Merely Passing By
Between Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, Lower Manhattan
2012
Oct, 2015Views
543
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
People's Choice in Cinematic Shots Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 2Top 30 rank week 1
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picture atop a staircase at the High Line in Chelsea, NYC. The platform blocking the sunlight is part of a former elevated freight-train route delivering goods to factories up until 1980. The grounds were abandoned until the mid-2000s. By the end of the decade, grounds had been laid for an ambitious elevated recreational area. This picture was taken in April of 2012. At that point, the High Line hadn't branched out quite as far as it has since. I feel like some of the industrial past of this part of the city is still somewhat noticeable in this picture, though the area had been subject to major changes by that point.Time
It was late in the afternoon/early evening on the 6th or 7th of April, 2012. Nothing but clear blue skies.Lighting
The lighting was quite intense in this setting. It was late in the afternoon in early Spring - the sun was already leaning westwards - which is exactly the direction I shot here. This was only about a block or two away from the Westside Highway and Hudson River, in an area where buildings are generally not that tall and there is not much else to block the incoming sunlight. I used this to my advantage and made a few tweaks here and there. The former elevated tracks served as my source of shade.Equipment
I shot this with my first DSLR, a Canon 1000D/Rebel XS. My trip to NYC was probably the most action this camera had seen up until this point.Inspiration
I guess you could call it a blend of Film Noir imagery and early to mid-20th Century Chiaroscuro photography. I was at that point (and still am today) a big fan of the cinematography of movies like The Third Man. I also distinctly remember seeing a picture that must have been taken atop either Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridge in the earlier half of the 20th Century that just had me spellbound. It was a person traversing the shaded realm of the pedestrian area, surrounded by cascades of light. Solitary sunrays would filter in and almost become manifest - it felt like you could touch them. The image just exuded such an intense and otherworldly atmosphere. It was gritty and palpable, whilst also being quite ethereal and beautiful. I knew I wanted to give intense light-and-shade situations like that one a shot. And it just so happened that I got my chance in the very same city.Editing
I mostly stuck to playing around with the gradation curve of the contrast settings. The image was also edited from a standard digital format to a square composition. I added a subtle gilded tinge to it as well to put an accent on the light coming in.In my camera bag
These days, I usually take my Canon 700D and whatever 35mm SLR I recently got my hands on with me. Right now, my Minolta SR-T 101b and my Fujica ST 605 are the ones I usually go for, when I'm craving film.Feedback
Look, I was 21 when I took this and still somewhat green. I think the most important thing is to just go exploring. You needn't be a professional, I sure wasn't one. But you need patience, the right location and most of all, you need to go for it. If you want to do something in a similar style though, here are a few things to look out for: 1. Intense lighting is a must - we're talking early mornings, late afternoons, dusk light. 2. You must have a good amount of shade as well to balance it out - try bridges, underpasses, urban canyons between tall buildings, etc. Pick a low ISO (somewhere in the 200-400 ballpark) and a semi-fast shutter speed. 3. Figure out what lense you need for your particular composition and use its strengths to your advantage. 4. Don't be afraid of some editing afterwards. In the olden days, different chemicals or specific films were used to create specific moods. Nowadays, we have software to serve our needs. Photography does not have to be a mere documentarian endeavor. In fact, photography in its sheer constitution is subjective. Each image is a depiction of the world through the lens of the photographer. As long as we pick subjects, create compositions and pick specific times, photography can't be completely objective. So some editing is sometimes key to achieve your preferred outcome. In fact, digital photography lends itself to that. 5. Be courteous and mindful. This picture features a person - it is a candid picture. While it was taken from a distance and it is hard to make out facial features - know that street and situational photography tread a moral gray area. A lot of people do not like to have their picture taken in the public. We should always be respectful of that. I try to navigate this thin line by either taking pictures from a distance so facial features are hard to make out or by having people in there solely as silhouettes. This works for me, but it might not work for someone else. Street photography can be quite beautiful, but the moral implications have been a hotly debated issue for a while. I have no definitive answer to the age-old question, but just some rule-of-thumb advice. Be nice, try not to disturb people in their day-to-day business, be forthcoming if they tell you they don't want to be photographed. We do a lot for art, but it's not worth impeding on the consent of other people. Patience is key, kindness is irreplaceable.
