Taverne de la Madeleine Photo

Photographer’s Note

You can guess that for a fraction of second, I really hoped that someone would come out from the left corner to take those stairs and make my triptych work. My prayer was in vain but I’m still happy with the lines ad the children in movement, in this photograph.

La Taverne de la Madeleine is one of the most ancient cafés/restaurants in Geneva. Some say that it already existed 400 years ago as a country inn. It stands in Rue Toutes-Ames (all souls), at the limit between downtown and the old medieval part of the city. Although the place seems very typical, I personally don’t think it has an exceptional cuisine. And the real bad part of it is that it is one of the few restaurants that doesn’t serve alcohol… well, a “Taverne” without a glass of good red wine loses a bit of its appeal, if you ask me, hence not a place for Bacchus and Maenads adepts.

Rinie_Hoff, bnallama, falves, AmiBe, joso, Homerhomer, partha, designsoul, bibiweb, don_narayan, stefi, Oldtree, Philippe, Fixfocus, lucbus, PixelTerror, mushu_246, joseelias, mikee has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

barrufeto_77 (25955) 2005-11-07 4:11

Hi Gal.

Excelent POV. Impresive. Bravo. I like also the little kids running and the contrast in the photo.

Regards, Oscar

jasmis (51257) 2005-11-07 4:12

Exciting POV. Stairs on the left and stairs on the right. Amazing composition. And the child on the move, properly blured. Well done.

kozerog (1198) 2005-11-07 4:31

Great shot Gal. I like the little kids running and composition. Very good.

Rinie_Hoff (9334) 2005-11-07 4:33

This is nice, amigo! LOVE your wide angle, and the blur on the girl, fast girl BTW, a cool babe, I guess. The stairs give so much depth to the picture with that very nice perspective.
I agree with your note, what's a good meal without a (good) glass? Strange. And when are you called a Maenad adept?
Cheers, here's to good wine, preferably red.

carobnica (1336) 2005-11-07 4:36

great photo;
really good composition with very interesting angle...
dynamic and flying...
congratulations
ciao
ana

clodreno (0) 2005-11-07 4:38

wow, comme c'et beau.. j'adore le mouvement ici, une superbe composition,
Cela me donne envie de faire un tour à Genève
Malgré tout, je suis de plus en plus rétif au noir et blanc, je trouve cela trop triste.. Un peu comme tous ces gens qui ne s'habillent qu'en noir..

coco (28266) 2005-11-07 4:51

Hi Gal.
Excellent composition with very good use of black and white. Also the two kids add interest to the picture.
Very good work.
Regards.

bnallama (3755) 2005-11-07 4:52

Gal, this is lovely... nice perspective and great sense of movement... Didn't know that three were restaurants which did not serve alchocol in Switzerland.. I thought is through drinks that they made most money. Bala

falves (1403) 2005-11-07 5:03

Hi Gal,
Superbe composition. Great wide angle. The perspective is outstanding. Looks like a drawing. The kids running, the contrasts, the textures, everything is great.
Many cheers
Fred

AmiBe (6042) 2005-11-07 5:14

Hello Gal,
tien comme c'est curieux une taverne qui ne vend pas d'alcool, je me demande comment ils font pour s'en sortir...
A part ça j'aime beaucoup ta photo, beau cadrage au grand angle.
Superbe placement des gamins, très dynamique.
Bonne conversion n/b, le vignetage est esthétique parfois.
Bien vu

joso (1786) 2005-11-07 5:32

A lot of dynamic you give with the POV and motion blurr to this calm and quiet place.
Not an exceptional cuisine, and without vine?!?
No, thanks. Then only photoshooting...
János

dkeus31 (26487) 2005-11-07 6:18

Hi Gal,
Nice contrasty scene, good framing.
Regards,
Didier

Furachan (0) 2005-11-07 6:39

On dirait HCB + une pillule d'LSD ;o) Serieusement c'est fameux cette image, a l'intersectin du mouvement (humain) et de la perspective (architecture). Tu es tres brave avec le 10-22.
Un grand bravo!
Amicalement,
Francis
Tu es le grand poete de Geneve, Gal! Avant toi il y avait Rousseau...

