Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

There are a lot of tricks that photographers will use during Post to sort of lead the viewer’s eye to the are of the frame that they feel deserves the most attention.  Between cropping, vignetting (darkening the edges of a frame), using shallow depths of field, and creative color/saturation adjustments, photographers can create an invisible footpath around the frame.  This is extremely helpful when your scene contains an anchor, or an object that is the focal point of the frame.

In this case, I wanted to pay special notice to the rusted, broken down sign on the side of this building.  In camera, I tilted my lens all the way to the right and coupled that with a wide open f/4 aperture to create the shallowest depth of field that the 17mm T/S lens could provide.  This effectively created a sliver of my focal plane that fell right over the sign and blurred the rest of the image out.  In Post, I utilized various vignetting/gradient utilities to darken the edges around the frame and further attract the eye to the sign.  And because the sign was pointing to the left of the frame, I kept some of the brightness in the band of light on the upper portion of the building facade to lead the eye through the frame.

By creating little storyboards like this when you’re shooting, you will begin to think more methodically about every frame and start crafting a game plan of what the final image will look like even before your first exposure is taken.

I love stumbling upon beautiful architecture.  It’s one of the best reasons to turn onto random streets when you find yourself in just about any city.  I remember thinking that I was going to just walk passed this street in downtown Wilkes-Barre.  And if I had, I would have missed this beautiful example of masonic architecture.  It was really fantastic to find this gorgeous facade nestled right in the middle of a totally forgettable and neglected city block.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 22, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I guess I would classify this shot as ‘The Lighter Side of UrbEx’.  I know that the first place my mind goes when I hear the word ‘UrbEx’ is to some abandoned refinery or hospital with broken glass and that not-so-faint smell of dereliction.  But, I also feel that shots like the one above have a place in the UrbEx arena.  I think the whole point is to get out there and explore the parts of your city or town that are easily forgotten.

That was the case when I was in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  I took a half day, parked my car, and zigzagged through random alleys and streets until I found something that looked great.  I love the shot above because of it’s clear contrast in message.  I bet you can get one of these lofts for a steal. 

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Sometimes, a bit of patience, a dusting of luck and a drop or two of kindness can get you access to places that you normally wouldn’t have access to.  Take this cell block at the Eastern State Penitentiary.  What you don’t see is the massive gate right behind that is normally locked shut, preventing people from walking down this path.  I scouted this shot for almost 20 minutes and caught the eye of one of the employees there who let me in after a massive group of tourists moved onto another section.  She told me to be quick and I did my best to oblige.  In the end, I came away with this set of brackets and was most pleased.

Did you notice the little cat statue?  Apparently there are a bunch of them randomly placed throughout the facility.  Cool/creepy.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

This is the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia.  To say that the architecture and interior design is amazing would be an understatement.  It is jaw-dropping.  Unfortunately, the Masons do not feel that you should be able to use tripods in their facility even if you pay the tour admission.  So, I had to coax the security guard to let me set my tripod up right in the lobby area and grab a few quick brackets.

I decided to go for a more skewed perspective in this shot.  I like the way the staircase leads your eyes up to the dominant leading line of the image.  I also went for a bit of a cross-processed look here because I wanted to sort of give the impression that you are entering an area where you probably shouldn’t be entering. 

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

This shot is a perfect example of why it’s always a great practice to do an about-face wherever you find yourself shooting. This was taken at the waterfront in Philly. The scene in front of me was beautiful and picturesque but as I turned around while waiting for a bracket to expose, I saw this scene and knew that I had inadvertently found something better (granted that ‘better’ is totally subjective). So, next time you are grabbing some sweet brackets, remember to do a quick 180. You might just stumble onto something sweeter.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 11, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Al Capone had it made.  Well, I suppose he had it made as much as anyone could have it made if they were holed up at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philly.  This was his cell while he was a guest here.  In the coming weeks, I’ll post shots from other cells that were available to shoot just so you can juxtapose the difference in… shall we say, ‘room quality’.  I guess infamy has its privileges, even if it’s with incarceration.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 22, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

This was the last bracket sequence of the day that I took during my recent visit to Wilkes-Barre, PA.  Alleyways usually fit my MO of places where I love to shoot.  I usually look for patterns, wall tags, some sort of symmetry and an overall character.  In this case, I saw the wooden sign in the window above and really liked the way I was able to frame the shot by placing it towards the corner and anchoring the shot with this blue door.  In these cases, I usually take multiple variations with different framing options and choose my favorite during Post.  As you can see, this shot won. 

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 7.1, ISO 100, HDR, 10 Exposures

I took this shot the other week when I was back in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  It was a perfect Saturday morning in terms of weather and I had all of my gear packed from the night before.  So, I jumped in the car and made my way into the downtown area with no agenda.  As I was driving, I noticed this sign and, at first, drove right by it.  I didn’t make it a block before that nagging in my head compelled me to bang a ‘U-ey’ and make my way back.

When it was all said and done, I was really glad that I listened to my gut, my heart, my instinct.  My brain had told me to just keep going because the light was getting progressively worse and I was worried that I’d miss out on some shots at my planned locale.  But then I remembered that I had no planned locale.  I was taking things as they came.  As a result, I got this shot and a few others that I’m excited to share in the days to come.

I guess it’s not always about what you know but rather it’s about what you feel.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Back to the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philly.  There were a lot of these photo ops to get the long stretch of each cell block that you were allows to walk through.  I think this was my favorite of them but the verdict is still out.  I just love how the sun comes busting through the open door at the end of the hall, along with the bright light coming through the ceiling.  I like the contrast of that against all of the evil that, at one point, was contained within these doors that now remain ajar.