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Environmentally Friendly

A peasant worker rides his bicycle along the edge of an iced over highway between two towns, 55KM apart, in the far north western China province of Xinjiang. While he may be friendly to the environment for doing this - I don't think the favour is returned.

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Mihnea Turcu 3 years ago

i love the perspective...as we can not see its end....
what film have you used? and on what has the exposure being taken, please?
thank you

Richard Ford Thanks Mihnea,

It was shot on the new Kodak TMAX 400 with a Nikon F80 and a Nikon 35/2 lens. I think I had +1 stop exposure compensation set as the snow will mess with the meter's normal metering and snow shots tend to them come out grey and not white and under exposed.

As to fstop and shutter, I have no idea. Probably f11-f16 and then 60-125/sec. I also used a K2 yellow filter on the lens.

Cheers,
RF.

Mihnea Turcu thank you, Richard, its the answer i needed; i will also buy that K2 filter, a red and a yellow one. nice image once again, and please dont get nervous if i jump up with a question from time to time...
thanks and regards, mihnea.

Richard Ford As they say in China "Mei Guanxi". Translated into Aussie means 'No Worries".

Alexander OBrien 3 years ago

love the atmosphere, and the composition is just perfect! Excellent shot!

Richard Ford Thanks!

Alberto Peroni 3 years ago

Love the atmosphere and the composition.

Richard Ford Thanks Alberto. The composition was due to cropping - the atmosphere though was quite deliberate in my desire to get out into it. ;-)

tomaz crnej 3 years ago

moody, nice

Richard Ford Thanks Tomaz

Norbert Maier 3 years ago

Very impressive atmosphere! Great shot!

Richard Ford Thanks Norbert. I have a stack more - but I will probably send them straight to critique because I really don't know what I am doing with nature/landscape stuff. I need to rescan some more too as well. I have some mountain ones that I am trying to do something with now as well.

mjsmith403 3 years ago

Great shot.....chills my bones

Richard Ford Then you need to probably ride a bike to keep warm! ;-)

Wulff 3 years ago

Nice, love the "cold" feeling in this :-)
/Wulff

Richard Ford It looks colder than it is. There is very little to no wind, so it is quite comfortable - all things considered.

Tim Corbeel 3 years ago

Wonderful image! Very beautiful composition.

Richard Ford Thanks Tim. All I knew is that I wanted this lonesome guy. I am not into landscape shots so much - so I just followed a few of the basic leading lines rules and crossed my fingers.

gerard sexton 3 years ago

Wonderful contrasts in this & it says so much & there is a nice balance in the composition. I HAD to cycle in & out of work for 24 months in all weathers no option & I have a sort of empathy with this guy. I rarely encountered snow though.

Richard Ford Ha. If he was a westerner he'd be called an "Extreme Sportsman" and have a load voiced over show in some cable channel! Since he is not, he is just doing something probably very normal and frequent to him.

andrea lorenzetti 3 years ago

stunning!!!!

Richard Ford Thanks Andrea. I am not really into landscapes and have a hard time appreciating them or even knowing how to shoot them. I think as I mentioned below - it was the guy on the bike. Had he not been there, in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn't have asked my driver to stop so that I can get out and shoot...... I guess I am lucky to get a shot and not get run down from a road train coming out of the fog either! :-S

Marvin Trachtenberg 3 years ago

very eerie, edge of the world "Siberian" shot (not that far away I guess), uncanny and given today's dystopian mood, almost threatening, beautfully subtle tones and composition... marvin

Richard Ford Thanks Marvin. I highly recommend people get out to this "Silk Road" area of western China. It is Chinese, Muslim and what not all mixed up. And stunning landscapes too.

Marvin Trachtenberg I was out there decades ago, mainly for Dunhuang rather than photography, but I know what you mean...keep going! thanks

Koen Pieters 3 years ago

the landscape really seems bare and unforgiving here. like the extra wide feel of the photo.

Richard Ford Thanks. It reminds me of a cold Australia and in summer, well Australia. The original shot was MUCH wider than this. This is a crop that is about 25%of the original scan because I wanted to get the leading lines coming out of the corner - plus the effect of the wide angle expansion that makes the road look like it bows or bends out in the foreground more so than the distant.

I had the car I was in stop and out I got in pursuit on foot... even for a chap that seems to be idly peddling along - he did a damn good job at keeping a distance from me.... got quite tired trying to get close to shoot with the car and getting our and then running again without wanting to tip him off to my presence. And I KNEW this had to be wide - so no telephoto lens. That would have been easier on the lungs - but the image and perspective would have suffered.

Koen Pieters actually it reminded me of the American mid-west. Guess I've been watching Fargo too often :-)

Mitchell Kanashkevich, dasar, Anton Hartenberg and 7 more people added this to favorites

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