Rankin's 2020

Details and discussion for any up-coming outings, exhibitions, or general photographic events.
Tina
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Rankin's 2020

Postby Tina » Sun 27 Sep 2020, 10:17

A new series on Sky Arts Tuesday 29th September 8pm might be worth watching for those with Sky TV.
Rankin searches for some of the best photographers documenting our experiences of this weird year.
Tina
Mike Farley
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Mike Farley » Sun 27 Sep 2020, 11:18

Thanks, Tina. Good spot. The even better news is that Sky Arts has been free to view since the middle of September. It can be found on Freeview channel 11.
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
Mike Farley
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Mike Farley » Wed 30 Sep 2020, 08:53

I watched the programme and thought that Rankin and his guests made some interesting choices for their images, although I am not convinced that all of them adhered to the "empathy" theme. I suspect that there might have been better choices but looking at the other categories there is nothing else there which fits with recent events. Doubtless the topics were all decided long before anyone knew how 2020 would turn out, although I do wonder why the programmes are coming out now with a quarter of the year left. I also felt that it was a mistake to include the shot from one of the selectors which was weak in comparison with the others shown.

What I did notice was that two of the shots were taken on iPhones and another was on medium format film. Only one came from what might be considered a "conventional" camera these days and there was not a zoom lens in sight.
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Mike Farley
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Iggy
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Iggy » Wed 30 Sep 2020, 11:46

I just saw two rather good images during that half hour and they were not Rankin's.
His was compromised by a disturbing white patch behind the face.

The show would have benefited from a few more of the public's best images.
This could have been done by displaying at least three images chosen by each presenter and Rankin, before we saw their final choices.

On the other hand, I rather enjoyed Master of Photography!
Mike Farley
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Mike Farley » Wed 30 Sep 2020, 12:37

Iggy wrote:I just saw two rather good images during that half hour and they were not Rankin's.
His was compromised by a disturbing white patch behind the face.

Rankin's effort was one of those where I questioned its relevance to the "empathy" theme. Another of those he showed from the session depicted the nurse with her charge which might have been more appropriate. We did not see it for long enough to make a fully formed opinion. I did not notice the white spot because I was distracted by the garish bokeh. To the extent I was wondering about which of Leica's current 50 mm M-mount lenses he had used. In case anyone is asking, and there is certainly no reason why you should, there are three and all should have done better given what they cost.

Iggy wrote:The show would have benefited from a few more of the public's best images.
This could have been done by displaying at least three images chosen by each presenter and Rankin, before we saw their final choices.

I definitely agree. Whether I will continue to watch is uncertain as last night's episode appeared to have an agenda which went way beyond photography.

Iggy wrote:On the other hand, I rather enjoyed Master of Photography!

It is the first time I have seen it, not having either Sky or Now TV. They do not mollycoddle the contestants, do they? Bruce Gilden was every bit as abrasive as you would expect given the way he photographs people.
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Mike Farley
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Mike Farley
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Mike Farley » Thu 01 Oct 2020, 08:31

Mike Farley wrote: To the extent I was wondering about which of Leica's current 50 mm M-mount lenses he had used. In case anyone is asking, and there is certainly no reason why you should, there are three and all should have done better given what they cost.

When I thought about this, I realised that Leica actually has four 50 mm lenses in its catalogue. I remembered the two Summicrons with maximum apertures of f/2 and the f/1.4 Summiux but forgot about the f/0.95 Noctilux. Not that it really matters, I doubt if Ramkin used the Noctilux which is an unmistakably large lens. More likely it was the Summilux or the APO version of the Summicron.
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Mike Farley
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Iggy
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Iggy » Thu 01 Oct 2020, 16:58

Hi Mike, I took another look at the 1st 15 mins of the 1st episode of Rankin 2020 on catch up.
In fact there are a fair few images shot by the public but we only get a fleeting glance of them.
Here is Rankin's image with the white patches that I shot on the TV with my mobile.
I will probably watch the second episode.
Regards, Iggy
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Mike Farley
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Mike Farley » Fri 02 Oct 2020, 09:07

Iggy wrote:Here is Rankin's image with the white patches that I shot on the TV with my mobile.

Hi Iggy, thanks for publishing the shot of the nurse. I eventually found it on Rankin's Facebook page where he presented it in a square aspect ratio, with less space on either side of the subject. There was certainly a smaller area of the image with the background out of focus and I think seeing it smaller than on the TV helped in that regard as well. Likewise the paler area behind her face. I would be surprised if Rankin had not deliberately chosen to do that in order to make her stand out from the background. The tonality is not pure white and it does provide a visual contrast.

I am of the opinion that in camera clubs we have been trained by judges to be wary of lighter tones appearing beyond the main subject and view it as a distraction. While that is sometimes the case, I do not believe that it always applies and, for me, is not an issue in this instance. If you recall, it is something I raised during the image critique session at the start of the season.

Iggy wrote:In fact there are a fair few images shot by the public but we only get a fleeting glance of them.

In my experience, an image has to be displayed for at least five seconds for it to register and we got nowhere near that. All I can recall is a blur of images which it might have been interesting to see if we were given the opportunity. While I understand that the programme is constrained by what it can do in less than 30 minutes, the producers have missed a trick by not showing them on the website or social media. They could have created more of a buzz about the show. The FB post with the image of the nurse has just 9 comments at the time of writing.

Iggy wrote:I will probably watch the second episode.

Likewise. While it is great to have an all too rare TV show devoted to photography, I found the opening episode disappointing in some aspects. There is unrealised potential in the format.
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
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Franke07
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Franke07 » Fri 02 Oct 2020, 17:56

I received this in my mail from Photocrowd, https://mastersof.photography/home-sign ... wd%20Email
I haven't yet explored the offer myself!
Iggy
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Re: Rankin's 2020

Postby Iggy » Wed 07 Oct 2020, 14:54

Putting my critical eye to one side, I rather enjoyed Rankin's 2020 last night.
I just wish that it was an hour long to see more of the public's best images in a meaningful way.
This episode is also available on catch-up.

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