Rochester, NY cityscapes at sunset - C&C

[Destin]

I'm not including these in my street photography thread because they were planned in advance and taken with a tripod. I'm reserving that thread for more spontaneous walkabout images.

I'm specifically posting these in the C&C gallery because I'm proud of them and quite happy with them. I really want to take my photography to the next level, so I'm looking for feedback on how to make what I believe to be strong images even better. I've got thick skin, so don't be afraid to tear them apart if you see anything at all I can improve.

What could I do differently? What would improve them?

1.) The "Times Square Building" at sunset (X-T3, 10-24)

2.) High Falls and the Kodak Building (X-T3, 10-24)

3.) Tighter shot of the top of the Times Square building, taken from the roof of a parking garage. (X-T3, 55-200)

4.) Genesee Brewing Panorama. This is my least favorite of the three shots, but I still generally like it. (X-T3, 55-200 - vertical pano)

 

[Jeff15]

Nice set......

 

[Space Face]

Seeing as this is in the CC section I'll have a better look later as I'm on my fone right now. They look pretty good on the small screen tho.

 

[PJM]

What I think would help here is to know why you took each of these photos. What drew you to taking it? What were you trying to communicate?

Here are my thoughts on a couple and a.) I'm no photo expert, b.) I'm really not a city person so that may color my perspective.

#1 I like the perspective of looking down the stairs. I also like the highlights from the setting sun reflecting off the glass on the buildings. But, there are lots of leading lines in this photo and I'm not sure what the focus is supposed to be. The one that grabs me the most is the stairway and it leads me to a place in the photo that seems dark and busy, not a place that I would relish being.

#3 This one I like very much. It has a strong subject. It has a great perspective, congrats on going to the roof to get it. I like the background colors. And the front lighting on the tower turns what would otherwise be a large dark silhouette into something interesting. I also think the statue in silhouette looks great.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

 

[Destin]

What I think would help here is to know why you took each of these photos. What drew you to taking it? What were you trying to communicate?

Here are my thoughts on a couple and a.) I'm no photo expert, b.) I'm really not a city person so that may color my perspective.

#1 I like the perspective of looking down the stairs. I also like the highlights from the setting sun reflecting off the glass on the buildings. But, there are lots of leading lines in this photo and I'm not sure what the focus is supposed to be. The one that grabs me the most is the stairway and it leads me to a place in the photo that seems dark and busy, not a place that I would relish being.

#3 This one I like very much. It has a strong subject. It has a great perspective, congrats on going to the roof to get it. I like the background colors. And the front lighting on the tower turns what would otherwise be a large dark silhouette into something interesting. I also think the statue in silhouette looks great.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Thank you! With number one, the “Times Square building” with the interesting roof feature is the intended subject. It’s very frequently photographed by all of our local photographers, and most angles are just overdone. I generally love using staircases as leading lines into a scene, and so when I discovered this one I knew that it was at the very least a unique take on an overshot subject. I intentionally waited until golden hour to get the sunlight coming down broad street toward the camera.

I absolutely agree that the staircase leads to a dark and uninteresting area. I’ve actually been thinking of things I could do to change that - place a subject at the bottom of the stairs? Maybe a nice car, or a woman in a red dress (another series I’m working on), etc... nothing I’m satisfied with yet.