Mean streets of Brooklyn...

bnz506 · Apr 6, 2007

Took this one 30mins ago.

I was worried the dude in the car was Mafia making an exchange or something he was sitting there for like an hour, good thing he didnt get out of his car to kill me or something heh. I took the shot and left.

First real shot with my new lens but I didnt take advantage of the super wide here.

Shot @20mm

IanRB · Apr 6, 2007

I like this picture alot. I just joined this forum so i don't know how credible my opinions are but i think this shot is pretty good.

ashfordphoto · Apr 6, 2007

why did you choose to shoot here vs. other places in brooklyn? I like the photo - don't get me wrong, but feel like there more pizaz found elsewere. (architecture, graffiti, etc.)

bnz506 · Apr 7, 2007

Well it was 10 or 11 at night I was heading to white Castles around the corner and decided the try a longer exposure shot (which ive never done).

Its kinda late I didnt want to go out shooting by myself (and risk getting robbed) and my only other friend that is remotely interested in photography lives in Queens.

Ian everyones opinion matters to me. I shoot pictures just for people to look at and hopefully enjoy. If they have advice I would love to hear it because anything advice will only help me improve.

IanRB · Apr 7, 2007

thanks bnz im hoping to learn alot while on this forum. I just recently started to get into photography.

deggimatt · Apr 7, 2007

That looks like HDR. Is iT?

bnz506 · Apr 7, 2007

It is, the original shot looked boring so I just gave it a try. It made the picture look grittier. I wish I desaturated it more though.

I think I wanted it more like this:

The original:

LaFoto · Apr 7, 2007

So do I understand it right that the HDR you created is from ONE RAW file split into three exposures and then merged?
I like the photo, I like the street, it is supposed to be just ANY street out there, not one that would show any "sights", I guess --- and even if it is just a very random point somewhere on the way and you spontaneously decided to try out a long exposure at night, it looks like as good a place to do nighttime street photography as any. I like it.

While I like the grittiness of the HDR versions (more so of the desaturated one), I am no longer quite so sure I like HDR so much (and so often as I am seeing it nowadays) as a whole, but that is just me. The sharp lines, which look like colour pencil drawings, are what throw me off liking HDR too much. The effect can be wanted, of course, but ... hmmm :scratch: --- while I was totally in awe when I first saw it, I am beginning to thing it might well be overdone today. But hey, that's just me rambling...

One thing I am quite sure I'm not so fond of is the totally desaturated street as opposed to the background in colour.

ashfordphoto · Apr 7, 2007

Like LaFoto - I am generally not a fan of HDR stuff. Most the time, it just looks ridiculous

Here, however, I like the processing done. I find the subject boring, but now knowing why you took the shot it helps me think more about the process than the picture. The desaturated street in the forground is distracting, but getting the gritty feel really adds a lot to the photo. I think you did really well with what you had to work with.

By the way, I like the choice of perspective - low to the ground and against the wall. It helps pull those lines out of the wall and sidewalk.

bnz506 · Apr 7, 2007

It wasnt too random a street I wanted to try it on a train, I think i exposed it for too long.

That white streak is a train going by. I wanted to catch some of its details but I exposed for too long. I didnt want to wait there any longer for another train because that dude in that car was sitting there for a while. I didnt want to run into any trouble since my camera did look like it was pointed at him.

I also am tired of HDRs but I didnt know what else to do with this one so I gave it a try.