Feature Week 45

Film

113-19

That week I visited Modena for a meeting with Maserati, I came in a day early via Bologna and stayed at an apartment near the train station. Planning my arrival early in the afternoon gave me the chance to wander around town with my camera. I shot a full roll that day, Italian cities tend to ask for attention like an attractive woman.

After taking sixteen pictures I arrived at the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna which was filled with chairs and a giant cinema canvas. At the square Neptune was the big star of his fountain, accompanied by women at the base of the fountain. Around the basin were fences because of construction work (middle picture below) Later I found out the trident Neptune is holding was the inspiration of the Maserati's logo.

The atmosphere of the old square and the outdoor cinema was confusing. The six hundred year old Basilica of San Petronio and Palazzo d'Accursio surrounding the cinema. The screen was in front of the Palazzo dei Banchi with the Santa Maria della Vita behind it. The composition on the picture creates the illusion that this is not one picture but pasted together somehow. In post (editing the image) I tried to emphasis that feeling by giving the picture more contrast and thereby highlighting the screen which was already pretty white. The screen cuts the image in two pieces and reveals the church behind it. To get the church in the picture I had to climb on the chairs otherwise you would just see the tip.

131-35 "Cloud" a fussion example in Argentina

151-19 "Forum" a fussion example in Argentina131-35 "Cloud" a fussion example from Madrid

126-28 "Cranes", a fussion example from the harbour in Buenos Aires

126-28 Net V, a fussion example from a construction in Buenos Aires

This picture is the start of a new series called "Fission" which show similar compositions and have a split or division, where is look like two or more picture have been merged into one. These photos are on display in an exhibition at Piet Hein Eek in Eindhoven until December 2020. Hopefully in spring we will show you more.

Fission is about the illusion of combined pictures.

Adjacent to Piazza Maggiore, Neptune shows his trident, accompa- nied by four beautiful women (see pictures above). It is this trident that inspired Mario Maserati to design the famous Maserati logo. This week it was announced that Maserati updated their logo, which inspired me to create this post. I remembered the location of the Neptune statue and the pictures I took on that location. Combined with the picture "Film" which is shown on the exhibition at Piet Hein Eek.

Location Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Italy

Details you can find in this picture

1. The Santa Maria della Vita towers above the cinema screen, like it is keeping an eye on the people watching films. I had to click on a chair to be able to get the church properly in the picture. The church regularly organizes exhibitions, the dome was designed by the architect Bibiena, and is an important example of Bolognese baroque.

3 cups

Blueberries

2. The screen plays an important role in this picture, it divides the image in two, showing the church behind the screen. The reflective-ness of the silver screen already pops out making it easy and realistic to turn up the contrast in this image. Unfortunately there was no show that evening, I would have loved to see "La Dolce Vita" on that square.

3. It took me a couple of minutes before I could take this picture, because there was an employee of the cinema working underneath the screen near the balustrade on the left of the image. While I was waiting I was standing on these plastic chairs which were very wobbly. Meanwhile there were people wondering what I was doing, like I was just standing there, not taking any pictures. When she took the stairs, I took my shot, The original composition had some room on the left side of the picture which I had to cut off in post. I always try to leave some space just in case, you better have a bit too much then a bit too little.

4. Standing on these wobbly chairs make you feel like you're part of the audience. I was lucky the chairs were all the same colour so it would not distract on the image. It took me a couple of trails before I got the right position, showing the church, over- viewing the chairs. I just had my 50mm lens with me giving me less flexibility. It was important the picture contained enough chairs in the foreground to make the composition work. And I think it did. The picture looks surreal, like it is configured out of two separate pictures. Now I want to make more photos like this one.