View from Within . . Abandoned Power Shack

[gahspidy]

Well, I finally got a chance to add another to the series. This was shot with fuji superia X-tra 400.
What do you think?
Thanks

[ChowChi-Ching]

I like it, it has a very lonely feel about it. I get the feeling like the person who is there is hiding in a corner. It is wierd how looking at a picture can take you there.....that is a good photographer.

Good Job!

[LeeIs]

A very nice addition to your series Gary. It's very well exposed inside and outside. I really like how the outside isn't over exposed at all, even the twigs outside the window add to this shot. Overall, this is one of my favourites in that series.

[masdog]

Gary,

This is a great shot. I can feel the solitude of the scene while I'm being drawn into it. Great job.

[Seb]

Well, I finally got a chance to add another to the series. This was shot with fuji superia X-tra 400.
What do you think?
Thanks

Looking good. The composition works for me. My only concern is that (on my monitor at the very least) some of the blacks, mostly on the background walls, doesn't seems totally black to me. I would try to slightly boost contrast and see what happens.

regards

Seb

edit: I withdraw my original comment regarding a constrast adjustment. I guess my eyes weren't awake when I first looked at your picture (too!!!) early, this morning. That picture looks just fine to me. I wouldn't change a thing about it. Let's not freak out about dodging and burning and equalizing everything, it's not how the human eye perceive things anyways...

[payn817]

Great conversion... very nice lighting, and a strong addition to the series.

Fujifilm superia 400 is a great print film too, only beaten by Kodak 400uc. Did you do the conversion yourself? Did you use filtered B&W, or something else? I tend to use red filter for everything except landscape, which I use green for. What's your SECRET??? I need it!!

[Yoyo Szeto]

Hi Gary,
I keep thinking the window is a LCD telly. I like the feeling depicted. I think the plant on the right adds a lot to the shot.
yoyo

[readingr]

First off I really like the composition and aother great site and addition to the series.

A couple of things are bugging me:

Top right there is a very bright dot and a thin white line that come vertically down the wall also vertical on the opposite side of the window
By the plant on the right there are a series of white dots and further to the left there is a larger patch
I find these distracting rather than beneficial to the photo.

And finally on the far left behind the sheet of metal in the hole there is something again very bright but not as bothersome as the first 2 comments.

Perhaps a little burning in or cloning would make this better

Roger

[mdmc]

Hi Gary, exellent photo! The bad thing about it is that the detail left of window does not match in contrast the rest of the image. contrast is way low there, looks artificially dodged. all I can think of is using fill flash and adjusting from there. It's an imporant part of the pic to me. looks a little like a totem pole. I'm sure you can get it the way you want it from this exposure though. Hope I haven' t
overstepped,
Mark.

[Chunk]

Excellent. I especially like the half perceived details in the murky reflected light (don't raise the contrast there and lose them) and the angled composition that keeps the eye moving around the scene. It's also a textbook illustration of the good use of negative space. I agree with muting that bright spot in the upper right corner a bit but otherwise would not change a thing.

[Overbeyond]

Home cinema away from home and widescreen to boot. Crimescene even. Bloody excellent. This by far my favourite of your excellent series.
Tom

[mtbbrian]

I like this a lot Gary.
I am glad to see you are continuing with this series!
There is an unusal sense of sysmmetry or balance with the window and the hole and grating, the similiar shape of them.
The dark space inbewteen them is kind of erie too.
Brian

[gahspidy]

ChowChi-Ching . . .thanks for commenting on the picture. I'm very happy to know that you feel about it as I intended. The whole idea of the series is to have the viewer feel as if he/she is there and seeing the scene as the voyeur .

Liban . . .thanks as always for the comments. I took about a dozen shots from this scene and braketed them at different exposures and apertures. This was the one I felt nailed it as I hoped.

masdog . . .I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this. It's very helpful to me.

Seb . . .As always, I'm interested in knowing what your take is. I was a bit curious about your first comment regarding the blacness in the back walls as it appears very dark on my monitor and the histogram shows alot of true black. But I see your edit and can relate to the early morning thing.

payn817 . . .Yes, I like Kodak UC100 and 400. Very fine fims. The fuji X-tra 400 is very good, but what is better is the price! $2.00 a roll as opposed to $5.00 But I splurge every now and then and go for the UC. I have a few rolls of UC in my fridge right now. . .along with some Heinekens. As for the conversions, I use the channels mixer method. ( In PS use Image, adjust and select channel mixer. . .then select the monochrome box and adjust the RGB sliders to get the effect you like) Thanks for the comments

Yoyo . . .I was feeling the same thing when looking at the window. It seems like a monitor because of the framed bright scene in the dark area.. glad you feel it works ok.

