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Making A Photo Unique

8/9/2018

9 Comments

 
So how do you approach one of the most photographed places and make it new, unique, or especially interesting? I confronted this in Chicago recently.  The Loop is the heart and soul of the city, an outdoor museum of architecture and grit, of industry and culture.  In the canyons between the skyscrapers, extremes of light and dark make exposure difficult.  The relative narrowness of viewpoint in streets controlled by the El impact on the ability to get a full view of the streets or the buildings.  I wanted to capture Jewelers Row on Wabash Street.  With the limitations of angle, I looked for something different.  The texture of this particular sky at this moment, with this lighting, cooperated.

I like to shoot the signs identifying a neighborhood as, in my opinion, they seem to give a validity to where you are.   I decided to turn this into a vertical image and capture the surrounding buildings, framing the sky.  The sky, with clouds, formed its own pattern, and by judicious use of the filters in Lightroom (particularly the dehazing one) I was able to achieve a vibrant sky.  The upward thrust of the buildings—itself not perhaps particularly original—nonetheless is different here because of the sky and the use of the sign and lamppost.  In other words, while we all may like the dramatic effect of capturing skyscrapers and sky like this (or tall trees in a forest), we should remain cognizant of the foreground or anchoring feature of the image.

In this one, we have the El—more a suggestion—in the lower left corner, the focal point of the lamppost and sign identifying clearly where we are, and the view of Jewelers Row not as the full street, but in a vertical viewpoint.  We have a vivid sense of being in the Chicago canyons of the Loop, and of the particular character of this street.


Picture
How do you manage to make an image unique when the subject matter is familiar to so many people?

9 Comments
Karen S.
8/10/2018 04:09:46 am

To be honest, I don't even given a thought to whether my photo is similar to another. I always go with what interests me the most on the spur of the moments - a spontaneous photographer, if you will. That said, this piece is interesting and gives us all something to consider.

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Steven Richman
8/13/2018 09:08:02 am

Thank you for your comments!

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John
8/10/2018 07:12:16 am

Nice blog

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Steven Richman
8/13/2018 09:11:38 am

Thank you, John.

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Caroline
8/13/2018 06:43:48 am

I don't look for anything specific but I am aware of items that might interfere with what I am trying to capture. I don't really care if a building, scene, or monument has been photographed a lot; I go with what interests me at the moment. I also occasionally leave my camera behind and just get the feel of a place. I might or might not go back and photograph it. It's too easy to feel pressure to take photos of everything and I think the image suffers as a result. So the bottom line is that I don't mind if m photo slightly resembles hundred more. The difference is that I took it and it was a place that intrigues me.

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Caroline
8/13/2018 06:45:32 am

By the way, this is a beautiful photograph. I think the sky is the star, the buildings just frame it.

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Steven Richman
8/13/2018 09:12:08 am

Thank you for the compliment and comments.

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Joe
8/19/2018 05:58:14 am

Interesting piece. I would like to hear your thoughts about different filters as well as the advantages/disadvantages of various editing programs. I have streamlined my process and now do less editing and fewer filters than ever before, but I always like the input of others.

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Janie P
9/6/2018 06:00:07 am

Well done. I tend to just shoot whatever I like and don't overthink it but I do enjoy hearing what others have to say about why they do the things they do. All of these photography books put me to sleep. These short posts about different aspects of the art form are what I enjoy most. Thank you and keep up the great work.

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    Author

    Steven Richman is an attorney practicing in New Jersey. He has lectured before photography clubs on various topics, including the legal rights of photographers. His photography has been exhibited in museums, is in private collections, and is also represented in the permanent collection of the New Jersey State Museum. ​

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