the handsome stranger

[gahspidy]

How do you feel about this one?
thanks

[motlive]

Was the guitar added in afterwards? for some reason the base of the guitar doesnt seem to be sitting correclty.

[CLKunst]

Gary,
This one grabbed me immediately. It is all textures: the peeling outline from the drywall and plaster, the grit of the cinder blocks and the slick grain on the guitar all work very nicely together. The electrical/utility box (?) the guitar is leaning against looks like it could be a burned out amp. There is plenty to look at here.

Did you light this space yourself or find it this way? The light is so strong from the left front that the shadows all seem to fall a little strangely, maybe that's why motlive thought that the guitar had been added later. Clearly that's not the case as the shadows for the objects are there.

Really interesting piece overall Gary, one that I can come back and look at again. Thanks for posting it.

Best,

[Overbeyond]

On immediate sighting I thought the guitar (acoustic bass and all!) looked pasted, whether it is or not, because it looks as if it is floating and not resting on the ground. As a "serious" image I think it can survive really well without the handsome stranger because there are so many interesting aspects to look at. But I suspect Gary you are offering us a light hearted image by adding something that has no business being there.
I think Cindy may be right about the blown out amp, or the blown up house for that matter, and perhaps being forced to go acoustic. Personally I think the fun would work better if a beautiful glossy electric guitar was planted there.
I have no problem with anything being pasted into a shot but it needs to look not pasted.
So a great looking image, my only problem being the positioning of the instrument. I cannot offer any advice because I have no idea myself how to paste something into a photograph.
Gary please feel free to tell me to go away and jump in a bog hole if you have not pasted the guitar and I'll promise, whenever I'm in NY, to treat you to a nice lemonade, or two, in your favourite establishment.

[poker]

I like the texture and color. I would crop a bit more on the right to remore some of the brighter white space which in turn would offset the guitar a bit more. imho

[gahspidy]

thanks all for the time.
Motive . . .the guitar was not added in , but you are right in that it does look that way. the lighting and the fill flash I used caused that efect by lighting up the base of the guitar eliminating any shadow down there and creating a floating feel Thanks for pointing it out.

Cindy . . .yuo are right about the lighting being tricky. there was light coming in from the immediate right, some from behind me and also from the left but the light from the right was strongest. I used a fill flash angled to bouce off a wall on the left and from the bottom. this filled alot but alos lifted the shadow under the guitar creating the floating effect. I'm glad it was pointed out to me Glad you find it interesting.

Tom . . .So am I correct to say that other than the pasted in look of the instrument, you find the photo to work well? I ahve posted a revised version with a bit of a crop as manacsa offered and shadow added to the base of the guitar to lessen the floating pasted in look.
btw, I would have said anything just to take you up on that offer of N.Y lemonade, but , really it was not pasted

manacsa . . .good point about the crop. I did so slightly in the edit thanks for the time

[Overbeyond]

Gary I'm so delighted to be told I was wrong here and full credit goes to Cindy who was adamant that it was not pasted. On the ball that girl! Perhaps I was a bit too hasty and should have asked rather than assume. Gary the shot works to a certain extent for me. I feel the the guitar stands out ( too much in the image due to a huge extant because of the retention of colour; this may well have been instrumental (sorry!) in my hurried comments on the 'pasting'. If it was less saturated like the rest of the image it would look more casual; as if the player/builder had just finished his lunch break. It competes with the wonderful devastation around (which I know is sort of the point) and looks set up. But this is probably exactly what you are after here (hence your title). As I said I feel it would work better with an electric but not coloured and the fun element of the blown out "amp" would come more to the fore. I think it is as much about interpretation as much as anything else.
But you are on to something nicely original here and when someone is attempting really new things I find it becomes a bit more difficult to critique.
Is this building near you. I assume you brought the guitar from home for this shot?
So, the lemonade is off but perhaps an upgrade to a small beer, again in an establisment of your choice?
Send no money now!

[CLKunst]

"full credit goes to Cindy who was adamant that it was not pasted. On the ball that girl! Perhaps I was a bit too hasty and should have asked rather than assume."

That is only because I know Gary would rather trudge an antique acoustic bass guitar across town in traffic and down stairs to some derelict sub-basement level of a municipal building rather than clip art paste something in to a shot. I mean what would be the point?:lol: AND because the shadow was there, it's just angled opposite to assumption because of the fill flash.

