Streetscape...missing something

[Tconn1116]

DSC_0805.jpg by Tconn1116, on Flickr


Camera Nikon D50
Exposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 1600

I took this out of a moving car so I guess it's not too bad all things considered......but I feel like it's missing something

[IABoomer]

I feel like what's missing is balance. Your subject, the steaming manhole covers, are pretty much in the middle of the picture so the viewer sees the manhole covers and gets stuck. The leading lines of the street make me want to look down the road, but I get interrupted by the steam and the pedestrians.

If you could capture this a second or two before you were up on the manholes, where you'd have lines leading your view to them, I think that would work better. That, or get a shot just after you've passed them with this view into the distance as a symbolic sort of "looking toward the future/unknown" theme.

It's technically a good shot for what your shooting situation is. I'd like to see this same type of thing, but maybe with a longer shutter speed on a tripod to show some motion in contrast to the stillness of the city.

[Tconn1116]

Thanks for the feedback. I agree. I tried to crop it so the manhole would be on one of thirds so it would work in the rule of thirds but it just looked bad so I just left it in the middle. Unfortunately it was taken an hour away in baltimore so I probably won't get another chance to take another shot like this. I was actually just trying to capture the smoke coming out of the manhole. The crop and angle came in post processing.

[EOBeav]

Don't sell yourself short. At the very least, you've got some nice leading lines here and you've done a good b/w conversion. The angle works for me, too. One improvement might be if a cab or something was turning the corner toward the camera down where those people are crossing the street. But hey, you can't have everything.

[theeventof]

Overall I think it's a nice shot given your circumstances. I think the b&w really works for this image all you really need is something towards the end of those lines. Like EOBeav said a yellow cab turning the corner would be cool and you could have done some very interesting selective coloring if that was the case