My 'Horizontal Strips' project

Dark Knight

Dark Knight

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Yes
Right...

I blame thank @Slimbert for this idea, during our recent Majorca holiday I kept finding myself yet again drawn to horizontal stripped features in landscapes and building features, Damien noticed this and suggested I start a little project, although I really enjoy doing my 52's but struggle to keep up, this idea I love and hope to get horizontal strip images while I am out and about doing my 52.

The project will consist of 50 images before the end of 2015, I'm hoping to not get too many similar subjects, but initially feel the pure nature of the project may start the images to become a bit 'same as'.... so I guess THAT is where the challenge is :)

For my first image, I go back to one of the stripey shots I took while at the Monasterio de Lluc, and have only just edited, with this one I loved the sun splashed tiles, the stone work and the cloudy blue sky, so here it is number 1

Horizontal Strips 1 by TP DK, on Flickr
 
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And another from our holiday, an area we went to a couple of times, Playa de Muro beach for the jetty, I'm hoping this isn't stretching the 'strips' element too far, but it does have plenty of horizontals with the near endless horizontal planks and the horizon, this was in camera hdr'd so likely not to all's taste, but hey... I like it :D

I'm sure Blondie, Posiview & Slimbert all remember the odd individual who crashed our shoot, but for this image he actually added a nice element to the scene for me :)

Horizontal Strips 2

Horizontal Strips 2 by TP DK, on Flickr
 
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Good start.

Really like the theme so I'll keep popping in to see how your getting on.

I did a 'horizontal' theme back in my college days but it was purely landscapes.

What I enjoyed (apart from taking the images) was how I started to 'see' things all over the place that I would otherwise have overlooked.

I must get myself a new theme (y)
 
dinners said:
Good start.

Really like the theme so I'll keep popping in to see how your getting on.

I did a 'horizontal' theme back in my college days but it was purely landscapes.

What I enjoyed (apart from taking the images) was how I started to 'see' things all over the place that I would otherwise have overlooked.

I must get myself a new theme (y)
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Thanks Phil, I'm really looking forward to this, and can quite imagine a good chunk of my project being landscapes, city-scapes and sea-scapes :)
 
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Well... Mrs Dk has just spotted that in my vodka induced/state of tiredness last night I have named all my images AND my project as 'Stripes' rather than the correct spelling of 'Strips' so now trying to edit everything without destroying the links... Bugger :D
 
Hi DK ...I think both words work for the theme !

A great idea, and starting off with Majorca one of my favourite places ...two smashers there. Funnily enough I was thinking last night that I'd like a project and I decided on Hands ...so who knows, I may even start a thread if I muster up enough courage.

Looking forward to following yours ...lots of scope in the title or titles :D
 
susiejb said:
Hi DK ...I think both words work for the theme !

A great idea, and starting off with Majorca one of my favourite places ...two smashers there. Funnily enough I was thinking last night that I'd like a project and I decided on Hands ...so who knows, I may even start a thread if I muster up enough courage.

Looking forward to following yours ...lots of scope in the title or titles :D
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Thanks Susie :)

Yes it was a wonderful place, had an incredible time and think we squeezed as much out of the trip as physically possible, although I feel we may have only just scratched the surface :)

I hope you do come up with a project too, I will keep an eye out for it :)
 
What a fantastic start to a great project Dean (y)
#2 is just brilliant. The vibrant colours, composition to a vanishing point on the jetty, great. The figure at the end really works. It just gives it an added something with the viewers eye being drawn in with the leading lines of the jetty and gives a focal point.

I will certainly be dropping by regularly Dean, good work matey(y)
 
Great idea.
I shall be keeping an eye on this!
 
Great idea Dean.....the 1st 2 bring back really lovely memories :)


I've marked this thread to watch so will be keeping an eye for your next installment (y)
 
blakester said:
What a fantastic start to a great project Dean (y)
#2 is just brilliant. The vibrant colours, composition to a vanishing point on the jetty, great. The figure at the end really works. It just gives it an added something with the viewers eye being drawn in with the leading lines of the jetty and gives a focal point.

