169. Facade - June 26-July 2, 2016
Paul-
I had originally (and maybe lazily) thought about throwing on a couple of extension tubes and zeroing in on the Lincoln memorial which not only resides in Washington D.C., but also on one side of your garden variety penny. It might have been fun to light and/or tweak—depending on the age and condition of the coin. (Of course, all this could have been done on paper currency as well.)
But I love shooting outdoor structures. Particularly rundown, isolated, unusual, attention getting, or just plain abandoned buildings. I’m uncertain which category(ies) this falls under. But I’ve noticed this place from time to time on my way to and from work. It’s in an older area of town where, presumably, the years and changing building codes have allowed dissimilar little buildings to be placed—and in several instances shoehorned—into a few of square blocks. Heaven.
The shot was taken around 2:25 in the afternoon with a merciless sun and a whole lot of traffic (between me and the building) taking its toll sweat and time, respectively. I definitely wanted to capture the white of the building but, at the same time, get some contrast into the picture. I especially wanted the central stairs gradually ascending into darkness. I fooled around with both matrix and spot metering until I got the desired result.
At first, I wasn’t happy about the telephone phone jutting up on the left, but now I like the asymmetry it brings to the shot. The cropping reflects my desire not to show the differing construction materials used in the building adjacent to it.
I think there is a slight parallax issue with the light pole. Unfortunately, I’ve been able to determine from the past that Lightroom 4 can’t effectively correct for this nearly as well as Lightroom 5 can. Oh well. Finally, the sign bearing the address “2222,” seemed like an added bonus.
On the face of it: 18-55mm lens set at 34mm; aperture priority; 1.67 EV; matrix metered; ISO 800; 1/800 sec. at f/16, Active D-Lighting set to Normal. Some minor shadow, color, sharpness, and contrast tweaking in post.
I had originally (and maybe lazily) thought about throwing on a couple of extension tubes and zeroing in on the Lincoln memorial which not only resides in Washington D.C., but also on one side of your garden variety penny. It might have been fun to light and/or tweak—depending on the age and condition of the coin. (Of course, all this could have been done on paper currency as well.)
But I love shooting outdoor structures. Particularly rundown, isolated, unusual, attention getting, or just plain abandoned buildings. I’m uncertain which category(ies) this falls under. But I’ve noticed this place from time to time on my way to and from work. It’s in an older area of town where, presumably, the years and changing building codes have allowed dissimilar little buildings to be placed—and in several instances shoehorned—into a few of square blocks. Heaven.
The shot was taken around 2:25 in the afternoon with a merciless sun and a whole lot of traffic (between me and the building) taking its toll sweat and time, respectively. I definitely wanted to capture the white of the building but, at the same time, get some contrast into the picture. I especially wanted the central stairs gradually ascending into darkness. I fooled around with both matrix and spot metering until I got the desired result.
At first, I wasn’t happy about the telephone phone jutting up on the left, but now I like the asymmetry it brings to the shot. The cropping reflects my desire not to show the differing construction materials used in the building adjacent to it.
I think there is a slight parallax issue with the light pole. Unfortunately, I’ve been able to determine from the past that Lightroom 4 can’t effectively correct for this nearly as well as Lightroom 5 can. Oh well. Finally, the sign bearing the address “2222,” seemed like an added bonus.
On the face of it: 18-55mm lens set at 34mm; aperture priority; 1.67 EV; matrix metered; ISO 800; 1/800 sec. at f/16, Active D-Lighting set to Normal. Some minor shadow, color, sharpness, and contrast tweaking in post.
Jerry-
I went on several walks while on the hunt for a good architectural facade type photo and have decided to go with a photo I took of the outside of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's hospital over on Riverside Avenue. It has a unique facade which will no doubt require much expensive maintenance which will show up somewhere on the patient's medical bill. Modern medicine. The single photo (00568) is my submission. I've attached a grouping of four photos taken of the place to show more exactly the outside of the building.
I was bothered by a security guard who said there would be no photos taken of the building while on the hospital grounds. Fortunately I was on the sidewalk (public) and had breached no laws. He said as long as I stayed on the sidewalk it was ok. He was a pleasant fellow and I was pleasant back but I thought it was weird for him to be concerned about me. It was kind of funny as I had just been inside the hospital taking a portrait of one of the docs - and he was worried about me shooting photos of the exterior. Sign of the times.
Camera was the Sony A6300 with 55-210 at 55mm, 1/250 @ f16, ISO 400.
I went on several walks while on the hunt for a good architectural facade type photo and have decided to go with a photo I took of the outside of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's hospital over on Riverside Avenue. It has a unique facade which will no doubt require much expensive maintenance which will show up somewhere on the patient's medical bill. Modern medicine. The single photo (00568) is my submission. I've attached a grouping of four photos taken of the place to show more exactly the outside of the building.
I was bothered by a security guard who said there would be no photos taken of the building while on the hospital grounds. Fortunately I was on the sidewalk (public) and had breached no laws. He said as long as I stayed on the sidewalk it was ok. He was a pleasant fellow and I was pleasant back but I thought it was weird for him to be concerned about me. It was kind of funny as I had just been inside the hospital taking a portrait of one of the docs - and he was worried about me shooting photos of the exterior. Sign of the times.
Camera was the Sony A6300 with 55-210 at 55mm, 1/250 @ f16, ISO 400.
