This sheep shot originally created on Kodachrome film, a cranky but gorgeous slide film.
This week, Kodak retired Kodachrome. There's not a good yarn analogy to Kodachrome, I guess knitting with Kidsilk Haze sorta, kinda, comes close. You just don't want to make mistakes because everyone will see 'em, and you really can't undo them once the strand is knit. But knitting is a different art form, I'm going straight to the photo jargon. Consider yourselves warned: skip down to the contest if you don't want to get all photo-geeky with me.
Kodachrome had to be sent to a Kodak lab for processing . At best, it was 3 days before you saw how, or if at all, your photo shoot turned out. There was no tolerance for exposure being even a partial F-stop over or under. No adjustments available to push or pull and save your frames as there were for other slide films. You either did it right or you didn't. AS if that weren't enough , it only came in very low ISO's, meaning, you needed a lot of light available or you needed to know how to create your own.
It was the standard for magazine & commercial photography when I started working, I had very good, picky clients so I wanted to do it right. Not that I miss shooting film, nuh-uh. The instant gratification of digital, the chimping at the back of my camera, the amazing amount of control I have to change the image, the speed. But still, sad to see the end of an era.
So what else is a knitblogger to do but have a contest ?
the prize: a set of press printed fine art photo note cards including the sheep in coats image, above
how: go over to my etsy shop, take a peek at the four images. Leave a comment on this post saying which one you like best..or suggest the kind of image you'd like to see as a note card. More animals? yarn still lifes? fiber? more knit objects? something else?
when: leave a comment on this post by midnight June 30th eastern time US, I'll announce the randomly selected winner on July 1
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •how: go over to my etsy shop, take a peek at the four images. Leave a comment on this post saying which one you like best..or suggest the kind of image you'd like to see as a note card. More animals? yarn still lifes? fiber? more knit objects? something else?
when: leave a comment on this post by midnight June 30th eastern time US, I'll announce the randomly selected winner on July 1
Poetic justice, I'll end with an iPhone image, local color on Friday evening.
(I guess it also makes you think all the world's a sunny day.)
(I guess it also makes you think all the world's a sunny day.)
54 comments:
man, I love those mittens but the sheep in coats really gets me. Farewell kodachrome.....
Lisa
No more Kodachrome?! That is so depressing. I used to love that stuff.
I love the sheep shots. I love seeing their little faces and their coats.
xo
Now I have Simon and Garfunkel stuck in my head.
The angora goat with the face framed with those curls...love it!
I'm not in it for the contest, but I
have to say I love your photos. I
think that's why I follow your blog.
I loved the sheep picture and went to
look at the others, then I was like
Oh! the mittens, Oh! another sheep!
: ) How about some barn pictures?
pictures of common every day things
too! Thanks for sharing your talent!
I like the 2 sheep photos the best, but they're all great! And for what I'd like to see, all of the above. I love all knitterly.
that is so depressing about the film! I have lately been out of anything aside from digital so had not heard about it. I lvoe your images. I do have a fondness for the sheepy ones, but love the mitten shot out in nature.
Those mittens are gorgeous, but I can't say no to that close-up.
I love the sheep in coats...and would love to see some outdoor yarn shots, especially with aged worn barn wood in the background.
I like the four sheep in coats the best. I'll second what an earlier commenter said, farm architecture would be interesting too.
See? All you have to do is offer up something free and you get tons o' comments!!!
Me? I like the sheep portrait with the fab four.
So sad about Kodachrome. We're hurtin' here at photo-central on the left coast too.
Happy B-Day! May your day be filled with clean, clear images!
I like the critters, but I love the mittens pic. Sometimes a yarn image is so beautiful that it takes my breath away too.
Oh, heck, I love 'em all. :-)
Thanks for bringing a favorite old song to the forefront. I'm enjoying the brain-serenade.
Well, you had me at the jacket shot from the first time I saw your blog. I love the others, but the 4 sheep does it for me - those smooth noses sticking out of curly locks, the looks, more or less, of interest in something outside of the frame (what is it? good stuff? interesting stuff? I don't think bad, they just don't feel tense, just a little expectant), the distinct personalities of each animal. You could look at this shot a long time and see more and more. And the depth of texture and simple color palette is an intersting contrast. Yep, the others are great, but I love this one.