zig (2450) 2005-11-07 7:13

I really like this shot. Great composition and great angle to capture the stairs. Of course you can't expect perfect elements in street photography field, still the shot looks great and perfect enough to my eyes.

toni_al (15476) 2005-11-07 7:29

Salut Gal
Magnifique image, bien dans ton style, image qui est très vivante et a beaucoup de force.
SUPERBE.
Toni

fixed (3831) 2005-11-07 7:57

bonjour Gal
une très belle photo pour un beau témoignage
une belle composition avec des éléments qui reviennent régulièrement dans les images que tu nous présentes, enfants, escaliers, pavés ...
... très sensible ...
le côté intemporel de tes photos me plait bcp !
une fois de plus bravo Gal !
merci
Arnaud

rbcy1974 (20746) 2005-11-07 8:16

Salut Gal,
Je trouve l'enfant qui courre tres bonne, cest comme un ray de lumiere qui passe, cela donne de dynamisme a cette belle rue,
tres beau
A+
Daniel

Homerhomer (4005) 2005-11-07 8:25

I dig the picture and feel your pain. Prayers don't work for me anymore, I moved on to superstitions, you know spin around on my left leg clockwise, spit behind my left shoulder, that type of stuff, sometimes beautifull scenery calls for drastic measures ;-)

I think the threesome could have been achieved in various ways, the way you describe, or a big head in the lower right corner, perhaps this way there would have been even more debth.
Still a good image regardless, composition is very strong.
Peter
PS, great come back on my "polluted mind" picture ;-)

partha (13677) 2005-11-07 9:59

Its a very well composition. The lines are strong and the child in front is very dynamic and the follower is in avery natural pose. Its a rare gem.
Thanks.

designsoul (21394) 2005-11-07 10:08

Hi Bacchus-follower, whatever the La Taverne de la Madeleine may be, this shot is remarkable, Henri Cartier-Bresson comes to my mind, it is so beautiful, so well timed, so wonderfully seen with the carefree hopping children on the diagonal of the old stairs, that it has to, just HAS TO, run right into my favourites...
BRAVO, GAL... I bow to you!
Sarolta

dolin (15647) 2005-11-07 10:20

Salut Gal.
Un pur délice ce n/b dans cette compo urbaine.
Ce peu de vie avec juste ces 2 enfants et ce superbe mouvement, c'est splendide.
Excellente utilisation du grand angle dans un shot de rue, l'effet est superbe.
Les yeux partent dans tous les sens avec ces escaliers nous emmenant à divers endroits.
Bien joué, très bien fait
Fred

bibiweb (8) 2005-11-07 10:34

Salut Gal,
C'est marrant parce que j'avais envisagé d'organiser le repas de notre sortie TE dans ce bistrot... mais le fait qu'ils ne servent pas du tout d'alcool m'avais fait préférer la pizzeria.
Bon, OK, c'est un tryptique inachevé... mais tout de même très réussi! Le cadrage avec ce grand angle est vraiment superbe et les personnages flous apportent un peu de dynamisme. Tu vois que tu as encore de la matière photographique dans notre belle vieille ville!
Bonne soirée.
Brigitte

markoci (3917) 2005-11-07 11:29

a great spot, i understand your frustration too. if could get back the time i spent waiting for some more action, just to find my first shot was the best.

don_narayan (2014) 2005-11-07 12:25

Hello Gal. Terrific composition, I love these walkways colliding and the inclusion of the kids running is fantastic, very nice movement. well done.

