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Metropolis in Mobile


Metropolis in Mobile
Photo Information
Copyright: Luko G R (Luko) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 111 W: 53 N: 198] (445)
Genre: Places
Medium: Black & White
Date Taken: 2004-05-23
Categories: Transportation, Experimental, HPP [Heavily Post-Processed]
Camera: Leica M6, 21 mm, Kodak TRI-X 400
Exposure: f/4, 1/15 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Miscellaneous IV [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-05-24 18:06
Viewed: 1498
Favorites: 3 [view]
Points: 24
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
"Mobilis in mobile" captain Nemo's motto : mobile in a mobile environment, adapted to subway stations.

I've ticked "BW" and this is not an error. This is indeed BW... scanned as, colored thru PS afterwards. Experimental indeed for me.

Now what has it got to do with parisian subway would you ask?
This is fact shot in the "Arts & Metiers" station, which is also the sub station to a kind of mechanics and industry Museum which I think would interest many of the engineers we have in TrekEarth. This museum is mostly known for hosting the famous "Foucault experiment" that lead to Umberto Eco's novel.

Sometimes subway station design is related to their close environment. The Arts & Métiers station is nicely decorated with a copper color, shiny metal finish, with round windows, that evoke captain nemo's imaginary submarine.

My daughter had an invitation for the musuem and took me to visit it yesterday, i thought this occasion would complete my subway station collection. That's her hair you can see in the foreground.

Some words about the technique :
I cut the image in 3 layers, one for the metal walls, another one for my daughter, the last one for the windows. I left the original BW pic as a backgournd.
I started painting over each layer with the most adequate color : parisian people can witness this is very close to the true copper color of the station.
My daughter's hair is, well, more or less that color.
The color inside the window has been totally invented, I found it suited best the submarine atmosphere.
I then reduced opacity for each layer to 30%, in order to have a more natural (ahem) feeling.
Flattened and enjoyed grain arising while adding a bit of contrat and sharpening the whole.


zto, green, Midnight_sun, Isabelle, Riz, Galeota, bfly, eleparc, Steely, gringofil, mspixalot, smo has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • zto Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 946 W: 120 N: 59] (262)
  • [2004-05-25 4:34]
  • [2]

Great experiment Luko! The out come is very nice. Another way to colorize a B&W in PS is to use the setting "colour" as blend mood for the layers. Usually you don't need to work with opacity then. On the other hand, the colour can sometimes come out a bit week with that method, IMO. I am especially impressed by the colour of your dauthers hair. The edges of the hair is very good, there are few places where the B&W "shines through" still but hair is very difficult to work with. You can try and change the opacity of the brush you used, to fill in these laste peaces. That might also make the "transaction" between the hair and the metal softer and more natrual.

Any way. This is really a good job and i enjoy lookig at something like this from you.

It feels almost 3D, perhaps because the grain seems stronger on the hair then then the rest of the shot. The hair is a great colour which does a lot for this photo. To me, the colour reminds me of hair colour in old films after the war; high contrast, but this is less bright.
Overall a very interesting photo, as much a piece of art as it is a record of your trip.
Great.

fantastic as a compo and pp, Luko.
if i hadn´t read your note, i wouldn´t ever imagine this is a metro station.
lovely. a piece of art, indeed.

  • Great 
  • Riz Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 194 W: 31 N: 100] (523)
  • [2004-05-25 9:02]

I like the perspective in which this was taken it sort of reminds me poltergeist movies the little girl with blonde hair looking at the TV but the grain is really good the warp feel from the metro great job Luko. keep up the great work

  • Great 
  • lost Gold Star Critiquer [C: 104 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2004-05-25 10:15]

Nice shot..great composition..well done..i like it

Great work in the post processing. Excelent POV.

  • Great 
  • bfly Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 205 W: 39 N: 175] (1540)
  • [2004-05-26 4:56]

I clicked it as a submarine and what came out...very creative..grains become this one very much I think..it looks like a restored and painted old B/W movie..

superb shot luko... being a parisian and using that line, i knew right away it was "arts et metiers" station... i love the work you did with layers, and I confirm the color of the wall is indeed bronze... it is a nice complement to your metro series.. please, looking forward to seeing more...

Jule Vernes-ish....

Steampunk..........

Anachronistic......

Experimental.......

Retro-Colorized feel

this goes into my favourites :)

This is just simply very cool, Luko. I would have never guessed it was done in B&W. The feeling that this shot generates takes me back into my childhood days of wishing to explore the depths of oceans and embark on adventures. Anyway, excellent work. This is truly a super cool shot.

Very Sci-fi! I love it.

I am very impressed with the steps you took in the post processing of this image. I must say, this has been a good learning experience for me. I like the way you have composed this shot with your just your daughter's head in the composition, and taken from a highter angle than she.
I am very interested in how you selected this colour of copper. I would like to try it one day.

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