Upstate Ny

andrewKn · Oct 12, 2011

Western Ny exactly. These are shot right outside of the Seneca Nation reservation. Lots of abandoned buildings. Only businesses that are going strong are gas stations/cigarette outlets and the seneca casino where I worked as a dishwasher for 6 months.

Nikon fm10 tmax 400 pushed to 1000

KenC · Oct 12, 2011

The last one is a nice shot. The first three have some interesting elements in them, but imo you needed to get closer and isolate them. The last reminds me of how dynamic tmax films are. The negative probably has a lot of highlight and shadow detail that hasn't been preserved in the image as presented. Do you do your own scanning? If not, and if you're going to shoot tmax, it is worth considering. Scanner software will allow you to use a curves tool to bring out more of the detail.

andrewKn · Oct 12, 2011

I love how fast responses pop up in the B&W gallery.

Ken, you bring up great points. You share the same opinion with a lot of people. I always here "get closer," but if you look at the first 3 in full screen the scale of the buildings are fine. Right now they are almost like thumbnails. Also, the space the buildings are in is important to me. Just showing an abandoned building is one thing but showing the building and dead trees, grass, hill and sky gives more information. I like the feeling more. My best example is this. (you have to look at it full screen)

Its not so much about the cat but the space the cat lives in.

Tmax 400 is all I shoot now as far as b&w and most of the time I push it. Anytime the sky is in frame a red filter is going be on to bring the sky down. The latitude is incredible.

Philadelphia Photochemist do all of my developing, scanning and printing. (I dont have the space materials or money to have a lab not even photoshop). They are dam good tho. Have c-41 and top of the line enlargers and scanners.

andrewKn · Oct 12, 2011

Also grabbed these with different framing but didn't like them as much

KenC · Oct 13, 2011

Actually, I like the first of the new set, the pic of the warehouse with the sign and muddy ground in front, better than the original warehouse pic. The more recently posted one better accomplishes your goal of showing the environment in which your subject sits.

How much to include is fairly subjective and personal, especially if you have documentary aims, as you do. In the example of the cat, I get showing the space the cat is in. I would probably crop just a little to remove the out-of-focus elements on the left, bottom and right. To me, this would still give one a good sense of the space without some distracting elements. Or, if you want to keep the image framing as is, consider doing some darkening around the edges to direct the viewer more towards the interior of the space.