Walking on Air Photo

Photographer’s Note

Retroactively... this is part nine of a 13 part series on slacklining on Library Lawn at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. i don't feel like rewriting the whole note, so sorry for the discontinuity.

And so i'll stay in Stillwater for this one.

From a landscape perspective i still feel that Stillwater is one of the most boring places i've ever been... although Oklahoma City gives it a run for its money.

But as was pointed out in my last picture, the people are wonderful.

The center of much of the social life during the day at Oklahoma State University is the large lawn in front of the library... cleverly named Library Lawn. For the first couple of months of the spring semester there wasn't much activity out on the lawn... everybody was bundled up inside as Stillwater experienced one of its heaviest snow years in recent history.

Towards the end of February, however, we experienced some exceptional weather, the sun was out, temperatures were warm, and life returned to the lawn.

One of the students set up what is called a slackline between two trees on the line. A slackline is a length of webbing anchored between two fixed objects that functions much like a tightrope, but is a little bit loose. Slacklines are generally just a few feet off the ground, so falling is of no great consequence.

While many students took the opportunity to try their hand on the line for the first time--invariably resulting in initial failure, but often followed by gratifying success for the persistent--some seemed seasoned veterans.

Those were the ones that i took pictures of from below... i wasn't so keen on being fallen upon.

Here is one of the slackliners. i'll probably be posting quite a few slacklining pictures over the next few months.

And my next picture will be from Mexico once more.

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Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 10 Part 11

Galeota, Dari, flory, Photo65Net, gabrielpat has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

nerve (10210) 2007-04-11 23:21

very cleverly done; beautiful angle..

trinko (2940) 2007-04-11 23:23

interesting perspective good focus nice DOF and colors.

kozak (711) 2007-04-12 0:11

Excellent shot Mr Beer. The originality sparks it! The background gives it a great finish.

Galeota (10334) 2007-04-12 0:30

Hi Sam, this works pretty well in my opinion. Even though it was taken in february, it seems like a beautiful Autumn light. The overexposed door behind the student sitting with his legs crossed, is somehow distracting and perhaps you could have recovered some detail if you took this photograph in a NEF file. Well composed though, his stretched arm keeps him in balance and adds balance to the image also.

partha (13657) 2007-04-12 1:27

Hi Sam ,
What a great angle of view.Excellent perspective and good use of light.
Regards.
Partha

Dari (24) 2007-04-12 3:45

Hi, Sam! Nice POV, warm light, background with students having a snak..dunno, just great atmosphere!..i would love to try this... emmmmm is there enough soft grass to "land" my poor body ;). Anyways its something young, warm n sunny! cool picture! :)
Dari

vapours (7913) 2007-04-12 7:49

Love it Sam. Perfect positioning to give the tight rope walker some height in the image and some great bokeh.

Uzi (1148) 2007-04-12 7:50 [Comment]

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flory (4804) 2007-04-13 1:34

ciao Sam,
hehhe,interesting activities have the students there..:)good angle,gives me the feeling that he is the most important thing of that place..:))full of life this one,like it!
nice day,
flory

chicken (1781) 2007-04-13 14:00

Great use of DOF. I also like the warm tones of the late afternoon sun.

jinju (14265) 2007-04-30 3:13

A good shot. More interesting to me than a landscape so Im glad you had to ficus on the people. Nice perspective. 46mm, yo were orried;) try at 18mm:) Excellent FG, I do wish the background didnt have that guy sitting...

Luko (13894) 2007-04-30 4:43

This one works very well, brings me back to the feeling of carelessness in my student spring days, just before the final exams start.. something like "no fear : this life is mine".

Very well controled background. Btw, Stillwater, isn't that the name of the rock band in the "Almost famous" movie.

rbcy1974 (20742) 2007-05-21 16:51

Hello Sam
Its been a long time I didnt visit your photos. THis is a real sublime composition, were you lying on the floor?
Everyting is excellent
the angle, the framing the DOF
well done
Regards
Daniel

asival (4230) 2007-06-03 1:50

Hi Sam

I think it’s a very good POV to present it with nice cut composition

The tree at the upper right is a bit interrupting but you can take it out of the frame with PS (I did it for you, hope you don’t mind)

GJ

Assi

[workshop] [compare]

bantonbuju (48540) 2007-07-23 22:01

hey sam,
you are one of very few americans which i know and who dare photograph people, man - god bless you for this...and you know what? you know how to do this, people play a compositional and conceptual role in your photos...and that's the key to decent photography imo,
here i love the way you set this composition up, obviously but apart from the "obvious" i find that guy sitting and EATING (!!! in such a moment...;-) playing a vital role here, as well (and seing him here is not "obvious")
bw, j.

crhieatt (5143) 2007-07-24 3:36

Sam,
Great one Sam, your framing here is absolutely spot on, I mean what an incredibly dull photograph this would be if taken standing up from 10 feet away. It would be nothing! With this angle you've captured all the drama, and tension of the feet on the rope - and we're probably feeling your tension too - as you will this guy not to land on top of you!
Regards
Colin

Photo65Net (43084) 2007-07-28 0:59

Sam,
Wow !
This framing is very original, and it works perfectly here, with great DOF management.
Beautiful,
Regards,
JB.

oochappan (22032) 2007-07-29 20:48

Mmm, that's a pleasant framing, only the legs and the wiring focussed in frontplan with a short DOF maintaiting a readable background, excellent tight capture Sam, well finshed in deeop coloring and contrasts.
greetings
Henk

Furachan (0) 2007-08-01 0:31

Great POV here, Sam to communicate your story. Again excellent selective focus at work with a vengeance. Good documentary shot with an artistic touch.
best,
Francis
ps. Apologies for having lost touch with your work - it's a thrill to find all these fine shots. Better late than never...;o)

gabrielpat (6533) 2007-08-05 13:34

a really nice pov.i like the hand balancing.

Preetie (431) 2007-09-05 8:46

Hi Sam,

I love this shot..excellent POV..and DOF I love the seemingly disinterested look of the guy in the b/g as if seen it a 1000 times.
I particularly like the note too
TFS
Preetie

AnimeshRay (8886) 2007-09-11 21:15

Terrific angle of view...cannot be more dramatic than this! Bravo!

Olrik (1537) 2007-09-17 11:07

Hi Sam,
A really nice POV. I like the opposition between the tension and the concentration that we can feel through the position of the hand and the legs of the man, and the indifference of the other man in the background (even if I asked to myself if his presence is a good thing or a bad thing). There's a little something of poetic in this compo.
Olivier.