Once and Future...

Gallery: POP PhotosPosted March 16, 201278 views4 comments

...Ghost Town

I've been through this town tons of times but have never stopped by the downtown area until last night. I was hoping to get a good sunset backdrop photo with the two buildings in the FG but I was too late for that (yes this town only has two buildings in its downtown, hence the name). So I hung out and while the light faded I walked around, exploring. The white building was built in 1913 and was once a bank. It is empty now but you can still see the tin ceiling through the windows. I initially had reservations about the subject because of the big white sign in front, with nothing on it, but I decided I couldn't do anything about it and to photograph the buildings anyway. After doing some random stuff on CS5, I kind of like the way it turned out. I think it is representative of small towns that just seem to barely hang on year after year (if you look hard enough, you can even see the "For Rent" sign, below the white one). Thanks for looking.

Nikon D300s, 24-70mm at 24mm, f/7.1, .6 sec, ISO 400, polarizer, tripod

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Kent Staubus on March 17, 2012 at 12:46 PM

This photo has two things going for it, I think. The first is the sky. It's dark, but still has some detail in the clouds. I also love the dark blue color. That might have been a result of your camera's WB trying to decide between the artificial light and the ambient light. Second thing is the buildings do have a lot of charecter and they contrast each other nicely. Now for some more thoughts. The white sign is a major distraction. Might be able to clone it out, I don't know. I also think there is too much negative space on the left side, and the older brick buidling is too dark as is. I think it could be lightened up some. I like the way the light pole and the building are working together. This is a spot that I think you could go back to and play around with different angles, and maybe try some close up shots? What I have in mind is using a wider angle lens and positioning yourself in front of the brick building, pretty close to it. Shoot at an angle to exclude the sign sort of "skimming" across the front of the the buildings. You will catch the facades of both and the wide angle distortion will give you a bit of a surreal look, which would be appropriate here. The trick will be getting the angle right, and not letting the street light cause your exposure to go very very dark. I find similar scenes all across the Great Plains, from Texas clear up into Canada. You did capture that empty feeling these places have.

Kent in SD

Registered on November 11, 2003, 121 Posts, 2098 Comments

Comment posted by Cristina Strudthof on March 17, 2012 at 3:47 PM

Hey thanks Kent for the suggestions. I haven't given up on this place completely yet. Now that I'm more aware of my obstacles I'm going to regroup and think of other ways I can portray it. I knew going into it, the composition wouldn't be what most people like to see but I wanted to push myself beyond my level of comfort and understanding in hopes of gaining a new perspective on how to make something old new and something decrepit beautiful. Though this one won't likely garner any awards, I do think it has allowed me that opportunity.

Registered on January 14, 2011, 53 Posts, 363 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Staubus on March 17, 2012 at 6:07 PM

There are things that make me consider one of my own photos to be a success. The first is if I it has communicated the feel of the place to the viewer. The second thing is if I have learned something or gained new insight while making it.

Kent in SD

Registered on November 11, 2003, 121 Posts, 2098 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Kayne on March 22, 2012 at 12:30 AM

Registered on November 1, 2003, 573 Posts, 2619 Comments