Gary,
I really like this second version as you've given weight to the colors and tones throughout. The bass does pop out but it is the "handsome stranger" in this gritty crumbling world. I often feel the same way about photos of delicately clad ladies in tumble down houses; surprised I found it there and a little concerned about preserving it's delicate condition. I definitely like the added shadow at the bottom of the guitar and think that convincingly corrects that floating feeling.

[Overbeyond]

That is only because I know Gary would rather trudge an antique acoustic bass guitar across town in traffic and down stairs to some derelict sub-basement level of a municipal building rather than clip art paste something in to a shot.

Well said Cindy. I too would have been somewhat surprised had it been pasted. As I said I am so glad to have been corrected on my assumption.
You too could join us for a pint!

[jkriminger]

I like your second much better. Youv've toned down some of those hot spots on the wall and guitar and it now seems a natural part of the scene. I would personally try and bring the levels down on the guitar seperately and maybe pull some of the grain out of the face and side.

[Frog]

Nice edit.

[Greg McCary]

At first glance I too thought it was pasted in. But thought too, like Cindy, "not Gary".LOL.
Other than the pasted look I like it.

[CLKunst]

Well said Cindy. I too would have been somewhat surprised had it been pasted. As I said I am so glad to have been corrected on my assumption.
You too could join us for a pint!

SWEET! If you make it all the way from London to NYC, I'm there!!

[gahspidy]

Not at all Tom, it certainly did look like it was stuck in there and I'm happy that it was pointed out to me so I could see and correct it. Interesting that you feel the guitar (Ukelele, actually) stands out too much. I was concerned that it did not present itself as strongly as I would have wanted. I will give a try to tone the guitar as the rest of the image and see how that works for me. Yes, this building is not far from me, several of these as a matter of fact and so I plan on spending some more time there. If you ever get to make it this way off the pond I will take you around to some of these interesting spots I have discovered in my endless pursuit of abandoned nothingness . . .
Cindy, I wish I could say I dangered through traffic with this huge acoustic bass on my back with gear on my shoulder and sweat on my brow. . .but I really just tossed the little sucker in the trunk and drove a few miles to the spot and sipped some coffee and had a peek about. But, I would have if i had too . . .
Cindy, the pints are on me.

Thanks Rod, I'm glad you noticed and feel the toned down highlights were an improvment. Do you feel the guitar is still too bright? thanks for the input.
Frog, thanks for the ackknowledgement that you feel the edit is an improvement. Definetly happy to hear that.
Greg, the first image had the pasted look but the second edited version should not appear that way now. thanks for the comments.

[readingr]

Okay if I say I love it can I have a pint too :lol:

I love the counterpoint of the pristine guitar in such desolation,especially the way you allowed the colour to stay bold in the guitar.

The funny thing is that I like all the versions you have up at the moment and each has merit in its own right. What I really like is the floating feel of the guitar in the first version as it makes the photo unique in that it gives it a ghostly feel to some ghost or ghoul picking up the guitar because the amp has blown and has to use acoustic version instead.

Excellent work.

Roger

[gahspidy]

Okay if I say I love it can I have a pint too :lol:

I love the counterpoint of the pristine guitar in such desolation,especially the way you allowed the colour to stay bold in the guitar.

The funny thing is that I like all the versions you have up at the moment and each has merit in its own right. What I really like is the floating feel of the guitar in the first version as it makes the photo unique in that it gives it a ghostly feel to some ghost or ghoul picking up the guitar because the amp has blown and has to use acoustic version instead.

Excellent work.

Roger

Absolutely! "Another round for my good friend Roger!!" (Tom, please have Paul document this for good measure . . .)
So, you like the bold color in the guitar and the floating effect works for you. Well, I certainly did not want it to appear floating or pasted in so I will keep the edited fix in that but i'm glad to know it appealed to someone (even if it were for the pint).I tried reducing the color i the instrument and found I did not like the flatness that had came to it and preferred it with obvious color. I printed this one out last night and liked the result. I'm always amazed at how much detail comes about in a print that we miss in the monitor.I always keep this in mind when i'm looking at others photos on this screen, and can imagine how incredible the featured photo of this week must look printed large.
thanks for the input, Roger.