Roger . . .thanks for taking the time to point these things out. Actually , the white dots you speak of are the gaps and cracks in the door seam where light from outside is bursting through. I agree about the one at the very top and will clone that one away, but the others I will leave but perhgaps tone their brightness down a bit. The two other things on the other side by the opened panel are beer cans. there are also a few more beer cans in the corner of the darkest area in the back. It is amazing how much latitude the film can achieve, because if you were to increase the brightness on your monitor you could see the beer cans and debris in the back area. It is actually recorded in the film. thanks again

Mark . . .Your never overstepping when you give me good , honest criticism. i always appreciate it. I do see what your saying in the lighter area of the wall near the window. That area was being softly exposed by the open panel in the floor reflecting the light from the opening. i will see how it comes out in print as it tends to be a bit darker than what the monitor displays thanks as always.

Chunk . . .Always great to hear a positive go from you. I'm glad to hear the murky lit reflected area is good by you. Yes, that bright spot on the top will most likely get a cloning out. thanks for the comments, Chunk

Brian . . .I think I'll always be adding to this series. I actually have some good news about this series coming soon. Interesting comments regarding the symetry of the window and grating and opening. when you say it feels balanced, that is what i go by as well. I keep moving the camera around until I get the composition that "feels" right and balanced. Thanks for your thoughts , Brian.

[Overbeyond]

ChowChi-Ching . . .thanks for commenting on the picture. I'm very happy to know that you feel about it as I intended. The whole idea of the series is to have the viewer feel as if he/she is there and seeing the scene as the voyeur .

Liban . . .thanks as always for the comments. I took about a dozen shots from this scene and braketed them at different exposures and apertures. This was the one I felt nailed it as I hoped.

masdog . . .I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this. It's very helpful to me.

Seb . . .As always, I'm interested in knowing what your take is. I was a bit curious about your first comment regarding the blacness in the back walls as it appears very dark on my monitor and the histogram shows alot of true black. But I see your edit and can relate to the early morning thing.

payn817 . . .Yes, I like Kodak UC100 and 400. Very fine fims. The fuji X-tra 400 is very good, but what is better is the price! $2.00 a roll as opposed to $5.00 But I splurge every now and then and go for the UC. I have a few rolls of UC in my fridge right now. . .along with some Heinekens. As for the conversions, I use the channels mixer method. ( In PS use Image, adjust and select channel mixer. . .then select the monochrome box and adjust the RGB sliders to get the effect you like) Thanks for the comments

Yoyo . . .I was feeling the same thing when looking at the window. It seems like a monitor because of the framed bright scene in the dark area.. glad you feel it works ok.

Roger . . .thanks for taking the time to point these things out. Actually , the white dots you speak of are the gaps and cracks in the door seam where light from outside is bursting through. I agree about the one at the very top and will clone that one away, but the others I will leave but perhgaps tone their brightness down a bit. The two other things on the other side by the opened panel are beer cans. there are also a few more beer cans in the corner of the darkest area in the back. It is amazing how much latitude the film can achieve, because if you were to increase the brightness on your monitor you could see the beer cans and debris in the back area. It is actually recorded in the film. thanks again

Mark . . .Your never overstepping when you give me good , honest criticism. i always appreciate it. I do see what your saying in the lighter area of the wall near the window. That area was being softly exposed by the open panel in the floor reflecting the light from the opening. i will see how it comes out in print as it tends to be a bit darker than what the monitor displays thanks as always.

Chunk . . .Always great to hear a positive go from you. I'm glad to hear the murky lit reflected area is good by you. Yes, that bright spot on the top will most likely get a cloning out. thanks for the comments, Chunk

Brian . . .I think I'll always be adding to this series. I actually have some good news about this series coming soon. Interesting comments regarding the symetry of the window and grating and opening. when you say it feels balanced, that is what i go by as well. I keep moving the camera around until I get the composition that "feels" right and balanced. Thanks for your thoughts , Brian.

And me

[dbutler]

Simply wonderful!!!

[gahspidy]

Thanks dbutler . . .that is always a nice comment to receive

Tom . . .It would be just like me to make a blunder like that . . .oversights like that seem to come naturally to me. . . ask dbutler. From what i know about you, from your comments and critique to others and from the pictures you post, it always is a pleasure and a stroke in my confidence to receive a thumbs up comment from you. Thanks again for your time to share your thoughts . . .