Highway Building

[PlantedTao]

Still looking at various ways to capture highways and how they impact the enviroment around us.

Comment and Critique please.

[Tuna]

Not sure this relates well to the impact of the highway...but it does appeal in an urban, gritty manner. Having captured the car takes us outside effectively, adding an element of depth.

Tuna

[PlantedTao]

The photo is the seattle viaduct, a major roadway that cuts across the water front at about five stories high (or higher?).

I only did one print of this photo and need to go back to the darkroom and get the contrast and details correct...
Does this photo give a better idea of impact on enviroment?

[zrfraser]

Tao...another great shot and am looking forward to more in this series. The top one has great contrast, it just looks very gritty and I like that as you know. The bottom one looks a little flat to me, but you did say you have to adjust for contast. I like all the lines in the bottom and the diagnols the shadows from the windows make are just excellent. Good Job!

[OldSchool]

Hi PT,

The 2nd shot holds my interest more. I like how the perspective/vanishing point for the interior is continued on with the freeway outside. It'll be interesting to see how you adjust the tones.

The first shot just shows up too much inside to go with the theme of encroaching freeway. Maybe get closer to the window and up the shutter (or lower it) to freeze (or totally speed-blur) the car.

BR,
Tim

[PlantedTao]

Thanks fraser...I appreciate the advice and direction. I'm thinking about working more with these photos to get them to pop, yet keep the contrast on the darker side.

Hola Tim! Muchas Gracias! (extent of my spanish)
I believe the second shot will be included in my series as it has more highway and the meaning is a little bit easier to get. I hope to try this photo with multiple variable contrast filters...I want to try to keep that contrast but get more detail. Hope to post soon.

Cheers.

[Chunk]

This second shot conveys very well that the highway has bypassed this business. I agree with Tim's assesment of the shot.

[freygr]

This second shot conveys very well that the highway has bypassed this business. I agree with Tim's assesment of the shot.

One of my friends move to Seattle and a few years ago he was saying that the traffic was as bad as L.A!

Good photos and I do like the second photo as the first is just looking out a window with no referent points.

[CLKunst]

Hi Tao!
I am going to say that your second post captures more of the feelings you had mentioned than the first. Although I like both very much and am personally attracted to places with urban decay I believe the statement that is communicated most is one of economic impact not so much environmental. For an environmental impact of highways I would focus on road kill, carrion birds, and trash, etc. in otherwise picturesque scenes with the highway zooming along, or at least signs from it, in view in the distance. Just my take. It seems like a very large concept to try to fit into a viewfinder frame. Good luck with your project. I look forward to seeing more of this series.
Regards,

[GB1]

Had to recheck to see who posted this, PT ... ya sure you're not stealing Seb's work !!!???

Interesting, but the second photo you posted works a lot better IMO. I would crop out just a little of the bottom area (this would make the black areas asymmetric, which is more interesting in my eyes). I like how you showed both the big and small windows, but I find myself wanting to see what's to the left of the big window - perhaps more windows? (I know, a lens on vertical format can only display so much...) I am also left wondering what's going on outside -- is this an abandoned area, or does it have some/any humans working outside there on a normal day? That type of stuff. I guess you can only show a limited amout of things in one photo. In this particular situation, the photo probably requires some narrative to answer such questions.

-GB

[PlantedTao]

Chunk and frey thanks for the input, it is a big help in choosing which direction to take this series.

GB-
The building is not very big and I believe it was an old garage repair shop. To the left is another window which looks more into the parking lot, which has a lot of vehicles. I choose to exclude those. I'm pretty happy that you are left wondering all these things when looking at this photo...it should keep you interested and maybe looking at the photo some more.
I do have to say with all these responses I believe a re-shoot is in order to maybe grab a better perspective.

CL -
Thank you so much for the ideas on the series in general. I guess my series is trying to look at the highways impact on the enviroment (not enviromental). I want to study both (nature and man made enviroments) because I think it is important to try to portrait how much the automobile has impacted everything around us. I would like to show this impact in both a positive and negative way...because it really is a double edge sword.

Thanks again and I hope to have more to post soon.
Cheers.