Embodiment of Evil-2

[RBSinTo]

This weekend a photobud and I made our annual pilgrimage to Niagara Falls Ontario to top up our quota of Schlock by walking around the Tourist Strip and along the Canadian side of the gorge, mostly photographing tourists taking photos.
While walking on the strip, his caught my eye and using the extremely wide zoom I was carrying, got this shot.
Nikon D3
Sigma 12~24 f4.5-5.6 AF zoom
5.6 @ 180th, ISO 200

[Donald]

I was at a workshop recently where the speaker said something which, when you thought about it, was rather obvious, but was well worth saying - "If you taking a portrait with an extreme wide angle lens, make sure the subject is in the centre of the frame". Otherwise you'll get wild distortion. This chap might not have minded that!

That's a good picture. The bars have a great effect.

[RBSinTo]

I was at a workshop recently where the speaker said something which, when you thought about it, was rather obvious, but was well worth saying - "If you taking a portrait with an extreme wide angle lens, make sure the subject is in the centre of the frame". Otherwise you'll get wild distortion. This chap might not have minded that!

That's a good picture. The bars have a great effect.

Thanks Donald.
This was a bit tough to take as I was shooting through the front window and had to stand on tip-toes and shoot down to get as much of the mannequin's feet as were visible. The only lens I was carrying was my 12~24 which gave me enough width to get most of the bars in, but at the same time gave me a ton of distortion to the sides. However, I reasoned that the converging bars and floor boards push the viewer's eyes toward the subject, so in the end I liked the effect.
Robert

[Manfred M]

I remember wandering up Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, ON a few years ago with my youngest daughter. It was the first time she saw that side of the Falls. I told her that I considered it the "tackiest street in Canada". By the time we got to the top of the hill, she was as convinced I was right.

The perspective distortion works very well in this shot as it adds a bit of an uncomfortable edge to the composition.

[RBSinTo]

I remember wandering up Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, ON a few years ago with my youngest daughter. It was the first time she saw that side of the Falls. I told her that I considered it the "tackiest street in Canada". By the time we got to the top of the hill, she was as convinced I was right.

The perspective distortion works very well in this shot as it adds a bit of an uncomfortable edge to the composition.

Manfred,
Thanks for the comments.
There is no question that the strip sets the bar for tackiness, which is why it attracts me as it does.
Robert

[Donald]

There is no question that the strip sets the bar for tackiness, which is why it attracts me as it does.

I can see the attraction for a photographer such as yourself, Robert.

I think I'll give it a miss if I ever find myself in that part of the world!

[mugge]

I love it. The use of wide angle is spot on visually.
Cheers Ole

[lovelife65]

Great photograph Robert! I would not want to join him in his home though.

[RBSinTo]

I can see the attraction for a photographer such as yourself, Robert.

I think I'll give it a miss if I ever find myself in that part of the world!

Donald,
You really shouldn't sell the area short.
Besides the tacky Tourist Strip there are a number of attractions in the area (The Niagara and Horseshoe Falls, various botanical gardens) or within very easy driving distance (The Niagara Gorge, the Butterfly Conservatory Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the Fort George Historic site, just to name a few) that make a visit to the area photographically very worth-while.
Robert

[RBSinTo]

Ole, Sharon,
Thanks for the comments.
Sharon,
I agree with you, but only because I believe him to be a Cannon user.
Robert

[lovelife65]

Ole, Sharon,
Thanks for the comments.
Sharon,
I agree with you, but only because I believe him to be a Cannon user.
Robert

LOL. Right on. ;-)

[rpcrowe]

When I first viewed this image, I thought that cutting off the feet was a problem. However, the more that I look at the image, the more I think that it doesn't hurt the "feeling" of the image. In fact by making me a bit uncomfortable, it just might add to the impact.

[RBSinTo]

Richard,
Thanks for commenting.
A number of people have commented on the missing shoe toes, but to me they are such a minor aspect of the photo that they don't bother me at all.
Robert