I will certainly be dropping by regularly Dean, good work matey(y)
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Cheers Iain :)

Tintin124 said:
Very good idea, can't wait to see a picture of a ruler ;) ;)

:D
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Thanks Bryn... I think :thinking:

I know, maybe a ruler being held by a red panda :D

viv1969 said:
Great idea.
I shall be keeping an eye on this!
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Thanks Ruth

blondie606 said:
Great idea Dean.....the 1st 2 bring back really lovely memories :)
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Don't they just :)


I've marked this thread to watch so will be keeping an eye for your next installment (y)
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Cool :cool:
 
Hi, Dean, another project :) and an interesting one at that.

Now you do realise you will see horizontal stripes everywhere!!

#2 for me. Lovely warm colours and I agree the chap does add interest.

Cheers and watching.
 
Now... this one I'm not too certain if I have the subjects too far to the edges... but I feel the 'Strips' need to be a similar size to work for me, and putting them further in stretches it a tad too much ?? anyway...

Horizontal Strips 4 - Kite

Horizontal Strips 4 - Kite by TP DK, on Flickr
 
posiview said:
Hi, Dean, another project :) and an interesting one at that.

Now you do realise you will see horizontal stripes everywhere!!

#2 for me. Lovely warm colours and I agree the chap does add interest.

Cheers and watching.
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Super Job - Thanks Andy :)

I certainly know what you mean about seeing them everywhere... that's all I was look at when I was trying to find my '52' shots :bang:
 
#4, works for me, just loose the dog....and man...and women...and kite and it'd make a nice minimal photograph ;)

I like the fact they are pushed to the edges. I find my self looking across the expanse from one to the other.

Cheers.
 
posiview said:
#4, works for me, just loose the dog....and man...and women...and kite and it'd make a nice minimal photograph ;)

I like the fact they are pushed to the edges. I find my self looking across the expanse from one to the other.

Cheers.
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Haaaaa :D

I did think of removing the dog, but he was with them, so I kind of liked he laid in the middle'ish... but then again he does distract a bit :)
 
Annnnd - Finally from today... Yes I know, a few too many all at once, but hey call it new project keenness :D

Maybe a bit predictable, I had given up for the day, but as usual drove past the offshore wind farm, and the clouds were really nice, I have tried to reflect the expanse of sky with an equal strip of sand, but this makes the sea/turbines become a bit insignificant ??

Thanks for popping in :)

Horizontal Strips 6 - 21st Century Seascape

Horizontal Strip 6 - 21st Century Seascape by TP DK, on Flickr
 
These are more interesting when they aren't so pictorial.... like the one in post #21.... or #16
 
Hey DK ...I've missed loads and I have it as watched thread :confused:

It's good to see your project growing, I do agree with David above, sometimes less is more. I think the last one would also work if you sliced it into two narrow strips using the windmills in one and the beach in the other, but of course it's your concept as to how you see it developing and how you want it to look.

Hopefully this section will be split off soon and make it much easier to follow as I'm looking forward to seeing lots more.
 
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posiview said:
@pookyhead

Dean hope you don't mind me raising the question. David can you clarify what you mean my pictorial? Cheers.
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Paying too much attention to things that aren't important and making "pretty" more important than what they're supposed to be doing.. i.e, displaying horizontal in the landscape. As an example... the second shot of the Jetty - It may well contain horizontal elements, but really, you don't appreciate them, as the dominant feature is the converging lines of the jetty. Sure, the jetty has horizontal lines, but so does almost ever structure. yes, it has a horizontal horizon, but again, (if you hold the camera straight) so does almost every photo. The result is the study of horizontal is weak, as we see it as a full blown landscape and basically ignore the "horizontal". Whereas is in 1, 3 and 5 it's all about that and the images draw your attention to this and makes them the SUBJECT of the image. The rest are really just landscape images, and while they contain horizontal lines, they only do so in a way that most landscapes do.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Paying too much attention to things that aren't important and making "pretty" more important than what they're supposed to be doing.. i.e, displaying horizontal in the landscape. As an example... the second shot of the Jetty - It may well contain horizontal elements, but really, you don't appreciate them, as the dominant feature is the converging lines of the jetty. Sure, the jetty has horizontal lines, but so does almost ever structure. yes, it has a horizontal horizon, but again, (if you hold the camera straight) so does almost every photo. The result is the study of horizontal is weak, as we see it as a full blown landscape and basically ignore the "horizontal". Whereas is in 1, 3 and 5 it's all about that and the images draw your attention to this and makes them the SUBJECT of the image. The rest are really just landscape images, and while they contain horizontal lines, they only do so in a way that most landscapes do.
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I watched a video by Ted Forbes (The Art of Photography) a while ago on Pictorialism so I see where you are coming from. Appreciate the clarification.

