Saturday, April 30, 2005

Hallway Through Peephole


Hallway Through Peephole
Originally uploaded by Chris Campbell.

Imagine it is three a.m. and there is a disturbance down the hall. You peep through the hole trying to see what is going on. You dread opening the door unless you become involved or at least embarrassed.

You have a problem. While you can see a little of the world beyond the door you can't see everything. What can be discerned is distorted. Unconsciously you move your head around trying to see more clearly.

This is a classic Glimpse.

Friday, April 29, 2005

Levels


Levels
Originally uploaded by firemind.

This was my first submission to Glimpse.

I was having a latte in the Starbucks at Chapters and I couldn't stop watching the lower levels. I was relaxed and open to ideas and liked how the people seemed to disappear and reappear. I had to take the pic.

When I heard of the Glimpse group I knew this photo belonged there.

Poppi Alleyway


Poppi Alleyway
Originally uploaded by Auntie P.

Auntie P set the groups tone with this fine Glimpse.

Glimpse is NOT

Auntie P posted a topic called "Glimpse is NOT" to help members post appropriate photos to the pool. This is an adaptation of that post.




Instead of saying again what a Glimpse IS, I thought I'd try saying what a Glimpse IS NOT.

NOT tunnels, corridors or streets that disappear to nothing - there must be something glimpsed at the end, you must be able to see a little of what is beyond.

NOT any photograph that happens to have a window in it - we don't want to see the inside of a place with an empty window, or to see a window but not be able to see what's hiding inside.

NOT any photograph that has a frame - trees, doorways and windows do make good Glimpses, but if the frame is at the edges and we get a good view of outside, it's not a Glimpse it's a view.

NOT photographs so abstract you can't Glimpse anything discernable - we need some curiosity, a hint at least.

NOT photographs where the Glimpse is not prominent - some are photos of, say, a wall, with a little of what's beyond showing at the side or above, but it's still a photo of a wall and not a Glimpse.

NOT reflections that fill the whole frame - unless the reflection only shows a tiny portion of the scene.

NOT photos that just show a part of something - that's an abstract or a close-up but not a Glimpse.

NOT a framing object like a sculpture or gate where the background is not in focus - that's a photo of the object and not the Glimpse beyond.



Negatives can help one understand a subject. If your photo fits one of the descriptions above it probably isn't a Glimpse.

Tutorials

Occasionally we will write tutorials to help people take good Glimpse photos. They will cover a variety of ideas and subjects that should be useful to photographers in general and Glimpse members in particular.


  1. Glimpse is NOT

  2. G.L.I.M.P.S.E

  3. From Scene To Glimpse

  4. A Photo Subject's Relationship To The Frame

  5. The Two Trees Exercise

  6. Glimpse Definitions

About Us

Firemind (Leon):

I have been interested in photography sporadically for many years. Recently I joined Flickr and began to become 'addicted' again.

I take a wide variety of photos. Sometimes I photograph intuitively and sometimes I plan out my shots. When Auntie P asked me to become an Admin in the Glimpse group I looked at what I had to offer the group besides my time. I wanted to help people take good photos as well as help with the maintenance of the group. I want to challenge myself by writing about photography. If my ideas help you learn then I am doing something right. I am not a professional photographer. I'm just an enthusiast who enjoys helping others.

I started blogging two years ago and I really enjoy it. I like to share ideas with people and blogging is a fun way to do that. I manage two group blogs. The Demo Blog is a teaching blog and a place to share ideas. Its purpose is to help new bloggers enjoy the hobby. Our Photoblog is where members of The Demo Blog show their photos. While Take A Glimpse isn't officially related to these blogs I hope it will carry on their traditions. I hope this blog will be a place to share ideas and show great pics.

Auntie P:

I've been interested in photography since I can remember,
and have, until recently, been a dedicated film user. I
have three old manual SLRs which I love - particularly my
Pentax SV which is a tiny bit older than I am. I love
processing my own black and white photos but don't get a
chance to do that very often.

I've always loved doorways, windows and alleyways,
particularly if you can see that they lead to somewhere
else. I live on the Isle of Wight in the south of the UK
and many of our old towns here have very narrow alleys
between buildings, particularly those connected with the
sea. I love the little glimpses you get, either of the
ocean, a marina, or perhaps the rear garden of a shop where
many interesting things are stored, or are being left to rot
(decay is another obsession of mine).

I realised, not long after getting a pro acount on Flickr
and uploading lots of my photos, that my Glimpse obsession
was quite clear cut. My definition was simple and
straightforward, or so I thought, so I started the group.

The response was fantastic. I discovered two things.

1. There are many more appropriate interpretations of a
Glimpse, which many of the members have shown me through
their images.

2. Some people just don't read group descriptions.

The group has grown rapidly and I found that it was taking
up a lot of my time weeding out the non-glimpses. I needed
help. I remembered Firemind's images and was sure I'd never
deleted any of his submissions to the group. He seemed
really to have grasped the concept, and more to the point,
enjoyed it.

I was delighted when he said he'd join me at the helm.
He's full of great ideas, including this blog.

Introduction

Welcome to Take A Glimpse. This blog is a companion to the Glimpse group at Flickr. Auntie P started the group to showcase:

photographs that show a glimpse to another place or world. It's the idea of a secret garden beyond the gate, an exciting adventure to be had beyond the place you are.

Photographs should include the 'frame' through which you view the 'other place' - eg a window frame, a doorway, a barrier of some sort. Or it could be a natural frame created by the leaves and branches of a tree, a crowd of people, etc.

However just having a frame is not enough. Big frames give too much away. The Glimpse must be small or partial. We don't want windows etc that show a big scene.

The main point is that you should be able to see a tantalising glimpse of what is beyond.


That tantalising glimpse can be difficult to capture.

This blog will showcase interesting examples of Glimpse photos and will provide ideas and tutorials for photographers. I hope that you find this site useful and that you enjoy the pictures. Our photos are hosted at Flickr and can be viewed at a larger size by clicking on them.

Copyright: This blog is licensed under a Creative Commons license. Please note that individual pictures may be licensed differently.