Submitter's name:	Adam Bolt
Title:	Escape from City Life
Gear Used:	Olympus OM-10 with manual adaptor (See you don't just need a single digit OM to take a good shot) with Zuiko 35-70mm f4 AF zoom (An underrated lens to my mind)
Aperture:	f8
Shutter speed:	1/250 sec
Film used:	Extrafilm 200ASA (Agfa equivalent)
Technical information:	I used the 35-70mm because this was a spur of the moment shot and I didn't have time to change to another... plus I truly love this lens and I always feel safe of getting the image I was after when using it. I found it a difficult shot because to the very top of the frame there was my car parked on the road with a dirty old wire fence and nothing appealing to it so I had to tilt the shot down a little to remove that element of the photo. F8 was used to blur the background slightly to make sure that any unwanted elements would not stand out. Greyscale and sharpening were used for the final image.
Subject information:	I was still tossing up the idea of what I should send in for this theme. I had a number of good shots and was sort of waiting to see what others had posted before I made my decision! Also what would and would not be classed as an appropriate entry for this theme was a hotly talked about topic. It was this comment that made my mind up on what I was going to send... and the comments were from Olaf himself... and I quote "(just as long as those at least somehow convey the idea of a _scape_ shot)". And so I present Escape from City life for you. It may not be what everyone would class as a landscape shot but that's where we were about 350km west of our major cities walking back from Ghost Gully (a landscape in itself) but I really love this photo for its feeling of open space and not the thought of any modern elements to be seen.
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Comments:

Comment left by: Olaf Greve (no e-mail specified)

Another dubious "scape", but a great picture nonetheless.

Comment left by: Mike Cormier (no e-mail specified)

Nice shot, although I would like to have seen a little less unsharp mask as the grain is a tad too accented for my personal tastes. Photographically (not photoshopically...lol) it's a great offering.

Comment left by: Ken N. (no e-mail specified)

And I was picked on for my "near macro macro" picture. Terrific shot. This is one that demands darkroom printing. JPEG doesn't do it justice.

Comment left by: Eric Pederson (epederso@darkwing.uoregon.edu)

I agree that the sharpness is pretty harsh for the subject, but it is a lovely shot and mood. Perfect little step being made with that oh-so-familiar drag of a stick. I would darkroom print and sepia tone, but that's me... No question that this is a landscape as far as I'm concerned.

Comment left by: Chris Barker (imagopus@threeshoes.co.uk)

Yes, an interesting shot. I should like to take into the darkroom as well... I like the tones on the stick.

Comment left by: Wayne Harridge (no e-mail specified)

My kids never looked that cute !

Comment left by: bbbean (bbbean@beancotton.com)

Another winner in the "not really a landscape, but a great picture nonetheless" sweepstakes. Nice work. Personally, I don't mind teh grain at all, but then I'm a Tri-X and HIE fan.

Comment left by: Gary Edwards (no e-mail specified)

Barry's right; the grain is just fine. And so is Eric - sepia, or at least a warm tone paper print or a digital duotone would be nice.

Comment left by: Stephen Scharf (scharfsj@ix.netcom.com)

Wonderful photo. It's not what I would call a landscape, but I am glad to have seen it regardless. I think the grainy look works fine for this photo, but personally, I would have sharpened just a skosh less. Regardless of those nits, its a terrific photo.

Comment left by: John A. Lind (no e-mail specified)

I'm thinking the sharpening method enhanced the grain more than it likely looks in the print (or negative). You might experiment with the unsharp mask settings a little. Good use of DOF control. Realizing you had to grab or lose it, try squatting down a little when photographing small people to get more at their level. In this one it wouldn't eliminate the compositional problem you mention with the distant parked car, but might make the perspective a little different and mitigate what you did to keep the car and fence out of the frame. All that said, it boils down to doing what can be done quickly, in order of priority (focus, exposure, etc.), before opportunity is lost entirely. Excellent exposure to get good tonal qualities that maintain some detail in both her light and dark clothing. Keep this one around for when she gets older; she'll treasure it (as will you even more)!

Comment left by: Moose (dreammoose@attbi.com)

Landscape, schmandscape, I just love this picture. Grain seems fine, helps the timeless quality. What really makes the pic for me is that the subject has such a full range of tonalities while the background has a muted, narrower range, which makes her stand out with a special luminous quality. The path winding away adds a nice story element. These very qualities make it not really a landscape, but a portrait, to me, but who cares. For perfection? More DOF for the distant parts.

Comment left by: Scott Gomez (no e-mail specified)

I agree with Moose. Wonderful, wonderful photo. I wish I could claim to ever get that much tonality out of B&W.

Comment left by: Donald MacDonald (no e-mail specified)

Hmm, I don't think I would change anything here. This would make a great, best-selling postcard. It's just brilliant. Anything I would suggest would be picking the nits off the nits. OK, maybe less unsharping. Get it well printed in a good B&W lab.

Comment left by: Mickey Trageser (no e-mail specified)

The hat and socks just jump out at you. I couldn't see anything else but the cute one wearing them. I think the sharpness enhances the lace and straw and helps to set them apart from the rest of the scene. I couldn't care less about the grain. For this image, to me, it's irrelevent. Absolutely wonderful image to cherish.

Comment left by: Jez Cunningham (no e-mail specified)

Evocative...

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