An appreciation of beauty.

[weezin]

Might be wrong here, but wasn't it the Leica cameras that were so popular with the street photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson? I'd love to have a go at that but I have no real clue how to use a proper camera, and I'm too shy to be wandering the streets taking photos of people. Glad someone did though.

Yes! The basic form and function has stayed the same for many years.

The visual design is good but the usability is poor and the results are not justified by the price.

Same as an Omega Speedmaster versus a Casio F-91W.

Usability is not poor, it is pure. It's an old-school photographic tool with high craftsmanship and beautiful design. I have many more "capable" cameras, and I reach for this one the majority of the time. To each their own.

 

[BotchQue]

For me, something has to have function as well as form. The following device is entirely unbeaten. I have three at the moment...

It's perfect design. Intuitive, small enough to fit in a pocket, batteries last forever, feels extremely well made and responds perfectly to everything. The design has aged quite well since 1981.

It was years before I figured out the "Calculator" app on the Mac can be set to Reverse Polish, under "View"!

 

[BotchQue]

The only metal that conducts heat faster than copper is silver, and yes there's a foundry in Turkey that makes solid-silver cookware. They are not cheap, but I'd love to own one someday.

 

[Flowstates]

Just checked the website, price outpaced all my expectations (But then again, I'm quite removed from whatever market this happens to fall in). Gorgeous nonetheless, I truly hope that you could get some in your hands one-day. (I'm a sucker for that hammered finishing)

 

[Snow4maen]

The other 80’s car I fell in love with……😍

The Knight Industries Two Thousand…teaching 80’s kids it’s ok to be gay.

 

[Analog Kid]

There is a lot of beautiful music in the world, and Ani DiFranco in particular has brought a lot of beauty into my life, but this song has always stood out to me:

Amazing Grace already has so many beautiful renditions, I find it incredible that this 25 year old was able to create something so new and yet so timeless out of a 225 year old hymn at the same time she was bringing electric and punk into her own style.

It's complex, but never busy. Repetitive but always changing. A 7 minute exploration that shows us so many new angles of something we thought we already knew.

 

[Snow4maen]

I was born in Yorkshire England, in Sheffield. There are many beautiful places in Yorkshire, and York itself is lovely. Here is a picture of The Shambles, in York. It looks like something out of Harry Potter…..

 

[Snow4maen]

There is a lot of beautiful music in the world, and Ani DiFranco in particular has brought a lot of beauty into my life, but this song has always stood out to me in particular:

Amazing Grace already has so many beautiful renditions, I find it incredible that this 25 year old was able to create something so new and yet so timeless out of a 225 year old hymn at the same time she was bringing electric and punk into her own style.

It's complex, but never busy. Repetitive but always changing. A 7 minute exploration that shows us so many new angles of something we thought we already knew.

We were just talking about Amazing Grace in my church group. Something about a man who was heavily into the slave trade, seeing the error of his ways, repenting and finding faith. It’s probably my favourite hymn, that saved a wretch like me indeed!

 

[Snow4maen]

Trust……

 

[clayj]

A picture I took of Dettifoss, Iceland, in 2017.

 

[Snow4maen]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not well read, on Shakespeare or anything else. And I’m not educated. However, I love words. After music, literature is my favourite art. When watching a favourite film of mine, Withnail & I. At the end there is an excerpt from Shakespeare. Just look at this writing, no wonder he’s so well regarded. It’s amazing.

 

[Snow4maen]

A picture I took of Dettifoss, Iceland, in 2017.

View attachment 2369947

I’d love to be able to take photos like this, but I really have no clue with the technicalities of photography, so can’t really justify spending what would be necessary for a good camera. I used to have a fairly cheap Canon Powershot, it did it all automatic, and the images were pretty good actually. But those point and shoot cameras now don’t seem worth buying, I’d probably get images just as good with an iPhone. I love the convenience of using my iPhone, and now I think people are starting to take smartphone photography a bit more seriously as the quality has come on so much. But it’s unlikely to ever match a professional dedicated camera. For casuals like me, my iPhone is fine.

 

[clayj]

I’d love to be able to take photos like this, but I really have no clue with the technicalities of photography, so can’t really justify spending what would be necessary for a good camera. I used to have a fairly cheap Canon Powershot, it did it all automatic, and the images were pretty good actually. But those point and shoot cameras now don’t seem worth buying, I’d probably get images just as good with an iPhone. I love the convenience of using my iPhone, and now I think people are starting to take smartphone photography a bit more seriously as the quality has come on so much. But it’s unlikely to ever match a professional dedicated camera. For casuals like me, my iPhone is fine.

I shot this on my iPhone, in Panorama mode.

 

[Snow4maen]

I shot this on my iPhone, in Panorama mode.

Well there I go assuming, that’s reassuring.

I took an iPhone picture when on holiday in Ilfracombe, Devon. It’s a statue called Verity. Came out ok…

 

[Analog Kid]

Apologies, this is ridiculous. But the sheer brute in me, likes a bit of rough! I have a passion for Doner Kebabs....

