Portal
Portal is a conceptual composite of my own imagery that I created with the intent of playing on the mind's perception of perspective and reality. The skysc...
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Portal is a conceptual composite of my own imagery that I created with the intent of playing on the mind's perception of perspective and reality. The skyscraper is the beautiful Two California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles, while both the plane and sun flare were shot in my back yard in the high desert. This image is part of my larger Vertical Reflecions series, which you can view in its entirety here: http:--www.kapuschinsky.com-vertical-reflections.html
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Apr, 2016Views
16268
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Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Look Up Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Aircrafts Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Airplanes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Silhouettes And Negative Space Photo Contest
People's Choice in Just stunning shots of anything Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Getting Creative Photo Contest
MPIX Print Credit
Contest Finalist in B&W Leading Lines Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
Virtuoso
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jenna_kramer
July 29, 2016
this is my favorite photo i have ever seen on the website! great shot love your work(:!
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bretthondow
August 29, 2016
This has to be one of the best leading lines photographs ever! Well done.
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Maustincpt
September 17, 2016
Awesome work of art.... beautifully done! Congratulations on your win.
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tomquinn
March 03, 2017
Nice composition. Also, thank you for being up-front and honest about the composite nature of your photo Far too often, I see photographers purposefully lead viewers to believe they were there at just the right moment for a great "capture." All that said, nice, clean compelling image!
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kapuschinsky
March 29, 2017
Thanks, Tom! Yes, there's a fine line between fine art and not-so fine deception! So glad you like it:)
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falsparsh
June 05, 2018
this is really fantastic, award winning ???? click. i would be obliged to know was aircraft merged in frame or did you shot in I single frame?
jaredsimpson
December 20, 2018
Mesmerizing. Absolutely my most favorite image ever seen on this site
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HansiE1234
April 02, 2022
A masterpiece! Such shots are more than welcome in my challenge Cities in bnw. /Hansi
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Kimballmc
October 16, 2022
Such a brilliant photograph! Well done! I’d give it an award, but see I already have.😊
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
"Portal" is actually a conceptual composite of my own imagery that I wanted to play on the mind's perception of perspective and reality. The skyscraper is Two California Plaza, one of the gorgeous twin towers atop Bunker Hill in Downtown Los Angeles. I shot the sun rays in my back yard in the high desert, and the photo of the jet happened quite unintentionally: one day last March I was watching the Thunderbirds perform for the annual LA County Air Show in Lancaster. Our house was only a few miles away from Fox Airfield, and I was patiently waiting to get a decent shot of them flying overhead in formation when I caught this airliner cruising right above me instead:)Time
All images were shot at high noon, or soon thereafter. I know lots of photographers tend to shy away from the harsh midday sun, but living in Southern California, I quickly became accustomed to shooting in hard light, just because there was so much of it so often!Lighting
Skyscrapers look incredible in any sort of light, and the varying types can really enhance the mood you are going for. Shooting on a cloudy or foggy day will add a great sense of mystery. Backlight will give deep shadows and frame the structure, further adding to their massive grandeur. Hard light will reflect and highlight all the differing textures at varying angles, showcasing the many characteristics of the building. If reflections aren't what you're going for, you can minimize them by using a polarizer. These types of filters are also helpful when photographing sun rays, as they lower the exposure and darken blues. Keep the aperture narrow, the ISO low, and the shutter speed fast.Equipment
All images were shot on a Sony a700; I used my Minolta 28-70 f2.8G and Marumi circular polarizer for the skyscraper and sun rays, and the jet was shot with my 70-210 telephoto.Inspiration
I've always had a fascination for architecture, in particular towering skyscrapers. Their sheer size alone is breathtaking. When we lived in Southern California, we would often visit Downtown LA so I had lots of opportunities to photograph them. On this particular day, as we strolled around the abstract sculptures and art that surround the exterior of The MOCA, I glanced up at Two Cal Plaza. Beams of light cascaded down its sleek steel and glass facade like an inviting pathway to Heaven. I snapped a few photos and we rushed down the hill to catch The Redline for our commute home. Fast forward to post processing, I had the image converted to black and white, but felt like it was lacking. Often being one that likes to create imagery that causes the viewer to stop and think, I decided to expound on this inviting otherworldly portal by adding the jet where the lines merged- a sense of closure further emphasized by the sun rays, which also balanced the entire composition by adding natural leading lines in the negative space of the sky. Leaving the jet in contradictory position to the direction of the "portal" was a subliminal way exemplifying our conflicting perceptions of reality.Editing
All editing was done in GIMP; once each component was separately converted to black and white, I assembled the composition, flattened the layers and did the fine tuning as a whole.In my camera bag
I'm both a minimalist and nostalgic at heart so I shoot solely with vintage Minolta glass on my Sony gear. My 28-70 f2.8G goes with me just about everywhere because it is a great walk around lens. I like to throw in my 70-210 f4 "beercan", in case I find myself shooting macro or portraiture. The lens is as old as me, but it has bokeh unlike any I've ever seen. Other than that, I've got my trusty 50mm 1.7 prime, a Sony HVL f56AM for artificial light, and various types of filters.Feedback
I'm a notorious rule breaker with my lifestyle and portrait work, but when it comes to architectural photography, it's pretty important to play by the books. This genre weighs heavily on composition, balance and symmetry in order to draw in the viewer's attention in a satisfactory manner. It's a natural tendency to want to fit entire buildings into the frame, which is fine- wide angles are great for this- but a closer crop with strong leading lines at interesting angles can be just as beneficial in portraying the utter magnitude of the structure. Additional components such as clouds, planes and birds can strengthen the composition by adding focal points that will further enhance depth. Also try long exposures with a tripod to create dramatic motion blur in the sky. Just be sure to use a Neutral Density filter to keep the shot from becoming over exposed. Anything to pull the eyes in and lead them upward.
