Please post no more than five images a day and respond to as many images as you post. Critics, please be constructive, specific, and nice! Moderated by gahspidy and mtbbrian.
By posting on the Photo Critique forum you agree to post only your own photos, be respectful, and give back as much as you receive. This is a moderated forum and anything abusive or
off-topic will be removed.
Gary, it is a terrific picture, I like everything but the light pole! I know if you moved left or right you lose the effect to the direct light of the street lamp. I know next to nothing about post fixes, but I'm sure that pole could be eliminated. Other than that I expect Humphrey Bogart to walk into the scene,butt hanging out of his mouth, saying "listen tough guy"
Great job Gary, I'm a NYorker too,what park is this?
Steve B.
Very nicely done. The absence of people in this otherwise public place makes the photo for me. But the image is strong, lighting is great. I like it very much.
This is a really good piece of work. The placement of the trees and benches is dead on. Adding to the picture is the wet street and light coming through the mist/fog. It looks as though if you had shot at any different angle the light might have been a problem? Where you placed it behind the tree works well. I don't find the pole a distraction at all, and great work on the coversion to B&W and dead on exposure. Great addition to your public servant catalog. One curiosity I have though. What is the chain for on the bench? Is there a problem in NY with stolen benches?
Greg
I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..
Gary, the mood is fantastic here. Your photography oftenly is based on stong moods but you have just set the bar even higher with this one. The right side of the picture with the trees getting lost in the distance is terrific. I have mixed feelings about the light pole on the left. It doesn't quite fit into the scene but I am not sure that I would have noticed it if Steve wouldn't have pointed it out at the first place.
A big welcome back to the public servants and what a return.
The lighting around the bench is so inviting; inviting someone who should be at home in their bed to come and sit here. But who in their right mind would want to? Just look around, the place looks menacing with that brilliantly recorded mist/fog and the three trees adding more to the creepy ambience.
If I had a tiny tiny tiny crib it would be the white pole (maybe it could be toned down slightly) but I assume there is a lamp at it's top that is providing necessary illumination.
Tom
I have a total lack of respect for anything connected with society, except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper, and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer. Brendan Behan
I can imagine you walking around getting all the light sources blocked from shining directly into the lens while still getting a strong composition. Not and easy shot to take. The exposure is dead on with great texture in the nearby tree and bench.
Nice contrasts of the textures and forms between the manufactured benches and pavement and the natural trees and lawn.
Just doesn't get any better than this (although I expect your next post will).
Is this close enough that you could get the same scene at different times with the benches populated in different ways? A triptych maybe? It would give a sense of your public servants providing service even more.
Hi Gary,
I like the compostion of this shot: the triangle defined by the trees, and the echo of the 2 benches. I dont know why, but the shot reminds me one of the photos of Gregory Crewdson: http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/art/reviews/12001/. I also feel a stong sense of loneliness in this photo.
yoyo
Thanks for the comments.
This is actually not a park but a sitting area and path that leads to the Marine Park Nature Preserve, here in Marine Park, Brooklyn. The actual scene is right next to the avenue U. Across the ave. is Marine Park, while straight ahead , where the path leads is the entrance to the nature preserve. I agree about the pole and had not thought about it until it was mentioned. I do not feel that i want to go to the extreme of removing it as it is not so damaging, but as Tom suggested, burning it in and toning it down a bit will be the way to go.
As some of you mentioned the lights behind the trees were needed to provided the illumination of the bg and mist and to help create the strong silhouettes of the trees, but my angles of shooting this scene were very limited as I had to place all three or four lights as it were behind branches to keep them from harming the picture.
Greg, the chain on the bench I think belonged to a garbage container that was next to the bench (I moved out of the way). I think it was initially chanined to the bench to prevent it from being moved or taken. I guess if the bench were not bolted down, it would be taken too . . .
Chunk, good idea. Yes, this scene is very close to me and that could be easily done. The only problem is that I never see anyone sitting here or walking by for that matter. It really is next to a sidewalk in between two parks. Most of the foot traffic is across the street.
I missed this - what a moody photo. I have a similar moody painting in my lounge with lighting and mist but with people walking over a bridge.
I think its terrific and I agree that toning down the lamp post would make it perfect.
Personally I like this without people.
Roger
"I hope we will never see the day when photo shops sell little schema grills to clamp onto our viewfinders; and the Golden Rule will never be found etched on our ground glass."from The mind's eye by Henri Cartier-Bresson
My Web Site: www.readingr.com DSLR
Canon 5D; EF100-400 F4.5-5.6L IS USM; EF24-70 F2.8L USM 50mm F1.8 II; EF 100 F2.8 Macro Digital
Canon Powershot Pro 1; Canon Ixus 100
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by gahspidy
