A Concentration Camp Gothic

[trailertrash]

I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau during 19th-21st of May and came back with 400+images. I want this subject to be my entry for our AVI night in 2009. Therefore the audience will be Camera Club members, but I would also like it be available on my web site to a broader audience.

I broke away from the tour and went off on my own to take images that were not the usual tourist pics. In many places photography is discouraged, but I did manage to get some that represent the conditions of life and death in the camps. This visit has been the top of my wish list for many years, and to have actually made the trip was..well I can't tell you what it meant. The museum [that's it's status now] is so busy, getting pics without people in them is very difficult, but I did my best. The overview images of Birkenau are taken from the watchtower.Yes I've actually stood atop that awful building.

The presentation is 7:15secs

24.6meg

49 slides

I have tried various transitions and effects, but feel that a presentation of this kind does'nt need bells and whistles.

The presentation can be downloaded here:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zkmmmkitz2z

I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments, and if anyone is interested, I've uploaded the presentation files for P2E to Mediafire if you'd like to have a play with them and maybe help me out for any improvements. Just PM me for the link.

This one needs to be right, so any help at all would be appreciated.

Andrew.

[Ken Cox]

Andrew.

GREAT PICTS AND COMPOSITION

ken

[dpeterso]

I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau during 19th-21st of May and came back with 400+images. I want this subject to be my entry for our AVI night in 2009. I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments, and if anyone is interested, I've uploaded the presentation files for P2E to Mediafire if you'd like to have a play with them and maybe help me out for any improvements. Just PM me for the link.

This one needs to be right, so any help at all would be appreciated.

Andrew.

Hello Andrew,

I enjoyed the show, in fact I found it moving. The pictures were good and the music quite suitable. You have an eye for composition. As for suggestions, I have a few:

1. I needed more captions explaining what I was looking at.

2. Regarding the one caption you did use, you scrolled it in from the lright, the opposite of how I read. Better yet, don't scroll it, just have it appear. That way it's easier to read.

3. Slow down on the credits at the end.

4. Some sort of a title at the beginning would be a nice touch.

You have some powerful material here Andrew. Good luck with your show.

Best regards,

Dave

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Andrew

I watched the show because I am of an age that lived at the time this happened. This is my critique of the show.

If it was mine, I would keep all the images in monochrome, no colour.

I would add a little grain to denote age.

I would have included a few people, if you could find some suitably dressed.

I would have set the text at the top of the screen, people sat at the back of the room would miss it.

I would vary the slide timings.

Finally I would find a poem about the death camps & voice it over the music.

Please don't take this as critism, it's been said many times, if we all did things the same way, what a boring old world it would be.

Yachtsman1

[d67]

Hi Andrew

Very good slideshow as it is.

Here the few things that could be enhanced from my point of view

- at the beginning, the words "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" are very very hardly visible

- the end is much too brutal

- there is something as a red water pole exactly in the center a one photo, about halfway of the slideshow. It is probably not something that existed during the camps "life" and, as it is very (too) visible, I find better this object to be wiped off

3 more minor points

- you can put off the mouse pointer for all the sequence

- music could be more sorrowful (tastes.... )

- the comment about the crematorium comes a bit curiously as it is the sole one for all the slideshow. i find it needless... or you have to give comments for all your slides !

As contrasts and color saturation are very high, I suppose you used a particular effect (High Dynamic Range like): what is that effect ?

I find this effect very suited for the subject as it gives a particular patina... as old color postcards.

Once more, congratulations for this very good slideshow

Patrick

[jfa]

Andrew,

Congratulations I believe you have captured the somber, moving atmosphere of the subject well with very good images and a thoughtful choice of music. Also I like how you went to great length to exclude people from the show, this is not easy in such places.

2. ---<snip>....Better yet, don't scroll it, just have it appear. That way it's easier to read.

3. Slow down on the credits at the end.

4. Some sort of a title at the beginning would be a nice touch.

I agree with the comments above but would not add any more captions, the one you used is needed at that point but no more. For me the mood would be broken if I spent time reading rather than absorbing the image/sound with my own thoughts, the images alone have more impact.

- at the beginning, the words "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" are very very hardly visible

...<snip>....As contrasts and color saturation are very high, I suppose you used a particular effect (High Dynamic Range like): what is that effect ?

I find this effect very suited for the subject as it gives a particular patina... as old color postcards.

I agree with Patrick completely, I would not like to see these images reduced to a grainy B/W trying to imitate "old photos" this is your story, with your feelings, of your visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau in May 2009 and you have shown it as such. Also the thought of including people suitably dressed or otherwise I find a little abhorrent this is not a theme-park.

