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City Lights


City Lights
Photo Information
Copyright: Fred NEF (Freddie) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1620 W: 125 N: 1189] (6200)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-04
Categories: Transportation, Architecture, Experimental, Nocturnal
Camera: Canon PowerShot A640
Exposure: f/8
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-05-09 5:45
Viewed: 410
Points: 12
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Chrysler Building
I took this photo during a rainy and stormy night last month. The misty wind could still be seen playing w/ the tower. This is my favorite skyscraper because of it's art-deco style.
I walked almost a kilometer just to frame at least 90% of its height, I couldn't go further or I'l include blights like a lot of lampposts and traffic lights. And in lieu of a fish-eye (which I don't prefer when it comes to vertical images,) I used my own technique to compose the shot and thought I'd just merge both images into one in pp work and I was successful in doing so. Can you spot the merge? :)

The Chrysler Building is an iconic Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing 1,047 feet (319 meters) high, it was briefly the world's tallest building before it was overtaken by the Empire State Building in 1931. It is now the second tallest building in New York City (after the fall of the Twin TOwers.)

The Chrysler Building is a famous example of Art Deco architecture. The distinctive ornamentation of the building is based on features that were then being used on Chrysler automobiles. The corners of the 61st floors are graced with eagles, replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments. On the 31st floors the corner ornamentation are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps. The building is constructed of masonry, with a steel frame, and metal cladding.

-Wiki

*****
Composition:
I used my own technique to compose the shot for a flawless merge: As much as possible, I got the maximum framing of the tall building, say 90-95%. And Instead of pivoting my POV to get the next shot, I panned it up using a nearby lamppost (I don't trust my arms.) The pp work later will be easier and flawless :)

POV: a 2 feet low POV on a sidewalk curb, almost a kilometer away from the subject :)
Focus: The lit tower of Chrysler Building
Time/Weather: 9PM/1°C, showers
Visibility: 0 miles
Shooting mode: Program
ISO: 400
Exposure time: 1/2 sec
Focal Length: 7300/1000 mm
White Balance: Daylight
Color: Vivid
Flash: No flash
Compression: Superfine
Recording Pixels: 3648 x 2736

Pp work:
1. Add canvass size at the top
2. add the other picture to complete the image
3. tweak some merge imperfections by skewing and warping
4. merge it by erasing the top picture be the eraser tool, don't forget to make its opacity to 50%
5. flatten layers
6. sharpen but avoid sharpening dark images by using tasso or selection tool (sharpening dark areas will create noise)
7. resize

Quote of the Day:
If photography were difficult in the true sense . . . that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time and effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching -- there would be a vast improvement in total output.
-Ansel Adams
janneman, silycat, xvs1100, SylFondacci has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Toba_O: Thanxxx!Freddie 1 07-17 02:21
To SylFondacci: Thanxxx!Freddie 1 05-28 16:59
To xvs1100: Thanxxx!Freddie 1 05-19 18:38
To hcvvmk: Thanxxx!Freddie 1 05-10 20:42
To silycat: Thanxxx!Freddie 1 05-10 20:25
To tracer: Salamat!Freddie 1 05-09 16:48
To janneman: Thanxxx!Freddie 1 05-09 16:26
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Critiques [Translate]

Top class ! Meaning and the photo and the PP.
Congratulations

I think too know where the merge is,
but I don't care : if you didn't told it
I wasn't going to look for it.

" these shoes are made for walking, and that's just what they do "
LOL


Greetz

Jan

excellent view kapatid! seems like gotham city without the car headlights. wheres the bat signal? =)

Hie Fred,

Nice nocturnal shot..I like the tower accompany with move lights of cars and the twinkling lights but the sky (background) is a little noisy but it's ok, the environment make up for it.

TFS,
Hong

Hi Fred!
A unique well framed night shot very clear natural colored and sharp, well captured.Good job and great composition and POV, interesting and useful note too!

Hi Fred,

I took an almost exact same shot a year ago.

But I do not like it for that. You get full marks for subject matter - the greatest building ever. I like your idea, POV and the light and ambience of the picture does the surroundings justice.

Wonderful and very beautiful!

Thanks

Dirk

Hi Freddie,
I really like this night capture, perfect framing and management of light !
Sylvie

Hi fred
great composition
the light effect is fantastic
and the buildings are quiet good too
i like it
Toba

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