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 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 EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, 15mm, F 22, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I just got back from another weekend visiting family in Pennsylvania.  To think, I’ve been visiting my in-laws for about seven years now, all the while very much growing my passion for photography, but never actually bothering to roam around the downtown area of Wilkes-Barre.  Well, that changed during this last visit.  I booked the morning to myself, grabbed my gear, and walked around.  The downtown area was pretty dead for a perfect Saturday AM, which was welcomed by me.

What you see above is the Shrine Club of Wilkes-Barre, unfortunately closed down and with no plans for refurbishment.  It really is a shame, but at least I was able to enjoy the absolutely beautiful architecture.  I opted to shoot this image with my Fisheye lens to accentuate the distortion of the spires on either side of the building.  It just goes to show you – never take an unseen corner, or an entire downtown area, for granted.  You never know what gold is waiting to be found.

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

For as long as I could remember visiting my in-laws in Wilkes-Barre, PA, I had always wanted to photograph this run down building.  Its shape is so absolute, like a random tetris piece that landed on this street corner.  I decided to tilt out the top portion of the frame so that your eyes are led all the way down the structure, ending up at the boarded up door & window.  I have a few other versions/views of this building that will probably make their way to the 1S24H series eventually. 

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

This is another shot of a closed-down auto repair shop that I happened upon while getting lost in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  You can check out the other side of this building from the 1S24H entry from Jan 19th.

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

I came across this local cemetery while taking random turns around unfamiliar blocks in Wilkes-Barre Twp, PA.  There was a disproportionate amount of character relative to the small size of this cemetery.  I especially love how this cross made of metal bars stands totally out of place from the rest of the burial lots.

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

During my last visit to Wilkes-Barre, I decided to drive around the area to ‘see what I see’.  True to form, I got lost almost immediately and stumbled upon a pretty rad recycling center.  Across the street from it was this awesome mechanic shop, closed for the day.  I loved the cubic shape coupled with the chipping paint and growing ivy.