Wanted to get some feedback on this

[rwboyer]

Started messing with square compositions using my square camera (again). Is it just me or do only photographers find square compositions interesting?

Anyway wanted some thoughts on this:

Hasselblad 501 Zeiss 150 CFi
Ilford HP5 plus in PMK (N)
1/125 f 5.6

Handheld

Thanks

RB

 

[rwboyer]

Oh and other thoughts would be appreciated as well.

RB

 

[Darkroom317]

I have a Rolleicord and I love the square format. But I have run into to trouble with people accepting it. One of my local photo clubs has a contest but it is only open to 8 X 10 and 8 X 12 prints. I have been fighting with their competition committee in order to get them to allow 8 X 8. Another man who shoots with a Hasselblad has been trying for the past six years. They are already comparing two rectangles. What is so wrong with allowing for a square if the photography is of good quality?

 

[rwboyer]

I have a Rolleicord and I love the square format. But I have run into to trouble with people accepting it. One of my local photo clubs has a contest but it is only open to 8 X 10 and 8 X 12 prints. I have been fighting with their competition committee in order to get them to allow 8 X 8. Another man who shoots with a Hasselblad has been trying for the past six years. They are already comparing two rectangles. What is so wrong with allowing for a square if the photography is of good quality?

Maybe you could convince them if you went with a 10x10 or a 12x12 instead.

 

[tkamiya]

I tend to see in rectangles. In particular, I tend to see the world in 2:3 format. (so 8*10 won't do for me) But I like what you did.

 

[rwboyer]

I tend to see in rectangles. In particular, I tend to see the world in 2:3 format. (so 8*10 won't do for me) But I like what you did.

I hear you - I originally bought a square camera for flexibility and put a grid screen in it so that I could visualize landscape and portrait comps without flipping the camera around but as I got used to it somethings just screamed square to me.

This one screamed square to me.

The funny thing is some of my best shots that were great square my clients insisted on a portrait crop. Amazing.

RB

 

[brian steinberger]

RB, I love the square. I love shooting in this format and seeing others work with this format as well, and your photo is certainly no exception. Excellent photo! The lines of the models body, and the railing as well follow a diagonal line from the upper left to the lower right of the square. Great work!

 

[keithwms]

You've composed well for the square.

Not every day you see such a well-heeled lady on the stairs. Not sure what it means! But setting the message aside, I do like the lines, angles, curves... and the directional light.

 

[36cm2]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8330/4.3.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

36 square centimeters rock! I could care less if anyone else in the world likes my beautiful square photos. I do and always will and that's all that matters. There is nothing more perfect to me than a well composed square. It requires great style and balance to face such austere symmetry. And I would tell those judges to kiss my square ass.

 

[Stan160]

Great composition, the square works well!

I tend to compose for whatever I see in the viewfinder, so it's square if I happen to be using the Pentacon 6, or 6x6 mask in Moscow 5, otherwise rectangular. Very rarely find myself cropping at the printing stage, although one of my favourite prints is an 8"x10" taken from a 6x6 negative.

Ian

 

[Ian Grant]

RB, nice image. I always shoot to the camera format and see nothing wrong with square images, I returned to using 6x6 for the first time in over 25 years in Spring 2008.

Ian

 

[sun of sand]

I can't stop staring above her knee and trust me I'm fighting it

It is a nice photo but I think the angles are all competing with one another making the photo want to turn abstract
I don't like the handrail
but without it her knees become very tight in that "corner"

 

[sun of sand]

now her hand pose bothers me greatly
she has an alien 4 finger

 

[Fireguy2002]

Good call on the angles. I was too focused on....knees too. Actually the right knee cap.

 

[BobNewYork]

........ One of my local photo clubs has a contest but it is only open to 8 X 10 and 8 X 12 prints. I have been fighting with their competition committee in order to get them to allow 8 X 8. Another man who shoots with a Hasselblad has been trying for the past six years. They are already comparing two rectangles. What is so wrong with allowing for a square if the photography is of good quality?

