albyn
FollowBroadway & 86th, New York City [two photos layered, then cropped] (avoiding panoramas on Viewbug)
Broadway & 86th, New York City [two photos layered, then cropped] (avoiding panoramas on Viewbug)
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Awards
Peer Choice Award
Winner in Magical Creations Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Superior Skill
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
rogerbradshaw
October 22, 2017
Just saw this in Panorama challenge result. From a selection of truly stunning images this is the one that caught my eye. Great imaginative shot.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Thank you for the award. Very gratifying. The photo(s) were shot at 86th and Broadway, normally a bustling urban boulevard in an Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City, one block from our apartment.Time
It was in the afternoon during the blizzard of 2016 in New York City.Lighting
I was hoping to show what a blizzard in the city looked like and felt like. It was low light conditions, and fortunately the traffic lights poked through the snowfall.Equipment
I used a Nikon D7100 DSLR camera with its standard 140 mm lens. No flash, which I use as little as possible outdoors. Miraculously, no tripod, but I had to hold it steady.Inspiration
I enjoy shooting street scenes. Looking out our 12th floor apartment window, I could see that the blizzard conditions would provide a relatively rare atmosphere. Also, I just wanted to see what the neighborhood looked like obscured and abandoned.Editing
I took multiple shots knowing that I would combine them. In the warmth of my study, I clarified each photo with Photoshop Elements and then identified photos that I would bracket and fuse with Photomatix Pro. I examined multiple combinations and determined which would give me to most effective image. Then I ran the best combination through Photoshop Elements again to refine the image. This image was a result of returning to the original image in order to crop the top, thereby, creating a panoramic emphasis on the people.In my camera bag
I have a larger and smaller bag and sometimes carry both, like when in Paris. To be nimble (for example, in museums or at social functions), the smaller bag contains a point-and-shoot Nikon P600 which has a remarkably reliable zoom. For serious shoots, the larger bag contains the Nikon D7100 DSLR and a field guide for the camera, an additional Nikon 55-300 mm lens, hoods, an extra charged battery, and an external shutter release for tripod-stabilized HDR shoots. A medium size tripod fits in an additional smallish shoulder bag.Feedback
My motto is that I see something that can become something (knowing what art looks like and what I can do with processing). I love doing "ghost" pictures, which are created by holding the camera steady and taking multiple shots manually. (On the other hand, movement in continuous rapid shots often ruins the picture.) Sometimes I find a relatively plain wall and shoot as people walk by. By combining the images, the background is stable and enriched while the moving people become the ghosts. I was not taught this, nor did I read about it in a book. I just fell upon it while playing with HDR fusions. My general advice is to experiment with trial and error, but don't show us the "errors" unless they turn out to be serendipitous art. Finally, I cannot overemphasize the wonders of simply cropping to achieve balance, home in on the most interesting features of a picture, and so on.