[matthew]

Rather than being lost in photographic introspection all day, I went out to see what I could see.










I love taking photos in fountains.

[matthew]

For added fun, I brought out my audio recorder and captured sounds from different parts of the fountain. The resulting mix isn't phenomenal; as my first effort with a proper audio program, I'm sure it will be painfully embarrassing in no time at all, but I'm pleased with it right now.

I wanted to keep the photos in the accompanying slideshow largely uncorrected, so I only did some auto-toning and a preset contrast adjustment, which is typical for my 'daily project' images. In that spirit, I've gone from capturing the raw material to posting it here in less than twelve hours. (and yes, it shows.)

LINK TO VIDEO – via my 5kp gallery.

[Irma]

I like this series, and specially the two first ones. I think the inclusion of the plants give balance to the picture, add contrast in textures and movement to the whole image.

I also see beautiful colors in your series and the white is white...

[Toad]

I'm intrigued by your video as well. I have a couple of very short videos - and I was wondering about how and where to post them. I'm assuming that the fountain had a glass wall of some kind...

[matthew]

Thanks Irma, I appreciate your thoughts. I'm thinking about printing the first one, which will be a first for my little point-and-shoot.

Rob, a glass wall would be cheating – I'm using a waterproof camera. It's resting on the bottom, and the whole thing is less than a foot deep. I started off by setting the self-timer and lowering the camera in by its wrist strap, but by the end of it I'd rolled up my sleeve and gone wrist-deep to place the camera properly.

The video turned out to be a massive hassle. iMovie won't let me set times (it would randomly revert to durations that I didn't want) and Final Cut Express refused to do anything but a 16:9 aspect ratio. I eventually loaded the photos into iPhoto (first time using it) and the audio into iTunes (where I don't want it) and used it's ability to auto-generate a slideshow that matches the music duration. About fourteen clicks and I was done – with no control and no ability to refine the timing, change the transitions, or fix the errors that it created. Ah, well; that's iLife.

For a host, I generally prefer Vimeo for anything with reasonable artistic or creative merit, and have been quite happy with it. For this one I used my Smugmug account, which can be embedded in blogs but doesn't link properly from forums.

[Toad]

Thanks for the information, Matt.

[nia]

WOW! This is a great set dear Matthew, so inspirational too. And also the video for the sound was great too. The blueness of the water and the bubbles and thse green plants, they are all like a dance... Actually three colours, white, blue and green... Fascinated me.

Thank you, I am glad you went out ...
with my love,
nia

[matthew]

Thanks Nia, especially for your words about the sound. This is something that I really want to learn more about and improve at. I've done a couple of videos/slideshows where I've layered audio that I've recorded, but this is the first time that I've really designed the sound that I wanted in post-production.

[nia]

Thanks Nia, especially for your words about the sound. This is something that I really want to learn more about and improve at. I've done a couple of videos/slideshows where I've layered audio that I've recorded, but this is the first time that I've really designed the sound that I wanted in post-production.

This is very exciting, and seems would be so nice too. I love to creat video too, and I tried to record birds a few days ago, not bad for first time, But I couldn't upload, maybe there was a technical problem, later I will try again.

You are welcome, and good luck for your new and creative and inspirational works!
with my love,
nia

[Zig]

Missed these.
Man, I'll never mention "comfort zone" again I like.
Matthew, I love this "low eye-level" way of exploring that I've seen in a few recent shots of yours...you're(inadvertently I realise) challenging me to investigate another way of seeing...it's a whole different world down there. D'you know, I'm getting a strong urge to get the 21 and the 50 and spend a day sitting among the drunks of Bath, quite seriously.

[matthew]

Man, I'll never mention "comfort zone" again

But you know that this wasn't what I was supposed to be doing. I was supposed to be taking my Zeiss gear for a spin, making sure that everything works and getting some practice in with it before choosing which one I'd bring on my NYCv2 trip. I did eventually make it through a roll of film, but not until I'd spent three-quarters of a hour mucking around with this.

I always did like playing in puddles when I was a kid.

I'm looking forward to going back in different light (and warmer weather). Bright sun might put ripples on the bottom of the pond, and highlight some of the bubbles. I'd also like to take different photos; I was so fascinated by the underside of this waterfall that they're all basically the same shot. And I'm also interested in trying some video – not because I care what it would look like, although that might be interesting, but to hear what it sounds like. There's a disconnect between the photos, which are underwater, and the audio, which is recorded in the air. I filtered and pitched some of the sound to add that submarine ambiance to the mix, but I'd love to record some of the real thing.

And now I'm looking at different microphones… it's a dangerous road. I have enough expensive hobbies already. :/

For what it's worth (still a snapshot) here's a photo of one of the sound sources. It was taken with the Ikon and the 35/2 on Ektar 100 film, which is my standard for colour in small format.




Anyway, this kind of nonsense is exactly why I'm bringing my TS3 and audio recorder with me when I travel.

D'you know, I'm getting a strong urge to get the 21 and the 50 and spend a day sitting among the drunks of Bath, quite seriously.

If you're willing to do it, the results could be very interesting, with the potential for a long-running project.