Johnson and Cook
Yesterday I went to take some pictures in the rain. Not because I planned it that way, but because there was a sign I had been meaning to photograph for the amusement of Melinda Green Harvey and thought I had better do so while I remembered. I ended up poking around the corner of Johnson and Cook Streets where the sign was and took quite a few photos. Today is all about a new building rising on the site of what has been a parking lot for a long time.
This is the building with the sign which selfishly features an in-joke between Melinda and myself. If you read enough of her blog comments, you might get the gist. It all centres around her slightly Mondrianesque (in my opinion) interest in rectangles in her photography. I was highly amused to notice this building, though rather dissatisfied at the appropriation of Mondrian’s name, including a bit of his art on the sign, and yet not even an echo in the building itself (at least not on the outside). I think this might be just a bit much as it is absolutely certain that his estate has not received a penny from this developer.
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Anyway, I was torn between taking a quick snapshot to email, or to try to make more of my time there with camera so I could use the images in the blog. I decided on the latter since this really is not something I would normally photograph, especially on a rainy day, and thus a bit of a challenge.
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In the picture below, the yellow awning in the right distance is on Wellburns market, part of which I have blogged about before, and at the edge of Fernwood which I have been running a series on for a few weeks. This location is not really in Fernwood. There is a recent made-up name for this area called Harris Green (named for a sliver of a park across the stree from Wellburns), but I think it is a realtor’s conceit and not a name with any deep roots in Victoria’s history, at least not as a neighbourhood name squeezed between Fernwood and Fairfield. I might be completely wrong, and probably someone will tell if that is the case.
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Canon EOS 5Dii, Nikkor-N 24/f2.8mm lens, ISO640, ~f-4 for most of them, last image HDR, rest single image.
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burnt embers 
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Really like that you did a B&W conversion (sorta) on the HDR…I think it looks pretty good…certainly my fav out of the lot! 🙂
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Thanks David. I would have led with that shot if I weren’t indulging in a private joke with Melinda.
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What a nice show. Photos 1 en 4 are favourites partly because of the strong geometric shapes and allignments and the final photograph with its beautiful tones is a true pleasure to the eye.
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Thank you Joseph! I am glad you like 4 – I like the alignments in that one too and though it worked out as one of the better ones looking at the sign.
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I really, really like the drama of the last image in this set, I think it’s a perfect addition to the underlying story you’ve shared here! Terrific post!!
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Thanks so much Toad – I like that picture a lot too. I think it is the best composition of all of them though possibly a wee bit contrived. I wish the crane had swung a bit away so it was contained in the light standard frame as well.
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The window patterns in the second shot are clearly an homage to Mondrian’s early, monochrome work, which is also seen here: http://thepoetryofphotography.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/two-hundred-thirteen/ Ha! Ha! We just crack ourselves up,don’t we?
Also – I concur with Ken: I like the first and last shots the best.
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Oh dear. An homage (phonetically: ɔmaʒ) turned up in my blog?
I am glad that you and Ken found something to like in this rather unpromising subject.
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Yes, it did. Now might be a good time to update your virus protection…..
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The building lacks the colors that we associate with Mondrian, but i see the blocky patters in it. It’s not a bad looking building (at least not in this stage of construction). I especially like the first photo for the monotone and the last for the selective color.
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Thanks Ken – I see that there is some possibly relationship in the blocky patterns, except many of the new buildings around this part of the world have this kind of window arrangement, so I am not sure it is derived from Mondrian. More likely it was in fashion in European architecture 10 years ago and is just seeping into acceptance here. Those are my two favourites as well – I also like the framing by the light standards in the last shot.
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