narayan

rhizomes (15325) 2005-11-07 13:29

Salut Gal,
Superb image très bien composée ! Ces escaliers et les personnages flous sont superbes et donnent un excellente dynamique à la photo !!
Le 10-22mm fait ici sensation !
Christophe

naxius (16679) 2005-11-07 14:08

Salut Gal,
Comme le souligne justement Claude, je rebondis sur son commentaire et je me demande ce que donnerait la version couleur avec ce blouson rouge..
une photo qui a de la vie, qui bouge et qui donne beaucoup de profondeur, de perspective.
J'aime beaucoup.
Alex

pridel (233) 2005-11-07 14:58

Gal
bah il n'y a pas d'arbres LOL (private joke)
très fort ce grand angle, t'as eu le bon coup d'oeil. ces 2 gamins qui déboulent donnent la pêche. pas que ça. le croisement de toutes ces lignes est superbe. si j'avais à choisir j'aurais préféré moins de pavets et voir la lanterne en entier, mais bon...
c'est excellent !
Pascal

stefi (1147) 2005-11-07 15:25

Hi Gal I agree with jinju: the inspiration from HCB is really appreciable from this shot.
The sense of geometry, the formal rigour and dynamism are simply great.
I love also the choice of the POV.
A nice, nice shot.
Thank you,
Stefano

cessy (13647) 2005-11-07 16:30

very very nice Gal
excellent timing, very nice composition
great catch of these two children running, with slow speed
last year I took exatcly the same place, but since I didn't have a wide lense, I made a collage for fun :)

[workshop] [compare]

jinju (14265) 2005-11-08 3:56

Totally

H
C
B
!

The awesome b/w and the decisive moment!

What better compliment can I pay you than those 3 simple letters?

But why FOOD?!

eleparc (24059) 2005-11-08 7:20

c'est vrai qu'elle est belle ta photo gal et pas de symbole phallique dans celle là;-)) haha!!

jcandeli (40) 2005-11-08 11:21

beautiful lighting and vignetting. nice wide angle shot! love the stairs on both sides. The kids are great too. Nice shot! JP

RGatward (19751) 2005-11-08 15:41

Excellent timing catching the child just at the point where these steps meet. Still making good use of your extra wide lens.

Oldtree (2457) 2005-11-08 16:27

Wonderful perspective shot. Despite the excellent use of lines the kids add dynamic to the photo. I like it a lot.

oochappan (22032) 2005-11-09 0:21

A wide angle to get this two stairways in one shot and slow shutterspeed to contrast the movement blur to the sharp shot with good contrast in light and shadow, expressive well balanced, a good use of techniques to get this well captured shot Gal.

cgrindahl (6109) 2005-11-09 2:13

You're making excellent use of this lens Gal and are producing some very fine images with your polished post processing skills. This is first rate. Remarkable how much more freedom you have to be creative with your new camera and lenses. You've made a fine investment, made more so by virtue of your skills both behind the camera and at the computer. Bravo!

piozac (2058) 2005-11-09 3:49

Hi Gal. What can I say more then all the critiques above? It's the perfect b&w street photo. Great wide angle cropping, tones and composition, and those kids in motion... Perfect!

momo80 (847) 2005-11-09 4:31

Très belle photo en noir blanc. Je suis preneur. Le cadrage me plait beaucoup avec ces enfant qui joue. Merci

Philippe (11789) 2005-11-09 12:44

Bonjour, Gal. Lers diagonales qui se rencontrent mettent bien en évidence la Taverne de la Madeleine. Le mouvement des enfants qui font la course dans les escaliers met de la vie dans la photo.

hugolef (4909) 2005-11-10 10:51

Hello Gal
une belle compo qui me fait penser aux portrait enfantins de Doisneau ... un bon POV , une vitesse adaptée au jeu de ces enfants, une atmosphere agreable
Bien vu
Amities, hugues

recepyuksel (17786) 2005-11-10 12:54

10-22 nin hakkını vermişsiniz
tam profesyonel bir çalışma
great compo
congrats

Fixfocus (9377) 2005-11-12 9:31

A wonderful masterpiece and one of the best pictures I´ve seen so far on TE.A timeless B/W beauty with a rich tonal range.
Congretulations!

