I was walking through the National Garden in Athens when I came across these seats:
ISO 32 4.15mm f/2.2 1/50 sec
Given the sheer amount of history you are surrounded by in Athens, I couldn’t help but wonder how long these benches had been around, how many people have sat in them?
I took this photo with my iPhone. I liked it well enough to create and edited black and white version:
ISO 32 4.15mm f/2.2 1/50 sec
I’ve softened the background a bit, to give the surrounding trees a bit of a dreamy feel. I’ve kept the detail in the seats though, I found the detail on them and their texture interesting. If I had the opportunity, I would probably have shot this a bit differently. The tree in the foreground on the right side is a bit problematic. It’s distracting left in but taken out the first bench comes really close to the edge of the frame.
That’s how it goes sometimes though, I only had a moment to take the photo, so I did. I’m glad I did, I like the scene. Do you have photos like this, something that you like but may have shot differently if you had more time? Do you like this is black and white? Feel free to comment below.
Cheers!
Added to Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge, Any kind of tables or chairs
Added to Xingfumama, Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge.
Picfair version here.
Photography Journal Blog 
Excellent.
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Thank you 🙂
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Both versions are great. Thank You sharing them with us.
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Thank you very much.
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I love these old amazing seats and wonder about their history. I like the image in black and white but prefer the one in color. It’s more light and looks natural, through my eyes 🙂
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And it was a beautiful morning, the light was lovely, so I can’t say I blame you for preferring the color version.
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A lovely image, and I like what you accomplished in post-processing. Don’t we all have photos we would have liked to have more time to work around when capturing it!
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Yes, I know I do, but it’s a bit of reality in my life that photography can’t be everything 🙂 and that’s fine too 🙂
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My first thought was to wonder how long they have been there. It’s great to see the past preserved
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Yes, that was exactly what I thought when we walked up to them 🙂
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Love your editing result. The black and white version tells the story. 🙂
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Thank you Amy
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Such wonderful benches for this week. Thanks 😀
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Thank you Cee!
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Did you know there was a newish photo challenge, it’s weekly but the theme is always the same : seats. This would be perfect for it. I’m putting the link for the challenge main page. Just scroll down to the link for the latest week to post a pingback to that week if you want to
https://xingfumama.blog/pull-up-a-seat/
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Nope, hadn’t heard of it, so thanks for telling me and leaving the link, I appreciate that and will go and check it out.
Cheers, Amy
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I thought you might like it. I found it because I do a weekly list of photochallenges for a blog group I belong to. You might check it out. It helps when you want to use a particular picture because you can scan down the list to see which ones it fits into week. I try to keep an eye out for new photo challenges by bloggers. This is the latest one.
https://onblogging.net/archives/2119
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Thank you very much for adding this in, I went and took a look and have signed up to subscribe.
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Oh good, I’m glad you liked it and it’s useful
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Thanks
For the lots of challenges
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Oh if these benches could tell the tales of those who sat on them. I think the black and white brings out more detail of the benches but I do love the green backdrop. Maybe as a contrast of the living and long gone.
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And the color version is a nod to just how beautiful that morning was 🙂
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Great processing, Amy. Love the look of this one.
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Thanks very much.
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Nice job.
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Thanks very much.
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I like both versions. Just thinking to myself… WHO sat in these chairs? Glad they are still so well preserved!
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Yes, it was cool to think about.
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One wonders what stories those benches could tell. Lovely picture. Thanks for playing along.
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Thank you, and thank you for hosting the challenge 🙂
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Pingback: Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge-Week 10 | XingfuMama
Hi -the three benches reminded me little pieces some golf my classes made when we had this certain type of air-dry clay. It had a slight cement feel and dried rough and the chairs seemed like that.
I also wondered if they were old (probably because it was in Athens) but I have been to art shows where reproductions are made of modern artists make stuff to look old – or raw – or just artsy.
So I wonder about this little trio-
And if they were really old you would think they would be being protected -?
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And I did not really notice the tree to the right in the first photo – but maybe it is is not a distraction and maybe that bit of tree adds something to the unity but connecting to the other trees – esp those back left ones.
And I like how you took it out on the black and white version –
And was wondering if using the retouch tool could allow you to wipe it out but leave some space.
I have removed cars this way – ot a few distractions – but it depends on the photo whether or not it works – other times a hard crop is better. Or sometimes I have layered another photo behind the pic to give more on a side – and then softened the edge of the photo and see if it blends – sometimes it works.
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Lastly – I like both the black and bait and color version equally.
Cool picture
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Yes, I would say it is a possibility that those seats aren’t actually that old and just made to look that way, it’s fun to think about.
Also, yes to the idea of a retouch tool of some sort to remove the tree and leave some space. In my opinion, that would be an edit worth trying. It may or may not work, but sometimes the result with that sort of tool is pretty amazing.
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Thanks for the nice reply! And those chairs are such a cool
Find!
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🙂
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