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City Snapshots
#1

I admit that I've been going a little overboard with these. I routinely walk a short section of an interesting downtown street, and snap photos from the hip when something looks interesting. I then process the photos in lightroom to flip the tones and turn them into crayon paintings. I enjoy the way the ridiculous treatment plays off of the extensive depth to reveal lots of little details and accidental arrangements.


[Image: i-6W6rPLg-M.jpg]

[Image: i-fPBMCpQ-M.jpg]

[Image: i-skTfPPH-M.jpg]

[Image: i-XrJ2Lmj-M.jpg]

[Image: i-tPLvwZJ-M.jpg]


(I am starting to tone down the post-processing a bit, but a lot of these photos were taken with my TS3's "art HDR" setting, so they come by the tonal inversion and monster saturation honestly. I'm just amplifying it by an order of magnitude or two.)

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#2

Hey Matt:

Not ideal using an iPhone to view these, but I'm quite liking #3 - especially the cut off guy on the right. I'm not a bug fan if over-the-top HDR though. I like HDR much better when it is dialed so far back that it isn't obvious that it has been applied at all. As for in-camera art filters, well...I support all forms if experimentation, so it's interesting to see what you can get out of them.
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#3

I think of HDR as the photographic equivalent of a screaming child – it's easiest to feel affection for it when it's yours.
(Well, not really, but you know what I mean. Big Grin)

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#4

I think these are great.
That waist-level viewpoint is fresh, exciting...and is just about the eye level of a street beggar. I say this with no smirking: it is an eye level that has all the sharpness of eye as a raven, seeing bustle that usually stays unseen to all apart from those who are "seeing" at that height. The "shoot from the hip" angles are immediate and vibrant.
OK, I would ask for the colour volume to be turned down...my, there's such a sense of movement that I could easily feel seasick Smile I'd even go as far as to say colour here distracts(for me) from the appreciation of the tone and details...but hey, I realise you've posted these in the Snapshots space and are not asking for too much analysis.
That said, the ones that really do excel for me are the last 3..and I'm wondering why. I think it is something to do with the angle of view: either straight horizontal or with a slight incline: the latter conveys for me a feeling of both the covert and the intensely observant. They all render the everyday in a way that is extremely meaningful and "looked at".
I'd guess I've been over-analytical, but I do so like these and find them simply inspiring. Big Grin

All my stuff is here: www.doverow.com
(Just click on the TOP RIGHT buttons to take you to my Image Galleries or Music Rooms!)
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#5

Power candy! In moderation of course.

Nikon D3100 with Tokina 28-70mm f3.5, (I like to use a Vivitar .43x aux on the 28-70mm Tokina), Nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye, Quanteray 70-300mm f4.5, ProOptic 500 mm f6.3 mirror lens. http://donschaefferphoto.blogspot.com/
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#6

These are nice, standing like a postcards, I loved what you did, dear Matthew! Especially the colours so vivid and alive.

Well done, Thank you,
with my love,
nia

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”

Ansel Adams



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#7

nia Wrote:Especially the colours so vivid and alive.
My thoughts exactly Big GrinBig GrinBig Grin

Please see my photos at http://mullerpavel.smugmug.com (fewer, better image quality, not updated lately)
or at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pavel_photophile2008/ (all photos)
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#8

Zig, you always have an interesting perspective and a viewpoint that I wouldn't hear anywhere else.

Don, I love that you're counselling moderation. Big Grin

Nia, I do have to confess that I love the colours – it's nice to go wild every now and then.

Pavel Wrote:
nia Wrote:Especially the colours so vivid and alive.
My thoughts exactly Big GrinBig GrinBig Grin
But with a different emphasis, no doubt. Big Grin

Just for fun here's another, tweaked slightly differently:

[Image: i-VwsfWvN-M.jpg]

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#9

You are welcome dear Matthew, but not the same impression, for the last one! The first group is amazing.


Thanks and Love,
nia

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”

Ansel Adams



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#10

I think I have seen most of your pictures you have posted here and these are by far the ones that have surprised me the most... Telling the truth I never thought I would see something like this from you, but I am very happy to see them!!!!! .... Smile

Experimentation is great! it is relaxing, no pressure but just enjoyment... Well done Matthew!! Wink

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
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