I love the sheep in coats. But I must say, I do love all your photos and my very favorite that must have taken you all day to capture is in Shear Spirit on page 41 (the sheep and the chicken)! Great work!!!
Why do all the useful products fade away.
The mama alpaca and her baby talk to me the most of the set of 4.
While all the animals are lovely, I'd also like to see some more background in the photos. Just a personal preference to know where they are and see some other stuff too. Maybe that is also why the alpacas called to me. I love photos of natural sites - mountains, trees, rivers, etc. with or without animals or knitting involved. What I love about Shear Spirit is that is has that element. Not that you need to repeat yourself.
Well, you know I love the mittens because I ordered one of the cards. But of this set of four, I think my favorite may be the sheep in coats. (I wonder how much I am influenced by being able to see it larger on your post.) But the colors, the composition...it's a very painterly photo.
I love pictures of sheep. And yarn. Love that picture of the gas station. No real suggestions for you. (I would totally go check out the sheep and chicken shot in my copy of Shear Spirit but I have a cat holding me down.)
I like all four, of course, but the alpaca mother and child remind me of time I spent in the Andes. I didn't see alpacas there but there were LOTS of llamas. (Wonder if I can frog the sweaters from over 30 years ago -- with a few holes and anyhow, they're too small. Someday I'll try it.)
sjanova on Ravelry, Knitter's Review, etc.
I love Sheep in Coats. They kinda remind me of people waiting for a bus...standing very close to eachother without noticing eachother. I'm such a dork :)
Daria
My favorite is th close-up single sheep, but I would LOVE some yarn still-lifes!
Of course the animal shots are great, but I'm voting for the mittens, primarily for the barn. As someone who owns your book, I can say that I love the way you establish a setting--the landscape of a region, the architecture and the cultural/historical context.
Lovelovelove the goatie close up. Suggestions for other cards? Llama faces head on and close up, big soft alpaca eyes, and maybe even a bunny or two. Spinnable dogs before harvest, border collies at work, and little lambs in mid cavort.
I adore the group of sheep in coats. Their personalities are perfectly captured. It's like a group of friends looking around. Gorgeous! I also like the suggestion of barn photos. I just took a class on cultural landscapes of New England - what is thought typical of NE and what is reality. I'd love to see the juxtaposition played out in photos like a white clapboard house but ones that are usually run-down. Or the ubiquitous stone walls. Does any of that make sense?
My favorite is the Alpaca. So cute! I do love my Alpaca yarns.
You mean we have to choose? We can't have ALL of your lovely photos on cards?
OK. I love the sheep in coats (like everyone). A while back, you made a red and turquoise (?teal) knit something that color matched a striking photo (maybe it was a barn)? Also your Miami beach hut photo (?lifeguard stand?) from quite recently.
At one point you had an adorable photo of a sheep that had a leafy twig/branch in its mouth. I would adore to have cards made of that one.
And finally, the line of alpacas walking along the fence is a classic and very card-worthy.
Frankly, I think you could photograph a phone book and it would be stunning. :-)
Oh, and now I have the "Kodachrome" song running through my brain. Thanks for that...
It's impossible to choose one favorite from those 4 - I love each of them for different reasons. But if I must ... the group sheep shot really stands out because of the exposure. Thanks for the gloss on the S&G tune - I now understand it much better!
My favorite of the four photos is the one of the four (plus some in the background) sheep you have posted on your blog. It makes me wonder what they are looking at/"talking" about. I do love all of your photography and the way you use color and color combinations, so I think some photos of creatively arranged yarns or knit items (like the mitten photo) would be beautiful.
The sheep in coats is hard to beat! The color is incredible (thank you, Kodachrome). It's close enough to get intimate detail, but far enough to get a real sense of atmosphere and context.
And I also happen to think that sheep are more photogenic than goats ...
And now I have Kodachrome stuck in the brain. Thanks (again), Gail.
You know how much I love those mittens. Love them!!
