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Archive 2015 · #1 Superstore

  
 
eeneryma
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · #1 Superstore


Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a working class immigrant neighborhood, last Saturday, early morning. I showed this to a photographer friend who said that the photo is too quiet, and needs something to "activate" it, like a child riding on the kiddy ride. So I wondered how others felt. Also, any pp suggestions appreciated.



© eeneryma 2014

#1 Superstore




Apr 03, 2015 at 11:15 PM
sbeme
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · #1 Superstore


Interesting comment. Because the main subject is very busy, if a bit orderly where you might expect a more jumbled, chaotic look. The sidewalk is so clean/uncluttered/empty that the message is not strong.
Maybe tighter (but you lose the sign) or busier with more people around. Or later, if they spread more items along the sidewalk?
What's the inside like?
Would they let you in to shoot, very wide, flash?
I would want to capitalize on clutter, surround of items, jumble of color, signs if possible.

Scott



Apr 03, 2015 at 11:29 PM
eeneryma
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · #1 Superstore


I got a chuckle out of the name of the store versus what they were promoting for sale: toilet paper, paper towels, brooms and mops, garden supplies, etc. the store was just opening, as u can see the proprietor was finishing hanging items to display. The most prominent item is the donald duck kiddy ride, part of the plan to lure families with kids in. So i looked at it as a documentary scene, quiet like an Atget photo. But is that enough?


Apr 04, 2015 at 05:08 AM
RustyBug
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · #1 Superstore


Mono


Apr 04, 2015 at 08:09 PM
Mongrel
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · #1 Superstore


I would suggest that what the shot lacks is LIGHT...

There is no depth because the lighting is so flat. Despite the chaos and the texture created by all the "stuff" it presents very superficially.

I LOVE the idea and the scene, but I would revisit either at dawn, dusk, (or whenever the sun pours down between buildings or whatever else may be in the way) or even under street lamps so that you could see what type of lighting was available.

Then capitalize on the angle of the sun or streetlamps....




Apr 04, 2015 at 09:24 PM
eeneryma
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · #1 Superstore


Thanks Rusty, will try in mono and repost.

Re: Mongrel: it was an overcast day, and it was early in the morning, brighter on the opposite side of the street. So agreed, the lighting is somewhat flat. Would be interesting to reshoot with different lighting. The location is in a part of the city where I get my car serviced, so I'm not often there.




Apr 04, 2015 at 11:27 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · #1 Superstore


The figure in the door is lost. Just enough to arouse curiosity but does not satisfy it. I would like to see the person more clearly or not at all.

As to the rest, it seems to me to fill the requirements of street photography as I know it, which is not well.



Apr 05, 2015 at 09:23 AM
eeneryma
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · #1 Superstore


Here's a stab at Black and white via Silver Efex Pro.

As you've pointed out Ben, I agree that the figure in the doorway is somewhat hidden. It would be a stronger photo if the proprietor was backlit. Or if she had cooperated and worn white clothing.







Apr 05, 2015 at 09:34 AM
RustyBug
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · #1 Superstore


eeneryma wrote:

it was an overcast day ... the lighting is somewhat flat.


Light is energy.

Buckshot coming out of a shotgun spreads out like diffuse, soft, flat light (rough analogy), while a bullet coming out of a rifle is more like specular lighting directly striking the object with more force.

That said, the understanding of how "hard" the light is striking our subject (I won't bore with physics class @ vector forces) can be taken into consideration with regard to how we process.

By this, if we have "hard" light, we need little pp to present it dynamic. If we have "soft" light, we can use additional pp to render it more dynamic (if we are so inclined). The Yin-Yang of light & pp is at our disposal en route to our finished product.

So, while we don't have control of our lighting at all times, we can make some offsetting approach / adjustments based on our ASSESSMENT of our lighting, rather than simply applying our standard, regular, normal processing. That would be normal for Sunny 16 specular light vs. normal for overcast soft light ... can be two very different PP's to render how we aspire to present our message.

Took a stab a few things, mostly some shadow lift to address the dynamic range and a bit of USM. A slight pull back on the sat as well. Could have gone with more of a more targeted approach, but still "hmmm" @ your desired message, whether focused toward the duck, the shopkeep, the large sign the door @ right, the menagerie, etc. ... or just a balancing act overall, left it somewhat toward the latter, but could certainly steer / guide the viewer a bit more if one is so inclined.
















Apr 05, 2015 at 11:43 AM
eeneryma
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · #1 Superstore


Kent,
You've done a wonderful job of balancing the lighting and shadows! Thanks for tackling this and showing it can be done. Did you use global adjustments, or many individual layers, or a combination. Any suggestions about technique is much appreciated.

I"m a color guy at heart and still prefer that version to mono.



Apr 05, 2015 at 08:47 PM





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