Cheers.
 
Pookeyhead said:
These are more interesting when they aren't so pictorial.... like the one in post #21.... or #16
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Thanks David - I see what you are saying, a landscape having a lot more 'Going On' I guess does distract a bit :)

susiejb said:
Hey DK ...I've missed loads and I have it as watched thread :confused:
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I know what you are saying Susie, I really can't keep up lately :bang:

It's good to see your project growing, I do agree with David above, sometimes less is more.
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:)

I think the last one would also work if you sliced it into two narrow strips using the windmills in one and the beach in the other, but of course it's your concept as to how you see it developing and how you want it to look.
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I think I'm with you both on this looking back... The sky is a bit overpowering AND a large slice which is pulling away from the slices/strips, I do feel they work better with pretty even bands of subject (y)

Hopefully this section will be split off soon and make it much easier to follow as I'm looking forward to seeing lots more.
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Thanks ... me too, liking hunting/doing these :)

posiview said:
@pookyhead

Dean hope you don't mind me raising the question. David can you clarify what you mean my pictorial? Cheers.
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No worries at all mate :)

Pookeyhead said:
Paying too much attention to things that aren't important and making "pretty" more important than what they're supposed to be doing.. i.e, displaying horizontal in the landscape. As an example... the second shot of the Jetty - It may well contain horizontal elements, but really, you don't appreciate them, as the dominant feature is the converging lines of the jetty. Sure, the jetty has horizontal lines, but so does almost ever structure. yes, it has a horizontal horizon, but again, (if you hold the camera straight) so does almost every photo. The result is the study of horizontal is weak, as we see it as a full blown landscape and basically ignore the "horizontal". Whereas is in 1, 3 and 5 it's all about that and the images draw your attention to this and makes them the SUBJECT of the image. The rest are really just landscape images, and while they contain horizontal lines, they only do so in a way that most landscapes do.
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Yep... think you are correct here, I too thought the Jetty was losing the plot already... I will start looking for the less fussy as they certainly do seem to fit my brief much better, thanks for the input again David (y)
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Great series of images and another interesting project to follow.

Pookeyhead said:
Paying too much attention to things that aren't important and making "pretty" more important than what they're supposed to be doing.. i.e, displaying horizontal in the landscape. As an example... the second shot of the Jetty - It may well contain horizontal elements, but really, you don't appreciate them, as the dominant feature is the converging lines of the jetty. Sure, the jetty has horizontal lines, but so does almost ever structure. yes, it has a horizontal horizon, but again, (if you hold the camera straight) so does almost every photo. The result is the study of horizontal is weak, as we see it as a full blown landscape and basically ignore the "horizontal". Whereas is in 1, 3 and 5 it's all about that and the images draw your attention to this and makes them the SUBJECT of the image. The rest are really just landscape images, and while they contain horizontal lines, they only do so in a way that most landscapes do.
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This is really useful advice and something to bear in mind for me too when I'm tackling projects. The reason I quoted was because for me, I think #4 (post 18) manages to blend both elements really well. In fact, so far, it's my favourite of the set. But that may be because I'm not truly judging it against your "strips" criteria. As a stand alone image, I think the portrayal of horizontality (go go spellchecker) blends really well with your subjects who are so far apart that "the viewer" can tell it's not the people, it's the lines.

Hope that makes sense. It's getting late...
 
Number 5 for me typifies horizontality. It just is :D. I wouldn't have guessed it was steps from a glance. A custard slice would also fit if you can get your hands on one and you could eat it afterwards ;).
 
Harlequin565 said:
Great series of images and another interesting project to follow.



