Flat Tire Shop

[gahspidy]

What do you think?
Thanks

[Seb]

What do you think?
Thanks

Gary, That's a strange photograph for sure. From a purely technical point of view I really like the tones and your lighting. On the other hand, the grain is quite strong. Some may say that it's a matter of personal tastes but I am not sure that I like it there. Somehow, it fits well with the dark nature of the scene but then I also get the feeling that there would be a lot of small details to pick up in the tires and the various object that get lost in the grain.

Then, there is this sign in the upper left corner which enters the frame in an odd way. That being said, the one thing that really disturb me here is the person that must be sleeping there. The position of the body and the fact that we don't get to see the head leads me to think that it could have been a corpse. Now, I definitely know that it's not the case for obvious reasons but it still looks fairly disturbing.

Seb

[readingr]

I like the dark sinister look to this photo and the grain definately adds to this. After saying that it looks a little too bright to make it really sinister.

The fact you have a headless body makes me laugh especially with the gate to the building closed. Gives me the impression of someone who turned up to work too early or on a bank holiday without realising it. Or he could be a homeless chap who camped there over night.

I would possibly crop from the left up to the edge of the building but that may make the sign awkward as its right on the edge. The signs don't bother me because there are two of them.

Good capture. On second thoughts leave as is.

Roger

[Chunk]

What do you think?
Thanks

I can't figure out why people aren't queued up to buy flat tires. Maybe that sleeping guy stayed over night so he would get the pick of the best flat tires upon opening.

Since the theme seems to be the humorous aspects of the shot and that is strong, I don't even notice anything about composition, etc.

A bit of sepia toning would make it ageless, especially with the grain. [Edit: on second look I guess you already did that]

[Greg McCary]

Other than the grain, I really like the picture. When I first scrolled down to look at it, I laughed. That's what it's all about, capturing a moment. Nice work......
Greg

[gahspidy]

Thanks for the thoughts on this.
Seb, lol . . I guess this does look to be a disturbing scene. I always assumed the guy was sleeping, keeping guard of the unsecured quality merchandise that the public would be eager to snatch up, but on second thought . .who knows. I added the grain to the shot along with the old sepia-like tone as I thought it lent to the look of the scene. I did not find it effective as well with a smooth look, but I'm glad you brought it up.I think I could reduce the grain a bit more and still have the effect I wanted.

Roger . . this was actually taken at night, in the lwer manhattan area near Chinatown. The street lights create strange and sometimes very intriguing effects especially when shooting for B&W. This was shot with tripod and 100 iso film. I never thought of this as looking sinister, but more humorous, but I can see that it would be taken that way.

Chunk . . lol, I too can't understand why business would appear to be slow when there is such a display of quality Flat Tires for anyone in need. Maybe these guys specialize in Tree House Swings . . . .well, this chap is either not a very good security guard, or a very hard and devoted worker in the after hours.
You bring up an interesting thought. There are some photos that I look at and because of either the subject matter, or the intent of the image, the composition/framing does not seem to be noticed whether good or bad.

Greg . . I'm thinking that I may tune down the grain a bit more and still have the effect I wanted, but I'm glad to know you feel it worked in pulling some emotion from the viewer.

[Tuna]

Dead, sleeping or at home - this strong image enters the "street" category expertly. The grain and tone harken to one of my favorites and I would have to say (jealously) that this is indeed Walker Evanesque.

Though in the present, the scene takes us back. Plenty of stories here.

Great stuff, Gary.

Tuna

[Ronnoco]

The theme is fine, but the photo is way too busy, and yet at the same time there is much too much lost detail in the black areas.

Black and white should NOT be used at all, unless you can handle the grey scale and the variety of tones to make it effective.

Ronnoco

[Mr Yuck]

I'm a fan of the grain in this shot, the side lighting and shadows are perfect, the theme and content really make such a busy shot work. Good eye.

I'm not sure about that sign at the top left though. Cropping would crowd the scene, if there's any way to get rid of that while keeping the composition that great, this shot would be perfect.

[gahspidy]

Thank you for the time to comment, everyone.At first i was concerned with the sign in the upper left corner, but it somehow seemed to work even though it first appears to be an unwanted element. However, that you bring it up as well, I could imagine the scene working well enough, perhaps better without it. Thanks for the words.
Walker Evans, well, of all the members on this forum I would say that you reminded me of his style and aesthetic more than anyone. I'm happy to know that the grain and gritty feel is going over well, as I knew I liked it but was afraid maybe I was seeing through my very narrow vision, which I do at times. Thanks all for the words.