Sunday, June 29, 2008

Panda Monium

The Suspense Was Too Much To Bear




Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON





Okay, I have to admit I had a smile on my face when I saw this poster on Wednesday morning. I was in the underpass at Flinders Street Station when I noticed it and even though I had my camera bag on my shoulder, I knew it would be futile to try and take the shot immediately.



Why? Because it was peak hour and there were hundreds of commuters hurrying past it. And there was an added degree of difficulty. You see, this was one of the special scrolling posters that are so popular at Melbourne train stations. Each hoarding displays three posters – each of which is on view for just seven seconds before a roller mechanism pulls it swiftly upwards and replaces it with the next one.



I’m game for anything, generally speaking, when it comes to a good photo. But I wasn’t going to stand there and wait for a brief moment of opportunity while city workers surged past. So I kept walking. But the smile grew bigger on my face.



I sort of liked the idea of teeming humanity, just because of the reality of the shot. So I figured it would be best to go back to the same spot at lunchtime, when the rush started again. There’s nothing like a ``complicating factor’’ to introduce a bit of a challenge to a simple photograph.



I had the 70-300mm Sigma lens on the camera – so in order to get the whole poster into my lens, I had to back a few metres away, into an alcove/ walkway. For the first shot (above) I took a clean version of the poster, with no interruption.



For the second version (below) I had to wait a few minutes to get a passer-by frozen slap-bang in the middle of the poster. For this shot, timing was everything. No confusion, just Kung fusion.





And for the last version, I had to wait once again to get just one person into the edge of the frame, with the panda still visible. It made for a very interesting fifteen minutes, all up.



I always tell my kids that if I had to write ad blurbs for movies, I would have called Finding Nemo "A fish called wander". I guess I could write one for Kung Fu Panda as well. Hmmmmm, how about "King Kung"?





Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

33 comments:

Unknown said...

On this side of the equator, the TV screens are being inundated with commercials for the Panda film.

Misty DawnS said...

Hehehehe David - you always make me giggle. I especially laughed at the shot with the person capture right in the middle of the poster ;-)

maryt/theteach said...

Great shots, David that take loads of patience! I love your latest shot of the door on "Picture This."

Did you read a comment of mine that says I have an award for you...You'd have to scroll down a bit now. :)

Betsy Brock said...

I bet you "bearly" had time to eat after that lunchtime excursion! :)

ratmammy said...

well ok... this IS a critter.... hahha! Great series of photos!

Mom Knows Everything said...

My 3 year old freaks every time he sees a commercial of that cartoon. He loves the picture of the panda.

Rhea said...

I saw this with my boys, and it was pretty funny. :o)

bcmomtoo said...

You are so much fun, David! I never would have thought to try to get people in my pictures. I would have just thought they were in my way.

Trish ~ ♥ ~ said...

anything for a good photo

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

David: Nice to see you back and posting. I liked the mixed up shot.

D... said...

Job well done!

We actually went to see Kung Fu Panda. It was very enjoyable.

holly said...

oh what a near miss. we very NEARLY went to this movie today.
instead, we went to the mildly disappointing prince caspian. it promised so much.

anyway. nicely shot. :)

Cath said...

I love how you work at these shots. I like the first one and the one where she is just coming into the frame the best. It's quite a colourful composition.

You do challenge the critter concept - I only managed that on my first one! lol In fact, I'm not sure if I've seen a "live" critter out of you yet (I may be wrong there, just going from memory which is not the best) - quite an achievement you boundary pusher you!
Great post. Hope you got some lunch. ;0)

Jennifer S said...

You make me laugh!

Kung fusion...brilliant.

Kahshe Cottager said...

A fun idea .. I liked the one with man in the middle of the poster. I will not be able to look at these posters the same way again!

My Camera Critter is here

Anonymous said...

Yes this made me smile too. King Kung?? Ideal ad blurb. :)

Mine is something that I am scared of.

Lin said...

That was a wonderful series - glad you decided to lay in wait for them to come along, even though you were panda-ring to our sense of delight.

Anonymous said...

It is always interesting to find out how others capture their images - even with a SLR, normally I am still "point and shoot".

Maggie May said...

No one is safe when you have a camera in your hand!
Really good shots. I like the photo with the girl just beginning to come into the frame!

Corey~living and loving said...

oh David....your sense of adventure in photography warms my heart. what a fun guy you are.
Happy CC!

Juliana RW said...

we still not watch this kung fu panda :D

Visit me in here

Juliana RW said...

we still not watch this kung fu panda :D

Visit me in here

Anonymous said...

my son also like to see the adv panda op tv :P

Mine in here Thanks

Woman in a Window said...

OH, what a fantastic shot! Curious how he holds his hand like that. He looks almost like he's just done something wrong...like he's pretending to act normal.

Are you so visible when you take these shots? Do people not react to you and shy away? Maybe I'm just too rural to imagine how I might take pictures of strangers. You can't go unnoticed here!

Rhea said...

I have my Camera Critter post up now.

Thanks for calling before dropping by the other day. :o) hehe

(My house is MUCH cleaner today after that incident!!)

Daryl said...

Clever .. oh so clever .. and probably the most original critter post of the lot!

:-Daryl

Sharon said...

It looks like you had fun with this one! That's what it's all about, isn't it? You're always so creative with your pictures and stories. We took our 3 year old grandson to see this movie last weekend and he loved it!

Gretchen said...

Great series. :)

Roan said...

Kung Fu Panda is playing at our local drive-in movie theater. I probably won't go. I'm sad to say I haven't seen the poster before today. Love that you posted the not so great shots, as well. Makes me realize mine are normal.

Raven said...

Very funny post. I like King Kung. Well done.

becky aka theRAV said...

This was a really funny post. I love your sense of humor. Great idea.

Jo Beaufoix said...

Fab pics. That poster always makes me smile too. :D

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