View attachment 2369881

A very rubbish and silly poem I wrote about Kebabs....


View attachment 2369882

Since I now have Ani DiFranco on the brain, your post reminded me of this lyric:

"Sometimes the beauty is easy.
Sometimes you don't have to try at all.
Sometimes you can hear the wind blow in a handshake.
Sometimes there's poetry written right on the bathroom wall."
-- Ani DiFranco

The parallel I'm seeing is finding beauty in common things, I'm not suggesting this belongs on a bathroom wall...

It's a similar sentiment Kurt Vonnegut expresses in a story about his Uncle Alex, who would always make a point of noticing the happy times in life by saying "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.".

 

[Analog Kid]

Well there I go assuming, that’s reassuring.

I took an iPhone picture when on holiday in Ilfracombe, Devon. It’s a statue called Verity. Came out ok…


View attachment 2369967

Now that is a fantastic statue!

 

[Jumpthesnark]

The Sam Maloof rocker:

Lovely! And while we're on the topic of beautiful furniture, I give you the Eames Chair.

 

[Snow4maen]

Now that is a fantastic statue!

It’s by the British artist Damien Hirst. I have next to no real knowledge about art, I’m too lazy and ignorant to be serious about it. But I respect it. I remember a friend of of mine got me a book on Duchamp years ago. It was interesting, as far as I remember his displaying of that urinal was particularly original for the time. If he hadn’t done that, would anyone else have? So much of contemporary art now seems to be of this vein. Rather than schools or styles as such, the artist can point at anything they deem valuable.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Yes! The basic form and function has stayed the same for many years.

Usability is not poor, it is pure. It's an old-school photographic tool with high craftsmanship and beautiful design. I have many more "capable" cameras, and I reach for this one the majority of the time. To each their own.

Agreed. The usability of Leica rangefinders is the gold standard. My M6...

I really wanted to post an experience or a place in this thread, rather than stuff, but the discussion has led me here. 🤣

 

[Snow4maen]

Since I now have Ani DiFranco on the brain, your post reminded me of this lyric:

"Sometimes the beauty is easy.
Sometimes you don't have to try at all.
Sometimes you can hear the wind blow in a handshake.
Sometimes there's poetry written right on the bathroom wall."
-- Ani DiFranco

The parallel I'm seeing is finding beauty in common things, I'm not suggesting this belongs on a bathroom wall...

It's a similar sentiment Kurt Vonnegut expresses in a story about his Uncle Alex, who would always make a point of noticing the happy times in life by saying "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.".

Without wanting to be ignorant of the value of anything highbrow. I also think there is much beauty in the mundane. One of my favourite writers is Charles Bukowski, he turns a dead beat alcoholic life into poetry. I’m basically a bum, with a drinking problem, I’m a mess. I find a kinship with him, as if my ridiculous existence is somehow glorified into something magical. There is something very human about him.

 

[NoGood@Usernames]

The only metal that conducts heat faster than copper is silver, and yes there's a foundry in Turkey that makes solid-silver cookware. They are not cheap, but I'd love to own one someday.

Wow, that is absolutely gorgeous! As someone who is not generally fond of cooking, here I sit in awe of the beauty of a piece of cookware. The shine of that hammered silver is amazing, and the copper handle... *chef's kiss*

 

[Snow4maen]

When I was about 9. Back in the 80’s. There was a lot of Karate, and martial arts about. The Karate Kid, Bruce Lee. I always wanted to be a Ninja! I would watch all the martial arts films, and buy Ninja computer games, loved it. But as I got older I started to have more understanding about its context, in culture and spirituality and even ethics. I had long been a fan of Japanese martial arts, and the Samurai culture. This led me to read a bit about Zen, and Bushido. How very important the Katana was to a Samurai, and the skill and integrity in making a sword. There is so much to appreciate, it’s such an aesthetically appealing culture. From Bento boxes, to Sushi. Calligraphy, etc. I used to live with some Chinese people in London, and they were keen to point out that the Japanese borrowed from them. But I think the Japanese put enough of their own unique style into things that it’s very valuable. There was a highly developed sense of honour with the Samurai, something we might see as fairly trivial could be profound. Latterly, Japan gave us Sega and Nintendo, which I also very much valued as a child. I think it’s a wonderful culture.

 

[kc9hzn]

Here are some flowers in Central Park that I saw on Sunday, my humble contribution to this thread.

 

[Snow4maen]

Definitely want to mention one of my favourite movies. Lost in Translation, by Sofia Coppola. The two main characters develop an innocent, pure and fun relationship. I think owing to mutual respect and their individual life circumstances, the relationship is never debased by lust or sex. They only know each other for a fleeting time, and then have to separate forever. However if anyone were in this situation, they would value the experience forever. It’s very lovely.

 

[weezin]

Similarly to @Snow4maen , one of my favorite movies is Her - a beautifully shot and fascinating love story between a man and an AI assistant. Directed by Spike Jonze, who was once married to Sofia Coppola...this movie and Lost in Translation are similar in some ways.