Patio between condos

Hello all. I have been lurking for a while and thought I might finally contribute and join the conversation. This is a shot of my home town of Omaha. To be honest, it's not a very photogenic town; you will never see a Photosecrets written about the place. However, I like to photograph urban landscapes/cityscapes, and I enjoy the challenge of finding shots that come across as metropolitan in a town that often times isn't.

Glad to be here!

I love the composition. The bright sky and dark subject is killing it though.
Is it shot in raw? Might be able to bring more detail in shadowed areas out.
Someone with more skill than I might be able to give you better advice.
Glad you are no longer lurking. Welcome!

This is a fairly bleak scene, the table and chairs appear to be in what I would describe as 'chicken runs' and I really want to see more of them!!! Very interesting shot, are these small balconies on the building to the left? It has '1984' all over it and this could benefit greatly from some choice dodging and burning to bring the detail out a bit more. Look forward to seeing more from you!

Bleak is exactly what came to my mind. Welcome.

Looks to me like you lined up on the edge of the building on the right. As a result all the horizontal lines are not level. I'd rather get the horizontals correct and let the verticals fall where they may.

Other that that this is a very interesting urban look. A little dark and contrasty yes but I'm ok with this look.

I've walked by this spot at all times of the day. It kills me that, because of it's east/west orientation, there is only enough light (reflected) reaching the patio during early sunset. But as you stated, the intense backlighting makes it a tough lighting situation.

MB1, I am interested by your suggestion of paying deference to horizontal lines. Given the vertical composition/strong vertical lines, I figured I had to get them right or they would be a liability. What is your reasoning? Having said this, I agree that the tilted horizontal lines are far from desireable.

Thanks all for your comments!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alltubeampeg

...MB1, I am interested by your suggestion of paying deference to horizontal lines. Given the vertical composition/strong vertical lines, I figured I had to get them right or they would be a liability. What is your reasoning? Having said this, I agree that the tilted horizontal lines are far from desireable...

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I understand that it is very easy and common for viewers to notice and comment on horizontal lines that are off. We are just plain used to the concept of a level horizon. Vertical lines on the other hand are often askew in the real world; trees, cliffs, telephone and power poles and street signs are often messed up.

If you get the horizontal lines corrected in this portrait format they will all pretty much line up.

You will note that there is only one vertical line that is true vertical in this image-the outer wall of the building on the right. Most of the rest of the vertical lines converge towards the top of the frame.

I say go for the horizon being correct here (mostly, not always I try for a level horizon in my images).

I see your point. It also occurs to me that if a viewer were to picture themselves in any part of the image, it would probably be the patio. That means even more attention paid to those untrue horizontal lines.

Thanks again for the comments.

A very interesting perspective! The two chairs remind me of Gary's another shot. Looking forward to seeing more of your photos.
yoyo

Welcome, I do like this composition. The U shaped light area between the buildings is a strong visual but I think it should conform to a good symetry here in that you should have it right in the center instead off offset a bit to the left as it is now. A slight crop off the right side would do that. I agree about the horizontal lines, but to me they look pretty much on, perhaps a very slight tilt to the right would straighten it.
The bleak, murky look to this has a mood that works for me. How does this scene look at dusk or at night? Are the lights in the buildings apartments lit up enough to shine the areas in the patio and give an interesting night time scene? Of course you would have to be able to set up the tripod for that one.
Looking forward to more from you.

I like the idea of re-shooting at night! As you stated, changing the primary light source to that which creeps out of each unit could yield some interesting results. I may even wait for a warmer night when people are out using their patios to add a human element. I might also try it in color depending what the apartment lights look like. I may also try the dusk shot; it should help eliminate the harsh backlighting which is robbing me of some detail. Thanks for the ideas!

Call me crazy... I love the shot just the way it is. I'm a real sucker for architectural compositions. Ok, so the shot is slightly crooked... so what! It feels more spontaneous, like an unexpected moment in time. The bright sky leads the eye towards (what I think is) the focal point: the two chairs. My mind wanders... the two chairs are close together, a quiet place where two lovers meet to share their thoughts over a glass of wine. It's their refuge from the hectic city life. The monochromatic rendition, low-contrast, low-shadow detail adds to the calm mood. Blow it up to 16x20, frame it and put it on a wall. It deserves it.
Hope to see more of your work.
Robert

It's an interesting niche you have there. Quite urban but in a progressive way. Not sure how the image looks on other monitors, but on my laptop it seems way too dark.. can't really make out any detail in the shady areas. Might need to use a graduated neutral density filter to balance out the light between the sky and the rest of the image.

Welcome to the forums btw!

GB

If you like this type of photography, archtectrual it would help if you learn how to use the edit, transform tools in PS. I have an edit if you want to see it with the image straightened.
By the way the image works for me.

Greg, I would like to see that edit. GB1, I am am looking at the image on my MacBook and it is just as you say: very dark. It looks much lighter on my crt (where the editing was done).

Here is the edit. In a nut shell you use the rectangle tool and put it around the image. The got to edit>transform>Skew and then use the mouse and drag the corners until you are happy.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3...59/omaha-1.jpg

I like it too but it seems too narrow to me.

Greg's edit is subtle, but significant. Still a heck of a lot of contrast and hard to see on my laptop :)

This shot reminds me of a Spiderman or Batman movie btw - the funner side of a city condo. Still couldn't imagine living there, but it is different.

G