Keep it in the Family

Fred Berg · Feb 14, 2012

A family grave in Herrgottsruh churchyard, Friedberg, Bavaria:

Revue AC-5, Chinon 35-70mm lens (lens hood used), Agfa Precisa CT diapositive film (iso 100), f3.5, 1/2000.
C&C welcome.

QuadTap · Feb 14, 2012

The crop seems a little intermediate ... i catch myself wanting to zoom in or out. Cool light though for sure thanks for posting.

Fred Berg · Feb 15, 2012

QuadTap said:
The crop seems a little intermediate ... i catch myself wanting to zoom in or out. Cool light though for sure thanks for posting.

Thanks. This is the original, which I cropped slightly after getting feedback on another forum:

Fred Berg · Feb 15, 2012

I feel another visit to the location would be worthwhile, but for now all I can do is crop. Is this closer crop more effective?

It would be nice to get some opinions on this. Thanks.

Fred Berg · Feb 15, 2012

Or maybe like this:

I took this in horizontal format, but zoomed out a bit more. I think the vertical crop works quite well, though. C&C welcome

hartz · Feb 15, 2012

Is there a reason why the bottom half is cut off? Feels like I'm seeing only half a picture.

Fred Berg · Feb 15, 2012

hartz said:
Is there a reason why the bottom half is cut off? Feels like I'm seeing only half a picture.

Yes, I was working along the idea of less is more with these photos, hoping to maximise their impact. I'lll look at the original dias again later and see if this or any of the other photos taken at the same time lend themselves to a more expansive crop. If so, I'll put one up so a fuller image is on display.

PixelRabbit · Feb 15, 2012

Beautiful subject Fred. I agree that it looks like an incomplete shot, the vertical crop is better to me but still leaves me wanting more, it is annoying that the top of the cross is chopped off.

Perhaps cropping to isolate pieces (like the cross, writing, bust, flowers etc...) instead of cropping sections of the whole might serve you better?

shuttervelocity · Feb 15, 2012

+1. Imagine looking at people with the top of their heads chopped off.

Fred Berg · Feb 16, 2012

shuttervelocity said:
+1. Imagine looking at people with the top of their heads chopped off.

I suppose it would depend on whether they or the guillotine were the subject....

Seriously though, thanks for the feedback everyone. As I mentioned, another visit to the location seems sensible.

Fred Berg · Feb 16, 2012

PixelRabbit said:
Beautiful subject Fred. I agree that it looks like an incomplete shot, the vertical crop is better to me but still leaves me wanting more, it is annoying that the top of the cross is chopped off.

Perhaps cropping to isolate pieces (like the cross, writing, bust, flowers etc...) instead of cropping sections of the whole might serve you better?

Food for thought. Thanks.

Joel_W · Feb 16, 2012

PixelRabbit said:
Beautiful subject Fred. I agree that it looks like an incomplete shot, the vertical crop is better to me but still leaves me wanting more, it is annoying that the top of the cross is chopped off.

Perhaps cropping to isolate pieces (like the cross, writing, bust, flowers etc...) instead of cropping sections of the whole might serve you better?

I feel the same exact way. It's leaves me wondering what the rest looks like and says.

rambler · Feb 16, 2012

When you are trying to decide which angle, and how best to crop, ask yourself, "Why did I take this picture?" What did you want us to see? What was the emotion you wanted to evoke in the viewer of your image?

Your title mentions family. The first word must have something to do with family, but what? Is that a family plot? Are more than one family member under the stone? Are you joking?

In short, I am confused by the subject matter. I do not think I can answer the questions I have asked. Please , do not take any offense. I am trying to be serious, not a wise guy.

Fred Berg · Feb 17, 2012

This is the most complete crop of the grave that I currently have:

Rambler, it was simply the elegant beauty of the gravestone that caught my eye when I took these photos. I liked the way the light and shadow combined and the way the colours were accentuated. There is only one name on the grave, Mathilde Schedelman, who, according to the inscription, was the wife of the choir leader. Having done a little research in the Bavarian archives, it might be that her husband moved to the Munich area with their children sometime after her death. I can't be sure about this, but the names, dates, places of birth and death, and also a connection to similar church activity would suggest that the names unearthed in the archieves are those of her children.

So this was probably intended as the final resting place of a family of some importance, and the prominant position of the grave (it's very near the church building with no other grave in between) as well as the expensive material and fine carving suggest that they were a family of some social standing, however, the best laid plans....