When I worked in a photo shop years ago I hated when customers came in with Kodachrome. Just a pain. Once in awhile one would get by a new trainee and slip into the processor. Yicky mess. (Both customer service wise and cleaning up)
I love that photo with the alpacas. It is so sweet and adorable! They are all beautiful photos.
heather
Mama don't take my kodachrome away!!
I love all of your pictures, but I think the mama and baby picture is my favorite for the moment.
I like the idea of taking pictures of sheep AND yarn or knitted objects. It's the best of both words, plus I'd imagine that some sheep would have funny reactions to seeing their former fleeces looking so nice and pretty. I also love pictures of sheep interacting with one another.
I love the sheep in coats. That's my favorite. I'm an animal lover and so I tend to lean towards shots of animals for most things though. ;)
Oooh. I love the alpacas, though all are lovely. They tell such a story..
All great but I love best the newly-shorn alpaca shot with the beautiful setting.
I'm a sucker for a mama-baby shot, so my vote is for the alpaca family (this may be also because I'm a new second-time mom, and I have a new love for alpaca!). KTLV on Rav.
I really love all of your animal shots, but the goat with the curls is my favorite. I enjoy looking at all of your photos. Wonderful stuff. Bonnie in Iowa
I really like the animal portraits the best. I'm a sucker for sheep pictures.
Ooo, hard to say. I love Alpacas, but that little guy smiling right at the camera is cute. My favorite of yours is one from a couple of years ago - kind of a crazy-eyed guy who cracks everyone up when they see it as my background.
I wouldn't presume to tell you what pictures to take. You have an inspiring view of things. I am partial to the ladies in waiting....
I like the sheeps in coats. I think it would be nice to see more color for cards.
I love 'em all but I have to say I'd love to see more sheep photos!
I like the alpaca photo.
Hard to pick a fav from such great photos! Hmm.... I really love the sheep in coats, but the alpaca mommy and baby is so cute too!!
What would I like to see more of: honestly I would love to see mini-notecards of these. I love the idea of giving a handmade yarn gift with the appropriate animal the yarn was made of attached as a little tag. I have weird taste though so maybe not a very marketable idea. What about doing more sheep in clothes? Ones in Santa hats for the holidays would be super cute!!
My favorite is of the four sheep. It looks like one of those Dutch Master paintings, it's so beautifully composed and shot and all.
I'd probably like to see more of the knitting/spinning process - fingers gripping fleece as it's carded, a pile of wool and needles in someone's lap, etc. Put the people in there - because we knitters are such oddly interesting folk...
I vote for the mittens, it was a tough call though they were all very compelling!
Katy
p.s. are you doing the Red Scarf project again this year? Will you be at SnB tomorrow night??
(katy.macrae@gmail.com)
Love the sheep in coats. I like how your animal photos seem to catch a bit of their "personality".
I love the mittens. Great photography!
Chrissy at knittoday(at)hotmail(dot)com
You are a true artist - The Sheep In Coats is stunning! I'd love the cards. What I really want, though, is a print for my wall. I haven't shot Kodachrome for years but I still mourn its passing.
The angora goat just looks happy to be there. So darn cute!
Every time I hear about Kodachrome going away, it takes me back to high school chemistry/physics when a friend and I would trade Simon and Garfunkel lyrics on a shared desk three periods apart.
oohh I love Llamas! and alpacas
but the mittens are so neat
how about fiber tools? wheels, nosti', old needles..
My favs are definitely the animals... the sheep grouping first, the goat second. Love their little faces!
I love the alpacas; I'm kind of a sucker for mom/baby shots of any kind. I also really like the mittens. I think I remember that it's a shot of the mitten tree (fence) for donated hand-knits, yes? So I like the association that one has, too.
Kim
I LOVE the sheep in coats image. They look so serious and the color of the coats blends in so well with their wool... mmm wool :)
i'm too late for the contest, but i think the angora goat is really pretty. all your photos are great.
Happy birthday Gail! Hope today is a great one! (Eat some cake for me, ok?)
A friend passed along your blog address to me.
I just love the ladies (sheep) in your Kodachrome shot,but when I saw the Sunco logo (Red flying Horse)I had to drop you a note. My husband is a commerical photographer and we were just talking about that logo, its one of my favorites.
Love your work and I think I'm really starting to like sheep. :)
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