244 - Easy Ride



Well, John thinks I have an obsession with scooters anyway, so why not post another one 🙂

An image from this morning. It was drab but it didn’t rain yet. I saw this Vespa in Neubaugasse and took the photo with the Sigma 30/1.4 at f2.8, trying to fill the frame and getting no mergers. RAW conversion was done in Capture NX, post-processing in Photoshop. I did quite some cleanup on the ground, adjusted contrast in fore- and background very differently and desaturated the far background with the other side of the street.

Searching my music library for files with “scooter” or “motorcycle” in the name turned out embarrassingly fruitless, so I looked for “ride” and found Madonna’s “Easy Ride” from her 2003 album “American Life”.

I learned to love Madonna when I first saw the video of “Take a Bow” from “Bedtime Stories”, easily the best and most breathtaking music video I’ve ever seen (OK, I don’t see so many of them these days, but around that time I did), and from then on I’ve bought all of her albums. She is really the star who has freed herself from the tight corset of her fan’s expectations, constantly reinventing herself. Each album is something new, something different, and “American Life” probably a bit more of that.

Is it that? Is that the Song of the Day? Uhh … no, of course not. “Easy Ride” from The Doors’ frequently underrated 1969 album “The Soft Parade” is the Song of the Day. Same title, very different feeling. Not so much a better song but a better match. Now, that’s it. See you tomorrow.


There are 4 comments

John DeMott   (2007-06-15)

Well, whether or not one has an obsession with scooters, that's a very nice scooter. It makes me want to take a ride. Not Easy Rider, but definitely an easy ride. Just an easy cruise down the boulevard....

The geometry of the shot, as usual, is perfect and very simple. How nicely the handle bar approaches but does not touch the sign post. The lines on the pavement recede....

And then there are so many small details to linger over and examine. The reflections on the chrome and in the beautiful black paint, the figure across the street, the bits of blue. Yes, I think that obsession is an accurate description.

💬 Reply 💬

andreas   (2007-06-15)

Thanks John. You know, Ted calls me a control freak, and in a way even I believe he's right. There is for instance this mirror. The right one. I'd love to have it only juuuust a tiny bit lower, so that it falls exactly between the two lines demarking the bicycle lane. Uwe Steinmueller is right, never be without one of these. On the other hand, it would be grotesque to carry one of them around when going to work 🙂

💬 Reply 💬

John DeMott   (2007-06-15)

I laughed after I followed the link to see what what Uwe Steinmueller carries. Equipment is always a problem--there is always too much or too little. The other day I went out with what I thought would be everything I would need--D2X, several lenses, tripod, filters, etc. When I tried to set up for a shot close to the ground, I discovered I had brought the long center column for my tripod rather than the short one. I suppose that if I had brought the short column, I would have needed to set up a tall shot.

So, how much DO you carry to and from work? I recently got a Fuji F31fd to have something that I can easily carry at all times. It is not equivalent to a DSLR but certainly much better than nothing for the many times when you don't want to carry a large camera etc.

💬 Reply 💬

andreas   (2007-06-15)

You really want to know? Well, let's see: At the moment the 18-200 is in repair (well, today I got a call that it's ready, but I was already in the train to Carinthia), so the Sigma 150/2.8 is my telephoto lens. Then I carry the 50/1.8, 50/1.2, 30/1.4, 10-20 and the Lensbaby with me, one of the lenses of course mounted on the D200, an MC-30 cable release, a head lamp and a small umbrella. No tripod. All this is in my LowePro Slingshot 300AW (or the 200AW when I'm in Carinthia).

In the 300AW there is still enough space for about 5-7 CDs or swimming trunks and a towel. It's very important never to be without a towel, you know?

Heavy? Yes, but not too bad. The 300AW is simply excellent. The best photo bag that I know of, still relatively small and bigger inside than one would expect from the outside. I never carry less. I don't change lenses all the time, many times not at all, but when I want to I need them.

💬 Reply 💬