This is really useful advice and something to bear in mind for me too when I'm tackling projects. The reason I quoted was because for me, I think #4 (post 18) manages to blend both elements really well. In fact, so far, it's my favourite of the set. But that may be because I'm not truly judging it against your "strips" criteria. As a stand alone image, I think the portrayal of horizontality (go go spellchecker) blends really well with your subjects who are so far apart that "the viewer" can tell it's not the people, it's the lines.

Hope that makes sense. It's getting late...
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It makes sense, yes, but if we're talking about the kite flying one... the only horizontal element is the horizon itself. Every photo of an open space of some kind will have a horizon. It's a strong image, sure.... no problem with the image... , but how is it exploring the horizontal in the landscape? Sometimes editing a project together means you have to get rid of some good images in favour of ones that by themselves appear weaker.
 
Harlequin565 said:
Great series of images and another interesting project to follow.
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Thanks Ian :)



This is really useful advice and something to bear in mind for me too when I'm tackling projects. The reason I quoted was because for me, I think #4 (post 18) manages to blend both elements really well. In fact, so far, it's my favourite of the set. But that may be because I'm not truly judging it against your "strips" criteria. As a stand alone image, I think the portrayal of horizontality (go go spellchecker) blends really well with your subjects who are so far apart that "the viewer" can tell it's not the people, it's the lines.

Hope that makes sense. It's getting late...
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That does make sense Ian yes - Thanks :)

Bruja said:
Number 5 for me typifies horizontality. It just is :D. I wouldn't have guessed it was steps from a glance. A custard slice would also fit if you can get your hands on one and you could eat it afterwards ;).
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Thanks Jill... and I should of guessed you'd think it was cake :D

Pookeyhead said:
It makes sense, yes, but if we're talking about the kite flying one... the only horizontal element is the horizon itself. Every photo of an open space of some kind will have a horizon. It's a strong image, sure.... no problem with the image... , but how is it exploring the horizontal in the landscape? Sometimes editing a project together means you have to get rid of some good images in favour of ones that by themselves appear weaker.
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Ahhhh well yes I get what you are saying, the horizon is possibly the only dead level area, but my idea of the project is for strips, that one includes a strip of blue sky, then a strip of grey sea then a strip of golden'ish sand, the kite was just adding a sort of overlay bringing the strips together, maybe the image would be better without the figures at all ??
 
Well just a quick one this week to keep this project running... a pretty minimalist one this, all one colour (Yes it is colour not black and white) the strips are just areas of shadow and shade, I have tried to keep the largest strips of a similar size again...

Horizontal strips 7 -

Horizontal Strips 7 - Door Panel by TP DK, on Flickr
 
Well... not having had much time togging in the last couple of months other than my 52 which has also struggled to stay up to date, better than this one though that';s for sure.... I thought I would keep my eyes open for some ideas while I was away for a couple of days camping and out and about with Mrs DK...

I found a couple of shots out of my bag that have worked as I wanted them too, well sort of...

The first one here is a hand held, the shutter speed was way too long, and with people wanting to get past I had to move along, but now at home I actually like the image, a little slide here and there and a crop I think this fits in pretty well ??

Horizontal Strips 8 - Red and Gold by TP DK, on Flickr
 
And onto my next one, this one is a bit more obvious... Whilst sat drinking a nice coffee and having a sausage roll I noticed how nicely weathered wood grain on the backs of these seats contrasted against the golden gravel, having to position the chair just 'so' as to not get people and objects and shadows behind it, and having to wait for the sun to pop out from behind the mass of clouds did get me some odd looks....

I did several attempts with different light and different f-stops, I actually prefered a narrower DoF than this image I have gone with as the shingle was more bokeh than with this one, but with the narrower DoF I struggled to get the slats all in focus, so had to settle with a happy medium for both...

Enough of the explanations... here is the shot I chose on in the end, oh, and this one I tried a couple of ways, one with the sides cropped and one with a curved top rail, I decided as you can see to crop the curve top off and leave the ends of the slats showing :)

Horizontal Strips 9 - Chair Back and Shingle by TP DK, on Flickr
 
Missed a few :)

#7, I find myself searching around this one, and I like that.
#8, I actually like the fact its slightly soft. I suspect is blinds but could almost be stairs
#9, nice detail and textures in the wood. I think a closer crop would also work well.

Cheers.
 
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