Picture This

Industrial Design

Staff  |  Dec 16, 2011  |  First Published: Nov 1, 2011

Our Picture This! assignment this month was Industrial Design. While nothing can beat the variety and beauty of nature, where patterns and designs have their own rhythm and pace, certain objects have a beauty and grace that speak to an aesthetic that is inherently human. Products of handmade origin or the Industrial Age that satisfy the need for function while maintaining a beauty of form are sometimes taken for granted, and sometimes, with a photographer’s keen eye, transformed into sculptural objects that seem to transcend their utility. We can contemplate them less for something we would use as a tool and more as objects of wonder or beauty that appeal to a deeper aesthetic sensibility. That’s what we sought, and found, in this month’s readers’ images.

Suspension Bridge

John M. Barra’s photograph of bridge girders over Arizona’s Oak Creek reveals an intricacy of human design within one of nature’s wonderlands. Exposure with a Canon EOS 40D and a Canon EF 75-300mm lens was f/22 at 1/8 sec.
© John M. Barra

Multiplicity

The repeating forms show a prefab approach to architecture in the condos at Gulf Shores, Alabama. Margret Hildreth made this photo with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 with an exposure of f/4 at 1/640 sec.
© Margret Hildreth

Nikkor Reels

Kristy Burris stacked these developing reels and showed how similar forms combined can create a complexity of light and design. Exposure with a Nikon D200 and a 17-70mm lens was f/5.6 at 1 second.
© Kristy Burris

Bowl With Apples

This fruit bowl could sit in the design wing of the Museum of Modern Art. Lloyd H.
Slomanson found it in a lounge in Central Station, Aarhus, Denmark, and photographed
it with a Nikon D300 and a Tamron 18-270mm lens with an exposure of f/4.8 at 1/250 sec at ISO 2500.
© Lloyd H. Slomanson

Recycling

Looked at on a purely compositional basis this is minimalism at its best; looked at for detail and content this is a recycling bin in a park near Narcoossee, Florida. Adalberto Henriquez MD made this shot with a Canon EOS 40D and a Canon 17-85mm lens. This is an HDR shot exposed at f/13 with varying shutter speeds.
© Adalberto Henriquez MD

Experience Music Project

This building exterior could also be of a natural subject made in extreme macro mode. Karen Brown made this photograph in Seattle, Washington, with a Nikon D300 and an 18-200mm lens with an exposure of f/8 at 1/60 sec.
© Karen Brown

Old Fire Engine

There’s no question that many steam engines were things of beauty and that fire equipment added bold color and a near carnival design to the mix. Mike Farmer proves the point with this photo of an old pumper (in pristine shape) made with a Canon PowerShot G10 and an exposure of f/4 at 1/200 sec and flash.
© Mike Farmer

Hand Drill

Harry O’Connor’s photo reveals all the texture and design of this hand drill used by his wife’s great-grandfather. Exposure with a Minolta 5D at ISO 400 was f/11 at 1/2 sec.
© Harry O’Connor

Studebaker Grill

Automobile design for the most part has become more utilitarian than admirable, but the old designs live on in collections and museums. Jeff Colburn photographed this beauty with a Canon EOS Rebel XSi and a Canon 18-55mm lens; exposure was f/11 at 1/60 sec.
© Jeff Colburn

Jet Engine

Looking all the world like capillaries, veins, and nerves, this internal look at a jet engine was made by Joachim Werwick. Exposure with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi and a Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens was f/10 at 1/2 sec at ISO 400.
© Joachim Werwick

Corkscrew

Sometimes it’s not just the subject but how you look at it, and that’s how we reacted to this unique photo of a corkscrew made by Jay Solomon. He used a mix of LED and incandescent light and photographed with a Canon EOS 7D and a Canon 60mm lens; exposure was f/32 at 1/4 sec at ISO 2500.
© Jay Solomon

Steam Engine

Martha Wood emphasized the complexity of parts and design of this old steam engine in the Jefferson City, Missouri, rail yard. She photographed with a Nikon D90 and a Nikkor 18-105mm lens with an exposure of f/9 at 1/400 sec.
© Martha Wood

Shadows And Form

This drain, shadow of a bicycle, and uniform pavement stones make for a complex statement on how pervasive and perhaps unnoticed industrial design is in our everyday lives, here alleviated by the slightest traces of fallen leaves. Mary Leipziger made this photo with a Nikon D100 and an 18-200mm lens with an exposure of f/5.6 at 1/200 sec.
© Mary Leipziger

Bronze Brute

This tricked-out bike gets the Hollywood treatment with a little help from Lightroom 3 and Elements 8. Robert A. Martin made this shot with a Pentax K20D and a Pentax 12-24mm f/4 ED AL lens. Exposure was f/11 at 1/4 sec.
© Robert A. Martin

Shopping Carts

“Close packing units” is a concept that is sometimes at the heart of modern design, even with seemingly bulky objects like shopping carts. Bill Jones photographed this common sight in a new way with his Sony DSC-TX7 camera.
© Bill Jones

Picture This! – Our Next Assignment
Close-up Fill Flash
When the background is bright and/or the main subject is in shadow, using a taste of fill flash can help bring the main subject out of the darkness and create opportunities for creative foreground/background relationships. While this photo shows a magnolia blossom against Spanish moss, made in Jekyll Island, Georgia, with a Canon PowerShot G11 with built-in flash at -1 EV, subject matter other than florals are also welcome.

This photo was made in the geyser area near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park with a Canon EOS 7D and an EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens. Exposure was f/16 at 1⁄60 sec.
© George Schaub

Please Read This
It is important that you read and follow these guidelines. We need to follow this procedure because of the large volume of images we receive. If you have any questions, please e-mail us at: editorial@shutterbug.com.

1) Images sent to us cannot be returned. You retain complete copyright over the images, but do grant us permission to print your image(s) in the magazine and on our website, www.shutterbug.com.

2) Because images are not returned please send a quality print or duplicate transparency. We will not accept or view images on CD, ZIP, or any other electronic media.

3) Images will be selected on the basis of content and technical quality. Please mark your outer envelope with the topic of the month (for example, “Wide View”).

4) Enclose a short caption with the image stating camera, lens, film and exposure, plus location. If you are submitting an image with a recognizable person we must have a model release or signed permission from that person to reproduce their image in the magazine and on the website.

5) Please submit no more than three photos for consideration (4x6 up to 81/2x11).

Send your image and information to:
Picture This! Shutterbug Magazine,
1415 Chaffee Dr., Suite #10, Titusville, FL 32780.
Deadline for submission: December 15, 2011.
Images will appear in our March 2012 issue.
Our next topic: Autumn In The Landscape
Deadline: January 15, 2012
Publication Date: April, 2012

Please note: We receive hundreds of submissions for Picture This! each month and want to be sure we properly identify each image we publish. Please be sure to attach your name and image information to the back of each submission.

Want to see images selected for past Picture This! assignments? Go to www.shutterbug.com and click on Picture This! in the “More Articles…” box on the homepage.

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