I really like this Jon. I didn't see it during the voting because frankly I only voted on few before I got irritated with myself for not entering one myself (especially after I came across a photo of my beloved Providence!). Anyway, I clicked on your profile to see what you've been doing lately since I took a year-long hiatus.
I really enjoy the curves,lines, and planes created by the bridge and the train. At first it seems flat and abstract (in a good way) and then you begin to feel a bit more depth and feeling of space from the background. This photo makes me think of the paintings of Charles Demuth, a favorite of mine from my highschool years whom I haven't thought about in years.
Congratulations on your top ten.
I just read the other comments and discovered that Ubique put much more eloquently what I was trying to express about the layers and depth of this shot.
Thank you for all the comments here - in particular ubique for that eloquent critique. I had exercised restraint with the processing here, for the very reasons ubique mentions. It's easy to get heavy-handed with processing for the extra 'pop' that so often succeeds in a challenge environment. However, some subjects don't need pushing which would only lose some of the detail in the outer extremes of the scale (there's a full tonal range in this shot).
I really did want to find a subject that I could shoot despite some totally uninteresting light on a miserably cold, overcast day. Thankfully, it seems to have pleased some.
: )
I've had second thoughts about this image. Not on its quality; I still like it very much (see original comment below). It's about the processing. Several commentators suggested stronger contrast, yet two specifically applauded the contrast as submitted. And most (including me) commented on the appeal of the stacked vertical layers. But there's another dimension of layers here - look at the horizontal layers. There is a beautiful relationship between tone and horizontal distance in this image. In some places it's bold (the background buildings visible through the mid-layers of the bridge, versus the bridge), and in some places subtle (the watercraft through to and beyond the second bridge). There's even a gentle tonal separation-by-distance of the major parts of the foreground bridge structure. So, the moderately long focal length compresses the scene, but the tonal control deftly separates the elements within it. Elegant. I think this would have been lost with stronger contrast. Now I like it even more.
Nice work - so many different elements combined into the one shot. Crossings is a good title. Black+white was probably a very wise decision, otherwise there would have been too much going on in the shot - it's already very busy without colour. The slightly soft contrast (rather than vivid black and white extremes) also works well for me, makign the shot less aggressive.
Without the border, I think the contrast is a bit weak. Nevertheless, it's a nice picture, and is a welcome escape from all the cars and crowds I've been seeing.
This is one of the most interesting photos for this challenge, with the layers and types of transportation. Maybe a little more contrast would help? Love it.
Complicated! Wonderful! Contrast is at perfect level, I think if it were any more, my eyeballs would revolt. I like the ambiguity of the era depicted. There is a seriousness to this photo, but all the different patterns give it a whimsy too. Excellent. Thanks.
The visual interest here is the stacked layers of transportation, but it has worthy allegorical implications as well, in terms of the challenge topic. In so many aspects of city life, creative solutions to problems of space, time and motion must be found. They're often solutions that appear absurd to a country boy like me, yet to the city dweller they don't even rate a second glance or thought. Congratulations on finding an opportunity to portray city life both literally and figuratively.
Great capture. I love the layers in the shot and the detail. The deep DOF and b&w work well here. One of my favorites in this challenge (even more so than my own! lol)..... 9
I like how you show the different types of vehicles and how they are "separated" by the lines of the city's architecture. Very nicely composed. If there was a bit more contrast, I would have scored it higher. 7
Wow..... so much to look at. I am certainly getting that hustle-bustle feel. The post processing could possibly be a bit better, and I wonder what this would look like in color.
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