This photo was taken in Nijmegen West, an area in my adopted hometown that has seen quite a bit of demolition and renewal in recent years. It used to be an industrial area, and the most prominent feature was the Honig factory, where wheat starch was produced, which served as the basis for soups and later also vermicelli, including the world’s first curly vermicelli. Nowadays, there’s a lot of new housing, and the tall silo with the Honig brand on it remains as a landmark.
I had been out walking in this area with a friend, and had brought along my trusty Sony A6000 with an Industar 69 vintage manual lens, which I had ordered from Ukraine. The Industar 69 was used with Soviet Chaika (Чайка) half-frame cameras. It was a compact 28mm f/2.8 pancake lens with an M39 screw mount, though it featured a non-standard flange distance, making it incompatible with Leica cameras. This meant you could take 64 frames with a standard film, which would normally do 36 frames.
I had to disassemble it and move the lens barrel back so it would focus to infinity on a modern mirrorless camera. It does not have the same level of sharpness as modern digital AF lenses, and is particularly soft at the corners and edges, though for my purposes, it is sharp enough at the center. But these are features I actually like about it, delivering a more vintage look.
Mounted on the A6000, it makes for a very compact and pocketable walk-around combo. I had already taken quite a number of shots when, towards the end of our walk, we passed by this beach parasol and chairs, the surreal nature of which, considering the location, caught my attention. I knew I had to get a capture. Later, I cycled back to the spot and took a couple of shots.
I hadn’t considered including a human in the photo, but several passed by, either cycling or walking. Of the four shots I took, I liked this one the most. The title is taken from the text on the parasol. I had tried to turn the parasol to include the whole text, but it wouldn’t budge. When translated, it means ‘Live with your…’. Not visible is ‘chin up’.
What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
I feel the parasol and chairs, and the human leaving the frame are the two most impactful features.
If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or differently?
There’s nothing I would do differently.
John Devitt shared this photograph with the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
John Devitt, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Equipment and settings
Sony A6000 with an Industar 69 28mm f2.8. SS 1/100th sec, at f8.0 and ISO100
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