Monochrome Brisbane

King George

It is surprising how many objects there are around Brisbane city that can serve as challenging photographic subjects. This large statue of King George on a horse stands outside City Hall. Not only does a dark bronze figure present a difficult subject in shadows of the early morning, but the King’s gaze from this angle gives an interesting viewpoint where I can almost image myself as a small child watching him pass by in a parade. This shot was taken with a zoom lens that often doesn’t get taken out of the bag (OM4, Tamron 35-80mm SP, f4, 1/125, handheld towards its longer end), but when it does it tends to surprise me with its degree of sharpness and contrast. After printing this in the darkroom (the wet one) last night and being able to dodge the bronze and burn in the clock tower, it has highlighted for me that there is much more detail in the deep shadows of the negative than my scanner (Canon MP760) is able to give up. I can see me making a few more attempts to capture different aspects of this subject, maybe next time I will experiment with a fill flash. I would love any comments or suggestions about how I might again approach this piece.