. Probably about a 3 degree rear tilt. No filters. Fuji Velvia 50 Quickload. Praus development. Minimal PS manipulation but significant cropping.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

A quick switch from NM fall to Austrian winter. A scene in the Tyrol along the Salzburg to Innsbruck Road on a frigid late afternoon. A quick jump out of the car, tripod setup in the snow, a quick prayer and click.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8...f0103860_c.jpg
45G10-83-34-H)35,35[f1 by hypolimnas, on Flickr

Speed Graphic with a retrofited 120mm Leitz Summar. Ektachrome 4X5 home developed. Image Dec. 1983. Recently scanned on V750 then color reconstructed, cropped, HDR modified from the single chrome with no sharpening.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Nathan: There is a wonderful consistency in your images ... they are all beautiful. Thanks for posting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan Gales

The more I look at this, the more I like it. It's cool and it's different!

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nate

Nate, how far were you from the near foreground? Nice photo. Were you elevatated?
Thanks

Nate, my Post re:top wheatfield photo.

Due to the composition of the rocks, wind and water erosion, you can find some very interesting patterns and and shapes at the California coast.


http://richardmanphoto.com/PICS/20130406-Scanned-21.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dave Wooten

nate

Nate, how far were you from the near foreground? Nice photo. Were you elevatated?
Thanks

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Dave, I'm reaching dangerously far back in memory. I was driving along the road near the coast and glanced toward the sea. I just got a flash view of this scene but drove on. I think I was tired at the time but kept thinking about the composition for several minutes on. The interest in it nagged at me. So I had to turn around and drive back. Set up the camera virtually at the roadside which was above the field by maybe 5 to 8 feet. I pointed the camera down somewhat which made the near wheat grains perhaps 15 to 20 ft. distant. Applied a Scheimpflug tilt to extend the zone of good focus from nearest foreground to distant sea. Thanks for asking; such discussions are always helpful for elucidating technique.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Nate, enjoying looking at your work. Such clarity. What scanner do you use??