I'll bet the committee insists on "Rule of Thirds" too! I've avoided the clubs because of this sort of pedantism. I was once asked to judge a club competition and spent most of the evening arguing that the rule of thirds or the golden mean are not prerequisites of a good photograph. Never again!!

As for the image - I really like it. To my mind - even if it is the knee, (right or left) that holds attention - the image is holding the viewer and making him or her think about it. I often take in square format - but usually print in rectangle. This tells me that even when I use 6x6, I'm still thinking and composing in rectangles. I think that the images themselves dictate the final shape and, whether it's square, rectangular, octagonal or round an image is good - or it isn't.

Anyway - JMO

Bob H

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I do like the image. Being square or not doesn't bother me. Sometimes I like to use my Rolleiflex and shoot squares.

Jeff

 

[BobNewYork]

.....Sometimes I like to use my Rolleiflex and shoot squares.

Jeff

I'll pop down and pose for you Jeff

Bob H

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I'll pop down and pose for you Jeff

Bob H

After I posted that, I kinda though it came out wrong!

Jeff

 

[Darkroom317]

I'll bet the committee insists on "Rule of Thirds" too!

Wow! How did you know? I joined the committee for 2010 in order to get these things changed.

Can't believe that I forgot to mention this. I love the OP's photo.

 

[rwboyer]

RB, nice image. I always shoot to the camera format and see nothing wrong with square images, I returned to using 6x6 for the first time in over 25 years in Spring 2008.

Ian

How are your square comps working out after so long out of the square way of thinking?

RB

 

[rwboyer]

I can't stop staring above her knee and trust me I'm fighting it

It is a nice photo but I think the angles are all competing with one another making the photo want to turn abstract
I don't like the handrail
but without it her knees become very tight in that "corner"

I was going for something that was a bit ambiguous/abstract while showing the entire subject. the angles of the stairs and wood work attracted me to the setting and I wanted to show the similarity and the contrast in shapes of the subject with the setting.

RB

 

[rwboyer]

I'll bet the committee insists on "Rule of Thirds" too! I've avoided the clubs because of this sort of pedantism. I was once asked to judge a club competition and spent most of the evening arguing that the rule of thirds or the golden mean are not prerequisites of a good photograph. Never again!!

As for the image - I really like it. To my mind - even if it is the knee, (right or left) that holds attention - the image is holding the viewer and making him or her think about it. I often take in square format - but usually print in rectangle. This tells me that even when I use 6x6, I'm still thinking and composing in rectangles. I think that the images themselves dictate the final shape and, whether it's square, rectangular, octagonal or round an image is good - or it isn't.

Anyway - JMO

Bob H

Philosophically I agree but like most people I have a predisposition to look for compositions that fit the frame I am actually looking through. The only exception is when I am using a view camera where the framing is more in my head than in my face.

RB

 

[rwboyer]

Wow! How did you know? I joined the committee for 2010 in order to get these things changed.

Can't believe that I forgot to mention this. I love the OP's photo.

You have more patience than I do - I cannot stand to be wrapped up with that kind of crap for more than 10 seconds. My only experience was when I was shooting commercially and a local club in Dallas TX wanted me to participate in their competitions. I though it would be fun and knew one or two of the members from workshops that I had given.

After listening to the panel discussions for about a minute. I politely recused my self and made up a fake emergency to get the hell out of there.

RB

 

[rwboyer]

Good call on the angles. I was too focused on....knees too. Actually the right knee cap.

I was going for something complicated/challenging compositionally, thats why I wanted to hear some others thoughts on it. I have had 20x20 hanging around my work area for about a month and the more I see it the more I like it, which is reverse of most images (mine and others).

Oh well.

RB

 

[Fireguy2002]

I was just giving hell with that statement. I see where you are coming from now. It is compositionally complicated. I do like that(to me) the angles scream abstract while the square leans toward structure.