Chicago Late Afternoon

[David Eckels]

In view of Russ' and Rob's admonitions to emulate great photographers and their compositions, I thought I would play with this frame in honor of our own Slobodan Blagojevic who has brought us some very memorable images from Chicago and other cities. This was shot SOOC with a square crop in mind to get the perspective right. I am torn, however, re the bright blue patch in the upper left. "Edge patrol" might dictate that it's a distraction, but I am thinking I like the focus on the three upper left reflections and the color complementarity. The cropped version seems a different picture and I thought I'd post for criticism. FYI, shot with a Nikon 1 v2/10-100 zoom.

[armand]

Very nice, I prefer the second. I would have liked a little more space on the left but then you get the sky reflection.

[brandtb]

Dave you might look at first version with dark area/vertical band on right cropped off so right frame edge is now centered between the left edge of that dark vertical band and the vertical row of thin alternating highlighted "bands/reflections". Now there is an additional interplay across the image between highlighted areas left, center, and right. I'm not sure if it is the be all and end all and would make it a "super image"....but I really like the color, mood, light, reflections, etc in what you were looking at in any case. There is some great "content" in it...well seen. /B

[RSL]

David,

I know I'm not saying, and I'm quite positive Rob's not saying "emulate great photographers and their compositions." "Emulate" implies imitation, and to my mind, in spite of Picasso's aphorism that "good artists copy; great artists steal," imitation is a terrible thing for a would-be artist to try. The important thing is to study visual art of all kinds and learn what works in terms of composition, and probably more importantly, what doesn't work. Nobody sat down one day with a ruler and designed the "rule of thirds." That kind of visual balance became a "rule" because people who were paying attention saw, over and over and over that the balance it gives is visually effective.

Somewhere else on LuLa this morning I ran across the suggestion that what you should do is raise your camera and then move the finder around until what you see is the balance you want. If you don't see that balance before you raise the camera, you're lost. And the way you learn what balance works is to study what's gone before.

(I thought about being really snide and saying "and the way to learn what doesn't work is to look at most of the photographs on LuLa," but I'm not really that nasty, so I won't say it.)

Oh, and I like your Chicago pictures, but what a rabbit warren the place is.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Dave, both crops work, but I prefer the square one. The blue patch ads contrast and balance. I would just try to tame a bit the the brighter upper part of the patch.

That was the famous Aqua building in the background? Btw, what is that vertical sinusoidal pattern along the right edge, reflections on the hotel room window?

[Rob C]

Russ is on the money: do not copy, just allow yourself to be inspired by something.

I much prefer the first shot.

On the little iPad I read SOOC as 500C and thought wow, another 'blad fan with an expensive long lens!

Which makes me think: how nice if the new mirrorless Nikon turned out to have a 36x36 sensor! All the joys of the aforementioned Swedish square in a contemporary setting. With all the cropping options that brings, and no more turning things onto their side.

:-(

Rob

[David Eckels]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

Pertinent to Armand's and Slobodan's and Brandt's comments and questions, I was shooting from the Sheraton Grand across the Chicago River and what caught my eye was the fantastic light and reflections through a gap in the gauzy room curtains, hence the sinusoidal pattern and also some constraints on how much and where to crop, especially with the 2.7x cropped sensor . While I originally "saw" the square crop, I think others are certainly possible. I think I will stick with the square version, if I can figure out a reasonable way to tone down that upper left cloud reflection; simply adding a vignette seemed to be too much, but I will give it a go.

Russ and Rob, glad you liked the image and appreciate your other comments. I guess I meant emulate more in reference to shot and subject selection; I don't do a lot of cityscapes and have admired so many of Slobodan's that I thought I'd give it a try. By the way, Slobodan, this was when we got together in Chicago! I take your point, Russ and Rob, about not trying to copy. Inspire is a great word. In a sense, studying and trying to figure out why a shot from "the great ones" works and getting inspired, is better than copying perhaps because that analysis can become incorporated into your own vision. Even with painting, as I think you pointed out elsewhere, Russ. Sorry if I seemed to be putting words in your mouths, but then I did get a rise out of you! 

Appreciate ALL of the discussion.

[RSL]

Keep shooting David. You do good work.

[David Eckels]

Thanks, Russ. Will do.
Attached, a new version incorporating comments and suggestions. I will have to look at this a while and determine if it is really what I had in mind from the get go. Not trying to do post-processing by committee, but do appreciate the perspectives.
Slobodan, I don't know if that is the Aqua building. It certainly looks like the one you've shot before. It would have been south, across the river from the hotel.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

This last version gets my vote. Completely satisfying.
I agree that for cityscapes, Slobodan is an excellent source of inspiration.

[Rajan Parrikar]

The second version is a beauty.

[David Eckels]

Thanks Eric and Rajan. As I said above, not my usual subject matter, but good light is good light; I'll take it!

[Chris Calohan]

Thanks Eric and Rajan. As I said above, not my usual subject matter, but good light is good light; I'll take it!

Sent you a private message. :-)