At the Baron Rouge, a photo from Ile-de-France, North

Photographer's Note

The Baron Rouge is a bistro near the Place d'Aligre. On Sundays at this time of year, a friend of the owner brings in huge sacks of oysters from Brittany, and those who know this descend on the place, so many that sometimes they end up using car hoods and even garbage bins as tabletops.

We went with some friends, and by dint of sheer - but polite - persistence eventually got to sit at a table inside. I didn't have much light - or space - to work with, but I couldn't resist playing around anyway. I got this shot of the bar when the people standing at it somehow all moved out of my line of sight for a moment. I like the chiaroscuro effect (also, by this time I think we had seen every Rembrandt in Paris, and I was feeling inspired by the master).

Technical: Some sharpening; noise reduction by Noiseware Professional (Dfine tended to flatten this image). Cropping, then some burn work in the upper left and brush work on the right edge to tone down the burnout. I have raised Brightness more than normal for this version, to compensate for TE's darkening effect. If I print this, I plan to stress the chiaroscuro aspect more.

holmertz, jwmunro has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Ola_Kwiatek (0) 2009-10-30 12:00

Wonderful glass. Nice light and shadow. Original composition. Very sophisticated work.
Cheers

marietom (34611) 2009-10-30 15:32

hello dan

Nice atmosphere in your picture here. I like a lot place d'Aligre.
Bonne soirée
Marie

batalay (41261) 2009-10-31 13:14

Hi Dan,

I love this shot! The composition and light management is surpassing. The subdued colors, the bottles that are more translucent than transparent all contribute to the painterly effect. There is no doubt it has some Rembrandt-colors. But there is also the Bohemian subject of the early 20th century. I like your personal note.

Regarding your separate message on Vermeer, like Leonardo, he produced a relatively small number of paintings.Thirty-four is the best count. At the National Gallery in Washington, DC there was a huge exhibition about ten years ago when 30 or 31 of his paintings were on display. The largest collection ever brought together, it included three of his the greatest masterworks: the Art of Painting, the Milkmaid (also called woman with a pitcher), and the Mistress and Maid. I used the first of these in 'Math and the Mona Lisa,' the the second is visiting the Metropolitan from Rijksmuseum in a current exhibition. The third is in the Henry Clay Frick Collection on Fifth Avenue in New York.

I like you photo very much.
Regards,

Bulent

clio (27961) 2009-11-01 2:13

Hi Dan,
I see that you found the Baron Rouge finally!
I like very much this picture. A beautiful still life. Colors are sweet and perfectly mastered.
Bravo
Amitié à tous les deux
Diane

holmertz (102732) 2009-11-04 13:28

Hello Dan,
A quite original photo, at least for TE, but perfectly fitting the rule of teaching us about the world through photography. I enjoy the tenderly handled sparse light and the way it is absorbed by the curves of the bottles and glasses.
Well done,
Gert

jwmunro (286) 2009-11-05 7:23

Hello Dan -

An interesting still life. Is this a natural color or a sepia conversion? Either or, it is a nice touch. The more I look at the image more I see. When I first looked at the image several days ago I did not care for it but now I am seeing details that were not evident on the first look. Well seen.

Thank you for sharing.

John

avene (12675) 2010-01-13 11:07

hi Dan,
I've been looking at this photo for quite a while now, and I still cannot define why I find it so appealing. the soft light and sepia tones make me think of an antiques store, filled with all kinds of treasures if you know how to look. nice :)

best,
Kristine