Did someone say "Showtime!"?

[John Angulat]

I caught this curious group on a local Manhattan street. The upper end of the block was hosting one of our ubiquitous street fairs. At the other end of the street there was an empty performance stage, no equipment, no activity, nothing...and this group sitting patiently on the other side of the street.
I hopped up on the stage and fired off 1 shot before I caught their notice and changed the mood.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi John,

I like the scene of an array of people waiting. This could be stronger with the top cm removed above the line of 4 horizontal frames on the left? might be worth trying that. I wonder what you think on this. Is the top sliver really needed? Just a thought!

What's nice to bring out is the extra audience made by the manequins in the store windows! They seem more alert than the real people, LOL~

Asher

 

[John Angulat]

Hi Asher,
Thanks so much for the comments. The problem I had with this image, as I often do with digital's DX/APS format is the exaggerated "width" of the base image. If I cropped the image down to eliminate the distracting upper portion (and keeping a "standard" 8x10 ratio), I lose a number of the seated subjects on the left and right. I thought that would take too much away from the image.
However, I bow to a better editing eye and will fire up PS tonight and try once more!

 

[Deleted member 55]

John, This is why they invented APS panoramic frames at 4x10 or whatever size they are.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Hi Asher,
Thanks so much for the comments. The problem I had with this image, as I often do with digital's DX/APS format is the exaggerated "width" of the base image. If I cropped the image down to eliminate the distracting upper portion (and keeping a "standard" 8x10 ratio), I lose a number of the seated subjects on the left and right. I thought that would take too much away from the image.

You don't need to crop on all sides or maintain an 8x10" ratio. The frame can be any shape you want.

Take a look at these landscapes by Art Sinsabaugh--

http://www.indiana.edu/~iuam/online_modules/sinsabaugh/p_mw1-11.html

They were all taken with a 12x20" camera, and the prints were contact prints, exposed with the negative in direct contact with the paper. Some are 12x20", but most are of varying sizes, some as narrow as 3x20". He cropped the prints the old fashioned way--with a paper cutter.

 

[Asher Kelman]

You don't need to crop on all sides or maintain an 8x10" ratio. The frame can be any shape you want.

Take a look at these landscapes by Art Sinsabaugh--

http://www.indiana.edu/~iuam/online_modules/sinsabaugh/p_mw1-11.html

They were all taken with a 12x20" camera, and the prints were contact prints, exposed with the negative in direct contact with the paper. Some are 12x20", but most are of varying sizes, some as narrow as 3x20". He cropped the prints the old fashioned way--with a paper cutter.

David,

That's a great reference. I wish more people were exposed to that quality work. The contact print is something so fine that's not matched by a digital print.

One thing we've passed over is the darkness of the faces. In this picture, some attention should, I think be given to the individuals, so this becomes a kind of "Waiting for Godot" meets "Brueghel" street picture.

Asher

Asher