The point of string

/ Su Leslie
A ball of string; black and white close up shot. Su Leslie, 2016. Edited with Snapseed.

String. Image: Su Leslie, 2016. Edited with Snapseed

If I were looking for a metaphor for life at the moment, I’d say that I am so busy untangling knots and straightening out threads that I forget what I was going to do with the string.

This week, we’re offering black and white shots for Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge at Lens and Pens By Sally. So today I know the point of a ball of string.

A ball of string; black and white close up shot. Su Leslie, 2016. Edited with Snapseed.

String. Image: Su Leslie, 2016. Edited with Snapseed

The boy-child and I have been comparing notes on our photography recently. He has a new enthusiasm for landscape photography; but focused on the natural rather than the urban landscapes he has traditionally inhabited as a skater. His work is undergoing massive aesthetic change.

I on the other hand, am attempting to exercise restraint — particularly in editing.

A ball of string; black and white close up shot. Su Leslie, 2016. Edited with Snapseed.

String. Image: Su Leslie, 2016. Edited with Snapseed.

Black and white shots are wonderful in this regard. Without the temptation to play with colour, I am forced to focus on the single continuum of light to dark. And because this shot is all about texture — can I use that continuum to change the way you feel about a ball of string? Do you want to reach for the second one; believing it to be softer than the others?

I’m curious to know.

 

29 thoughts on “The point of string”

  2. The softening makes it look more like yarn then string. I, too, struggle with how much editing to do. I sometimes use a bit of saturation and often a small amount of vignette to give a feel of completeness to the shot and to enhance the colors without changing them. Every so often I’ll use something a bit more, but these are my usual. I’ve seen many stunning shots, particularly of nature, but have come to realize that they usually have the heck edited out of them (or into them) to get that look. So I vacillate on the editing issue. 🙂

    janet

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  8. Hi Su – I actually think the first image felt softer – or had a soft focus kind of feel – but I like the edited version best / so rich the way you darkened it – 😉
    Good day and hope your son enjoys his landscape work – how fun! 🌄🌅🏜

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  10. It’s quite interesting how your ball of string can change with its editing.

    I’m aware that some photographers are ‘purists’ about their pics, while others consider their photo the base for exercising their artistic creativity with editing. I can appreciate both.

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  11. I love that metaphor – is it your own? Brilliant, mainly because it’s so true! I am drawn more to the second (darker) photo, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. It’s moodier and has more definition, I guess – a bit like myself! Lovely shot and editing.

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  13. The second one does look softer even though it is in fact the same image. I love black and white photos. Especially of my children. I seem to see things in them I hadn’t noticed before when I view their faces in black and white.

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