White Provision Building and Underpass

fjrabon · Jun 28, 2012

DSC_0061 by franklinrabon, on Flickr

35mm, f/2, ISO1600, 1/30 sec Shot about 15 minutes after sunset

C+C appreciated as always.

fjrabon · Jun 29, 2012

this is a weird photo for me. Sometimes I see it and I really like it a lot, sometimes I see it and am just 'meh'

fjrabon · Jun 29, 2012

Here is a second edit I did that involved 5 different selectively applied curves adjustments applied to different parts of the photo. Thoughts? Votes for which is better?

DSC_0061 - Version 2 by franklinrabon, on Flickr

Jaemie · Jun 29, 2012

I like the building. I like the way the vertical elements on the building "extend" through the overpass support columns. I like the modern penthouse atop the old brick factory. From bottom to top, it's a progression of age - ancient ground up to fresh aluminum.

The elements that bother me and significantly detract from this photo are the power lines, the car, the train tracks, and the train signals. This image might work better in portrait orientation with some of those distractions cropped, although the power lines are unavoidable.

This is far from ideal, but a suggestion..

fjrabon · Jun 29, 2012

Jaemie said:
I like the building. I like the way the vertical elements on the building "extend" through the overpass support columns. I like the modern penthouse atop the old brick factory. From bottom to top, it's a progression of age - ancient ground up to fresh aluminum.

The elements that bother me and significantly detract from this photo are the power lines, the car, the train tracks, and the train signals. This image might work better in portrait orientation with some of those distractions cropped, although the power lines are unavoidable.

This is far from ideal, but a suggestion..

Yeah, I totally sort of feel the same way. It's kind of a weird conflict I have, on the one hand I like the photo as a documentary sort of image. On the other, it would be more aesthetically pleasing, without a doubt, without the powerlines. I guess to the extent I'd like the image better without the powerlines is the extent to which I sort of wish the powerlines weren't there in the first place, and that ends up sort of meaning something in and of itself, I guess, maybe, who knows?

Hmm, the train tacks bother you? They're possibly my favorite portion of the image.

Anyway, thanks a lot for the comments!

JAC526 · Jun 29, 2012

Why did you shoot it at such a high iso?

Why not stop down and use a lower iso with a longer shutterspeed?

Did you have to handhold?

fjrabon · Jun 29, 2012

JAC526 said:
Why did you shoot it at such a high iso?

Why not stop down and use a lower iso with a longer shutterspeed?

Did you have to handhold?

It was after sunset, the image wasn't at all noisy (that I could tell at least), for this angle a tripod wasn't possible (I was hanging over a rail above the traintracks that pass through the image), and since cars pass through this road, anything with a fairly long shutter speed would have had car streaks of the uncool sort.

Is there any reason it shouldn't have been shot at that high of an ISO? The D3100 handles ISO 1600 fairly easily in my experience. Especially if you end up doing a B+W conversion anyway. I usually don't even think twice about shooting ISO 1600 on it if it's even slightly needed.

Jaemie · Jun 29, 2012

Perhaps there is more power than just electricity in the powerlines?

hehe..

hmm... The train tracks don't bother me, but I'd say they are another competing element in a photo with many elements.

fjrabon · Jun 29, 2012

Jaemie said:
Perhaps there is more power than just electricity in the powerlines? hehe..

hmm... The train tracks don't bother me, but I'd say they are another competing element in a photo with many elements.

Yeah, I tend towards wanting more elements. I kind of struggle with deciding if it's a bad habit or an element of my style. I tend to be drawn to photos by others with more elements too. I usually want at least 3 things in an image for me to study for it to really provide more than passing interest to me most of the time. I was even this way as a child. Like as a 3 year old I really liked preraphealite painting because of all the elements to the paintings.

Jaemie · Jun 29, 2012

fjrabon said:
Like as a 3 year old I really liked preraphealite painting because of all the elements to the paintings.

Ha! What an awesome toddler you must have been.

fjrabon · Jun 29, 2012

Jaemie said:
fjrabon said:

Like as a 3 year old I really liked preraphealite painting because of all the elements to the paintings.

Click to expand...

Ha! What an awesome toddler you must have been.

Ha, sort of. Like if I wanted to look at something my parents had to place me so that I could see it. I'd sit there and stare at a painting for hours. So, it was easy entertainment, just stick me in front of an interesting painting or photograph and I'd stare at it forever. But god forbid they need to do something.