[trailertrash]

Ken, Thanks for the compliment. I tried hard to get it right on this one. This was a personal ambition trip, so it had to be as good as I could get it. Unfortunately its not at all wheelchair friendly, so I had to get on my sticks and step out as best I could, so Composition was determined by many factors not the least of which was stability

[trailertrash]

Dave,

Thank you for the sound advice. I have taken on board your advice and will slow the credits down and have even added a scrolling list at the end. I will also include an opening preamble as you suggest. I havent got a clue about captions.but im inclined against them. I hope you dont think Im disregarding your valuable advice, but I hope the images speak for them selves.

Andrew

[trailertrash]

Yaughtsman1,

Thank you for the help. I deceided to go with colour because Im not trying to recreate the image of the camp as it was, just the record of my visit. I actually have an image of the various tour groups coming to the end of the tours and are following each other along the paths by the gate. If I were to use this in BW it looks for all the world like a group would have looked then. Heads down [exhausted] and following on. I dont know if I want to use that one.

I fixed the text. I never gave the seating plan a thought. Good call.

Ive never done a voice over, but I like the idea. I'll give it a bash.

Andrew.

[trailertrash]

Patrick

Thank you for the ideas. I just couldnt get a shot of the gate title without it being full of visitors. I just had to get what I could. Pity really its the one shot Im not happy with but need to use...sods law.

Ive removed the red water pipes from the shot you mention.

I will fix the mouse pointer. I forgot...sorry.

The colours is not HDR, its just levels and curves, which actually can produce the same effect. Im glad you like it.

Andrew.

[trailertrash]

John,

Im glad you like the show. The place was awash with visitors. Im glad it is so that lessons can be learned, but it makes photography difficult. I judt did what I could and hoped for the best.

Its a very popular venue.

Andrew.

[jfa]

Andrew,

You may be able to bring the gate title out more with a little work in Photoshop, I think it would be worth the effort.

Or if carefully done even overlaying text in the same position as the text on the sign may be a useful effect as part of the opening title.

Will you post the final show when you are finished working on it as I would like to see it?

[trailertrash]

John, Great idea. I have, since you mentioned it, tried to bring out the text, but its tough. I never thought of an overlay. Great idea. Yes I will submit a new draft for any further ideas and suggestions. I need all the help I can get.

[jfa]

Here is a very rough ides Andrew, not meant to be the way you should go but just a quick demo.

Select text then fill with colour of your choice and adjust the opacity then use layer style to add texture etc.

[trailertrash]

Thanks John. I'm on it as we speak.

[Ken Cox]

ANDREW

are you going to issue a revised - with a rev# ?

ken

[Lin Evans]

Hi Andrew,

Great show as it is.

In the future to remove unwanted subject from a frame, take multiple identical frames from the same position of any scene you want to remove people from with the camera in the same position and with the same settings. Then use software such as PhotoAccute Studio

http://www.photoacute.com/studio/index.html

which can remove any moving subjects... works great!

Best regards,

Lin

Patrick

Thank you for the ideas. I just couldnt get a shot of the gate title without it being full of visitors. I just had to get what I could. Pity really its the one shot Im not happy with but need to use...sods law.

Ive removed the red water pipes from the shot you mention.

I will fix the mouse pointer. I forgot...sorry.

The colours is not HDR, its just levels and curves, which actually can produce the same effect. Im glad you like it.

Andrew.

[trailertrash]

Hi Ken,

Yes, Im working feverishly to get a rework done. I'll certainly post the show for further comments. I really want this onr to be the best I can make it.

Andrew

[trailertrash]

Hi Lin,

I do know the technique, but you know I never gave it a thought. So imagine this...Im standing at the gate of Auschwitz willing visitors to get out of my way to get the picture I want. How stupid can I be.

I downloaded the programme you recommended and will get right into it.

Thank you for the advice and the link.

Andrew

[Esc]

Hi Andrew!

I guess the following will not help you very much but rather add to confusion .

In my local daily there was a story of a class of teens visiting Auschwitz. The newspaper

photographer put up a short slideshow on the net. I guess it will be up for a few more days.

http://w2.sydsvenskan.se/bildspel/asjauschwitz/

Her pictures shows the problem with visitors too.

The "voiceover" is actual ambient sounds and voices from the 15 year old kids.

For some time I have been working on a slideshow of a polish woman

during the last months of WWII based on pictures from the net.

The "intro" covers Auschwitz as she was borned in the nearby village Reisko.

Captions are "maltreated" by google and myself as they are originally in my native language.

It´s appr. 5 min and 5MB and can be downloaded from mediafire

http://www.mediafire.com/?ytwomcm2ln4

The two AV:s show the different use of new colorpictures and original b/w.

In my opinion I don´t think colorpix made b/w adds to this kind of AV.

The quality of modern colorpictures I think makes it possible to crop and zoom quite a lot

while the net-b/w have to go as is.

I look forward to see your finished show.

Lennart