Tough Subject

[PopsPhotos]

Rough basalt stone building. Rusted ironwork sculpture. Facing North. Photographer standing in the middle of a busy street.

Original, cropped, with contrast pulled a bit.


Converted to B&W, contrast pulled up some more.


I don't have it yet, but I'm working on it.

Pops

[CNelson]

Both images are interesting. I hope you aren't feeling run down.

Chuck

[rick55]

Hi, Pops;

Is this a shot you can try again (not that I'm trying to entice you into traffic )? Can you maybe open up the aperture to blur out the background some, to highlight the sculpture? Maybe that's the opposite of what you have in mind. I did it in PS, roughly, to see what it looks like.

Cheers,
Rick

[PopsPhotos]

Being on the South side of the building, the sun gives proper light only a couple of weeks in the Spring and again in the Fall. The time when you get the shadows to show the interior man is also rush hour at 5 corners, with about half the traffic in the town turning to come past the library. Makes standing out in the street a bit dicey. I tried putting on a fluorescent vest as if I was official, but the police station is next door and I got told no-no-no.

I'm thinking I'll take the step ladder and set up on the sidewalk with a short lens. I'll shoot vertical and open up some aperture for a shallower depth of field. I think I'll also shoot some real B&W. This was taken with Fujichrome 100 on the N80. The shoot I was set up for required longer lenses, so I didn't have my 26mm, nor the 50mm with me.

This is the only angle which has a decent backdrop at all. If I move around the sculpture, I get it against those rusty looking basalt slabs and it disappears. If I go to the other side, or to the front or to the rear, I get scruffy businesses in the background. I've been shooting it for almost a year, now and am getting close.

I'll let you know next time the light is right and I shoot it again.

Pops

[rick55]

This is the only angle which has a decent backdrop at all. If I move around the sculpture, I get it against those rusty looking basalt slabs and it disappears. If I go to the other side, or to the front or to the rear, I get scruffy businesses in the background. I've been shooting it for almost a year, now and am getting close.

Pops

Absolutely - both the color and B&W versions are very good shots.

Cheers,
Rick