Quiet Corner

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"Quiet Corner" was shot in 2017 on Kodak Gold 400, a personal favorite film for me.  At the time, I was using a Contax G2 and the associated 28mm f/2.8 lens, a stellar performer let down here by my uncalibrated (at the time) scanner.  The film was self-developed using one of the C-41 kits available at the time (potentially one by Rollei, although I do not recall).  I snapped this photo while walking through Times Square on a particularly bright day upon seeing the distinctive L-shaped light illuminating this man. Composition sketch, showing the strong set of intersecting lines framing the man using his phone While there's a lot of bright regions and colors throughout the frame, the strong contrast of the L-shaped "reverse shadow" and the lines of the building and sidewalk around the man at (33%, 33%) keeps the eye rooted around the subject. The purplish hue to the shadows may have been an artifact of improper processing.  I was not, and still am not the most fon...
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Parallel

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"Parallel" may well be the best photo I have ever taken (dating back to 2017).  It would be a gross lie to claim that this shot was planned from top-to-bottom; there was a considerable level of serendipity involved in that both people crossing the street were at the same point in their walk cycle when I hit the shutter release.  This photo was taken with the Fujifilm TX-1 and the 45mm f/4, using Kodak Tri-X 400 at ISO 1600 (developed with HC-110).

Composition sketch, showing foreground/background parallels and relative offset of the two walkers.

As the title implies, this photo makes extensive use of both horizontal and vertical parallel lines.  There is an implicit horizontal line where the foreground crosswalk would be (partially made explicit by the pattern of the churned snow) that pairs with the background crosswalk, with the two walkers at first- and third-quarter marks along their relative paths.

Falling and fallen snow adds texture to the shot, and the exaggerated grain from the push helps emphasize the visibility conditions on that day.  This was taken during my morning commute, and I initially focused on the walker in the foreground, figuring his dark clothing would contrast well against the (admittedly rather New York-gray) snow.  I was incredibly pleased to discover that a second person was crossing at the same time when I scanned the roll in, and put together with the numerous leading lines throughout the frame, they make for a winning moment.

As an aside, I do miss having a walking commute.  At the time, I lived about a half hour away from my job by foot, bus, and train, and I typically walked whenever I could.  It provided just the right amount of time to decompress before and after work, and I almost always ran into scenes of interest that I could try and capture with my camera.  I used a BlackWidow Spider Holster at the time to carry my TX-1.  This combination served me well for a long time, but failure to use a washer and tighten the carrying stud with a wrench led to an unfortunate drop in 2022 that damaged both my camera and 45mm f/4.  Be extremely cautious when securing your gear!


 

 

 

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