Don-
This a church in Farmington. I went around Wednesday and took pictures of potential façade pictures. I liked
this one and intended to go back in the morning for a better shot with the sun behind the bell. It has rained
every morning so I am left with the afternoon not so great picture but a cool rock building. I shot this at 42mm.
Exposure was 1/320 sec; f/8; ISO100. Camera was set to matrix metering and in Aperture Priority.
This a church in Farmington. I went around Wednesday and took pictures of potential façade pictures. I liked
this one and intended to go back in the morning for a better shot with the sun behind the bell. It has rained
every morning so I am left with the afternoon not so great picture but a cool rock building. I shot this at 42mm.
Exposure was 1/320 sec; f/8; ISO100. Camera was set to matrix metering and in Aperture Priority.
Byron-
I went to the Target field plaza intending to shoot the aluminum facade that covers the parking ramp. It is a really cool way to cover a parking ramp because the wall is made up of small pieces of aluminum mounted on a pivot. When the wind blows, different patterns form. It is fascinating. I shot a few frames of that and then I noticed behind me was the facade of Target Center. On the wall that faces Target Field is a large Target mascot dog. It was far more interesting.
ISO 100, f4.2, 1/500 sec, 70mm
I went to the Target field plaza intending to shoot the aluminum facade that covers the parking ramp. It is a really cool way to cover a parking ramp because the wall is made up of small pieces of aluminum mounted on a pivot. When the wind blows, different patterns form. It is fascinating. I shot a few frames of that and then I noticed behind me was the facade of Target Center. On the wall that faces Target Field is a large Target mascot dog. It was far more interesting.
ISO 100, f4.2, 1/500 sec, 70mm
Kevin-
When Paul announced the Facade theme I had just re-watched a really terrific movie from 10 years ago called “V For Vendetta.” It starred Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rae, Stephen Fry and John Hurt. “V” the movie is the story of a future post war and post pandemic British state which is ruled by a fascist party. “V” the character, is a survivor of some of the testing the leaders of the British state did to citizens as they took power. “V” wears a mask of Guy Fawkes, a real man who was instrumental in the Gunpowder Plot, a plan to blow up Parliament in 1606. “V for Vendetta" was written by The Wachowski Brothers who also wrote and directed The Matrix series of films (also with Hugo Weaving as the head "agent"). And the Wachowski brothers are now apparently the Wachowski sisters as they are both transgender.
And yes, Hugo Weaving wears a Guy Fawkes mask for the entire film. So we have a fictional do-good terrorist from the future wearing a facade of an actual terrorist from the past.
The story sounds complex but the film is excellent, especially in some of the early dialog from “V” where he talks about how British leaders have turned to using immigrants, Muslims, homosexuals and others into enemies and scapegoats for their own failed policies. It had a frightening ring to hear it again in this now post-Brexit world. (The Brit's voted for Brexit? Seriously?)
The moment the film was over I knew that I needed to photograph a Guy Fawkes mask as my Facade image, taking the definition of Facade as a superficial appearance of something or someone, which I suppose what the character “V” did in this film. And fortunately there are countless Guy Fawkes masks available so it was really only a question of lighting.
I played around with a couple of different schemes, ultimately settling on a shot with a single gridded key light and just a tiny bit of bounced fill light. Black velvet cloth and black seamless provided the background.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted, 105mm f/2.8 Micro Nikkor lens, ISO 100, f/11 @ 1/250th of a second (flash sync).
And if you haven’t seen "V for Vendetta" for a while, view it again. And if you have never seen it, take my advice, rent or stream it and view it now!
Also, I now have a key element of my next Halloween costume! I just need the wig and the hat now.
When Paul announced the Facade theme I had just re-watched a really terrific movie from 10 years ago called “V For Vendetta.” It starred Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rae, Stephen Fry and John Hurt. “V” the movie is the story of a future post war and post pandemic British state which is ruled by a fascist party. “V” the character, is a survivor of some of the testing the leaders of the British state did to citizens as they took power. “V” wears a mask of Guy Fawkes, a real man who was instrumental in the Gunpowder Plot, a plan to blow up Parliament in 1606. “V for Vendetta" was written by The Wachowski Brothers who also wrote and directed The Matrix series of films (also with Hugo Weaving as the head "agent"). And the Wachowski brothers are now apparently the Wachowski sisters as they are both transgender.
And yes, Hugo Weaving wears a Guy Fawkes mask for the entire film. So we have a fictional do-good terrorist from the future wearing a facade of an actual terrorist from the past.
The story sounds complex but the film is excellent, especially in some of the early dialog from “V” where he talks about how British leaders have turned to using immigrants, Muslims, homosexuals and others into enemies and scapegoats for their own failed policies. It had a frightening ring to hear it again in this now post-Brexit world. (The Brit's voted for Brexit? Seriously?)
The moment the film was over I knew that I needed to photograph a Guy Fawkes mask as my Facade image, taking the definition of Facade as a superficial appearance of something or someone, which I suppose what the character “V” did in this film. And fortunately there are countless Guy Fawkes masks available so it was really only a question of lighting.
I played around with a couple of different schemes, ultimately settling on a shot with a single gridded key light and just a tiny bit of bounced fill light. Black velvet cloth and black seamless provided the background.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted, 105mm f/2.8 Micro Nikkor lens, ISO 100, f/11 @ 1/250th of a second (flash sync).
And if you haven’t seen "V for Vendetta" for a while, view it again. And if you have never seen it, take my advice, rent or stream it and view it now!
Also, I now have a key element of my next Halloween costume! I just need the wig and the hat now.