lucbus (11) 2005-11-13 15:55

Salut Gal,
J'aime bien cette prise de vue en coin, avec ces 2 enfants qui s'amusent et qui courent. Excellente composition.
Luc

ALSOM (6616) 2005-11-14 0:11

I buy it ;o)
Lovely b/w composition with kids and their playground. Graphical shot with differents lines here.
Thanks, Al (not sure you still needs points thouht ;o) )

PixelTerror (87137) 2005-11-14 4:46

Salut Gal,
Tiens toi aussi tu t'es offert un 10-22, je ne l'avais pas remarque sur tes photos precedentes mais sur celle la ca saute aux yeux, trop bon pour capturer cette double perspective. Moi je suis pas vraiment N&B, par contre je me demande ce que ca aurait pu donner avec un traitement sepia. Les gamins qui courent apportent beaucoup de vie a cette compo et malgre la qualite supposee des plats, on a bien fait d'aller descendre qq bonnes bouteilles italiennes a la pizzeria !
Bonne journee,
Jean-Yves

t0mmm1 (5434) 2005-11-15 5:02

Hi Gal,
nice B/W action shot. The wide angle adds an extra dimension to the perspective and increases dynamicity. Simply great.

joseelias (367) 2005-11-15 11:36

Já ouviste falar no temporizador, e em barbas falsas? Neste caso ia ajudar-te. Uma corridinha para o topo das escadas e ninguém te reconheceria! ;-)

Imagina uma imagem de um velhinho judeu ortodoxo curvado sobre uma bengala no topo das escadas! Bom agora que já dei a ideia nem penses a usá-la senão vou-me “chibar” ao Adam… Já sabes ao primeiro sinal de velho judeu ortodoxo numa das tuas fotos… ;-)

Como de costume o ambiente da foto está óptimo. Esta tonalidade acastanhada e bastante sóbria que traz alguma tristeza e melancolia à imagem é excelente. Contrastando com esse ambiente o movimento e alegria das crianças resulta muito bem. De facto faz-me lembrar de alguma forma as imagens da Lisboa dos anos 50 dos bairros históricos e daquela mistura típica de pobreza e alegria que se via nas ruas.

Como invejo este efeito da grande angular…

maciekda (19599) 2005-11-22 7:41

this is a very nice phot Gal, of course it would be even nicer with somoeone on that stairs on the left, but even with those two kids only it is good, very nice moement here, i like the way the girl is jumpig, all those lines are very nice as well. very wide view. good one

sohrab (7423) 2006-01-07 14:49

wow amazing feel you've captured here gal...
life!!!!
i dont know if you've done it on purpose or not.. but only the set of stairs on the right being lit immediately draws the eyes to the scene of life.. which is pretty much like an adrenalin rush and moving to the rest of the photograph is very soothing..
using an analogy.. the captivating sceneis like the splash of the first drop of water into a bowl already filled with water and the rest is like the ripples that follow the splash..

and wow... that's a strangely sagacious looking gal in your intro photograph.. what happened to the legendary 'gal with lipstick' photograph???

very a few of your thumbnails are opening up.. most likely it has to do with connection.. but am just checking..
take care :)

zeus (1462) 2006-01-27 16:37

Hey, i am proud of giving you the 2 more points that makes you complete 100 in this shot. That´s a fantastic shot. Looks a lot Cartier Bresson. The tones of gray are fantastic and also the 2 kids runing and blured are great! I am impressed!

mikee (1983) 2006-02-01 23:32

This is super! I like the geometry of the landscape and your framing. The composition has a great contrast between the vitality and innocent carelessness of the children at play and the stark emptiness of the place. There is a good sense of scale here as well. Great b&w work. Great note as well. Well done!

À votre santé!

Mike

ballyna (1689) 2006-02-09 9:04

gal,
great perspective here,and the children looks so joyful,bring some dynamism to the shot.it would also be wonderful if someone come down from left corner for realising your hopes:-)
regards

meazumith (123) 2006-09-15 8:43