Category Archives: Foreign

Photographer’s Choice – Anita Hale

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The Girl From Ipanema?

Anita Hale - Brazilian Girl in the Sand

Anita Hale - Brazilian Girl in the Sand

Do you remember the hit song from 1964 performed by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz that helped to bring the bossa nova and Brazilian rhythms to the American popular music scene? This image by Anita probably was not captured on Ipanema beach in Rio but the mood created is the same-a young girl in the sand with wet hair, glistening in bright, almost overpowering sunlight. The angle she chose is far removed from that of a typical portrait and leaves much of the interpretation to the imagination. It’s also an image that may not appeal to everyone but those who can appreciate a creative approach to photography will find much to admire. The graceful intertwining of the strands of hair provides a calming influence in an otherwise “hot” image.
Anita’s camera was a Canon Powershot SD750 at 1/250 sec with an aperture of f/4.9 set to a focal length of 17.4 mm. The ISO was 400.

Photographer’s Choice – Pete Benda

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Quintessentially Southern France

In village of Molleges in Provence, France

Village of Molleges in Provence, France

Remember Judy’s shot from Saint-Paul Asylum in Saint-Rémy? This image was captured that same morning by Pete in the nearby village of Molleges as they biked through the countryside in Provence. If one were to tour the many small villages in southern France with a sketch pad, depicting different architectural details, the textures in the stone, the wood doors and doorways, the entry steps and railings, and the many plants and flowers that the French grow with such great care, this image could very well be the summation of all those details. The lines, shapes and materials simply merge together so perfectly that it’s difficult to imagine any design improvement.

Pete is a painter as well as a photographer. It would be interesting to see his canvas interpretation of this scene. Perhaps he’ll do that some day and share with us.