NYC: A Wet Trilogy, Part II

vmarcus wrote in post #3719409
Nice colors! Place looks like a slum..

fiftysvn wrote in post #3723037
wow ... all these years in nyc and i never knew that chinatown could look so . . . depressing.

well not depressing really, but as someone above me said, it looks super slum-mish! (it doesn't help that chinatown really is somewhat of a slum)

CBRfanatic0429 wrote in post #3723737
yea, it can be slum-ish, and also big trouble in little china-ish if you ever saw the movie, lol. im deeply interested with your post processing, can you please enlighten me?

AlphaChicken wrote in post #3724223
Are you talking about the movie called Chinatown, with Jack Nicholson?

I'm also interested in whether these shots were heavily post processed. If it was raining then I could very easily believe they weren't. What I REALLY wanna know is how you shoot in the rain? Its something I have never done myself.

Thanks for looking and for the comments! It does look a bit like a slum, well, it's NYC anyway. The 2/3 stop underexposure enhanced the gritty, gloomy atmosphere no doubt. The PP that I used is a variation of what I have been doing to my pics lately - underexposure, burning, dodging here and there, slight desaturation, vignetting introduced, a bit of experimentation in blending modes a bit... There is a discussion in my past threads, I will dig it up.

AlphaChicken wrote in post #3720105
Very cool shots. How do you shoot in the rain? Does the weather sealing on the L lenses and some of the camera bodies prevent water

For this shoot I used a 20D with a 24-70L. I walked around with the camera tucked inside the chest area of my jacket (waterproof GoreTex type) so it would be safe from the elements. When I draw it out it gets wet, so I have to work quickly so it won't get overly wet. It does get drenched a bit though. I haven't had any problems yet, knock on wood.

BottomBracket wrote in post #3726005
For this shoot I used a 20D with a 24-70L. I walked around with the camera tucked inside the chest area of my jacket (waterproof GoreTex type) so it would be safe from the elements. When I draw it out it gets wet, so I have to work quickly so it won't get overly wet. It does get drenched a bit though. I haven't had any problems yet, knock on wood.

Cool. I am pretty sure that the L-series are weather sealed. Was wondering if this included water; I guess it does to some extent. Great shots man. Thanks again for sharing them, as well as your technique. I tend to PP underexpose as well. Adds a nice darker feeling to urban shots that need it.


Regards,
AlphaChicken

Miyagi-san wrote in post #3721880
You are without a doubt one of few people on this forum who can make a rain puddle the main subject of a photo....successfully With that said, number 4 is it for me

Awesome as always

neil85 wrote in post #3722090
i like 4 & 5 ... i wonder what 5 would look like as BW?

only thing so so on 4 is i find myself drawn more to the person and no the puddle (assuming off your title it was more of the puddle then the person)

Thanks for the comments guys. Wide angle lenses really work well in the urban scene.

raveelement wrote in post #3725938
I think these would look even better black and white. I always love looking at NYC photography as I live here and it's a great source of inspiration.

I do have B/W versions of these, will be posting it soon. Us NYC'rs should get together for a shoot sometime. Thanks for looking!

AlphaChicken wrote in post #3726040
Cool. I am pretty sure that the L-series are weather sealed. Was wondering if this included water; I guess it does to some extent. Great shots man. Thanks again for sharing them, as well as your technique. I tend to PP underexpose as well. Adds a nice darker feeling to urban shots that need it.


Regards,
AlphaChicken

Thanks AC! The 2/3 stop underexposure was done in camera though. I believe that this preserves the details in the shadows better, and would come in handy if there is an intense source of light (such as the bright sky peeking from the building tops) that might throw off the exposure altogether. It is my standard setting whenever I go out.

The 20D and these lenses are pretty tough. I am pretty tough on my cameras as I just shove them and out of my messenger bag frequently. They can take it, as well as slight knocks and bumps. I always keep the hood on, even when the camera is in a bag, ready for action when I pull it out.

Hmm. Since when did the gov't start allowing clones of people (me) lol. I do the exact same things lol.

great photos. I cant wait to take a look at them again when I get home as my monitor at the office isnt that great.

Nick123 wrote in post #3726359
great photos. I cant wait to take a look at them again when I get home as my monitor at the office isnt that great.

Thanks nick!

AlphaChicken wrote in post #3726211
Hmm. Since when did the gov't start allowing clones of people (me) lol. I do the exact same things lol.

Yikes, so there's two of me on this earth? Scary thought. hehe.

lovely pics. numbers 2 and 3 are my faves. they look like they are shot on slide film (velvia) with perfect exposure...

BottomBracket wrote in post #3726052
Thanks for the comments guys. Wide angle lenses really work well in the urban scene.

I do have B/W versions of these, will be posting it soon. Us NYC'rs should get together for a shoot sometime. Thanks for looking!

I just visited your gallery and love your nyc street photography. For whatever reason I've always had a tough time finding interesting things to photograph in the city. I see you probably live in Williamsburg area, so do I.

andrewaaa5 wrote in post #3732861
lovely pics. numbers 2 and 3 are my faves. they look like they are shot on slide film (velvia) with perfect exposure...

Thanks Andrew! Funny, they do look a bit Velvia-like even though the saturation was toned down a bit. Must be the blending modes that I messed around with. I can't remember what I used!

raveelement wrote in post #3733079
I just visited your gallery and love your nyc street photography. For whatever reason I've always had a tough time finding interesting things to photograph in the city. I see you probably live in Williamsburg area, so do I.

Rave, thanks for the kind words. Perhaps we can get a group together to do some street shooting. It would be great to have fellow shooters to bounce ideas off.

I love your threads, BB. Your undersaturated colors and thought provoking compositions are always enjoyable.

Thank you sir, much appreciated.

BottomBracket wrote in post #3726005
Thanks for looking and for the comments! It does look a bit like a slum, well, it's NYC anyway. The 2/3 stop underexposure enhanced the gritty, gloomy atmosphere no doubt. The PP that I used is a variation of what I have been doing to my pics lately - underexposure, burning, dodging here and there, slight desaturation, vignetting introduced, a bit of experimentation in blending modes a bit... There is a discussion in my past threads, I will dig it up.

If you could dig it up or maybe even post a step by step of your post processing, I and I'm sure others would be most grateful As always, I look forward to your pics, I think they're great!

I would never be able to print NYC Chinatown that way, but those pictures represent very well the feeling I have during my biweekly visit downtown.
Excellent rendition, and perfect representation.

Thank you both for the kind comments. Hector, I planned to do a mini tutorial on this PP that I'm working on, but I haven't had much free time this summer. I'll post it though when I finish it, hopefully soon.