This is the actual location of the cover shot from Physical Graffiti. Outside of waiting for some pain in the ass, standing cars to get the f#$@ out of the way I was able to get some good handheld shots with people in frame (the shot had to have at least one person, right?) At about 25 after !0:00 cars and vans completely blocked the scene and I was done. It was cold too and waiting for the cars to clear away, I hung out at the Yaffa Cafe, cursed the cars and drank 3 cups of coffee.
I hope this one at least does ok, since I put in a some of effort. Something I rarely do, so it would be cool if it paid off a little.
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I was concerned that the title lost me some fans but as I saw it this image was already called Physical Graffiti once, so I thought it needed a little change. Houses of the Holy does appear on that album fwiw and since the Challenge was song titles and lyrics calling the image Physical Graffiti would actually have been a DNMC. Damned if you do...damned if you don't.
As for the pesky skew...the original cover shot itself is skewed a bit. To get the lines perfect I needed to be a 1 ft. to the left, 3 feet higher and 3 feet further back but that spot doesn't exist anymore...ahhh, what can you do?
Thanks for the votes and the comments...
Cheers!
Statistics
Place: 2 out of 139 Avg (all users): 7.2457 Avg (commenters): 8.7895 Avg (participants): 7.1493 Avg (non-participants): 7.3056 Views since voting: 16650 Views during voting: 419 Votes: 175 Comments: 97 Favorites: 33 (view)
I love your frustration, your explanation about vanished POVs and the image!! Excellent view of the streets of NYC, complete with garbage cans, I have always loved the repetitive lines in the architecture of the place..
Damn If only I had (1) known you and (2) been into photography when I lived in NYC...I'd have been a major PITA begging you to go out on photo jaunts, & asking you a million questions, but we'd have laffed a lot too!!
I love it! I think it's a great re-creation of an iconic album cover.
Great job! This picture wasn't out there when I voted, otherwise you would have had one more 10.
Oh my! Pawdrix..I didn't realize this was yours. Very nice image!
one thing our city makes sure of is that our fire hydrants are nicely painted. hahaha..I would be to painting that thing if I lived near by. And the bars on the windows..such a cool place..can't wait to visit someday. congrats.
Nice shot - I think it must be awful living there, but your patience paid off
You commented on how hard to get rid of cars, etc. I think if you need to do this again, keep the camera on a tripod, and take several shots while the cars move positions, so that eventually, the whole of the front is captured on various pix. Then, using probably the one with most of the building showing, and overlaying it with one where there is more of any that was covered, you can use the erase to remove unwanted car. Then flatten. Repeat this until all the front is showing, and you have your person on too.
To get it all dead straight, use the distort or perspective tool, and your grid switched on in Photoshop, and pull the edges until the lines lie straight along the grid. I hope you don't mind me saying this. Nice shot however, and worth the effort
Superb image Steve. So much detail to look at. The composition and dynamic of the leading lines works beautifully and my eyes never get tired to look at this image. The reflections on the windows also adds more deep to the photo. You're a killer when it comes to shot NYC buildings. Hey! Congrats for the ribbon
My goodness, I had no idea this was the actual location of Led Zeppelin's album cover Physical Graffiti. I am still staring at this and comparing it to the original shot taken so many years ago, what a great shot this is, and it is very haunting when compared to the old one. I originally voted this an 8, before I was informed that this was the same shot as their album cover. Congratulations !
Oh YAY! I am so glad this one ribboned. I LOVE this photo so much. I love the grunge. Love the scale that the person walking by gives it. I love, love LOVE IT!!! CONGRATULATIONS!
Nice one, Steve. Those darn cars and air conditioners can be a pain in the neck when it comes to getting quintessential NYC shots. I have waited around some places so long people think they should be calling the cops...
Congrats. Thanks for the description. I had the illusion in my head that the person was swinging a cane or stick - which required a second look - this image deserves many looks and is a great tribute the the original art.
I think there is a great deal of potential metaphor here as well as some fantastic leading lines that basically bounce the eye all over the place - leading the viewer back to himself.
Congrats on your ribbon, almost perfect shot (scored it a 9).
Not wanting to be offensive, but referring to the recent voting thread I'm curious, though, what makes this shot different from my "Lemon Splash" (in the sense of "meaning", knowing that your shot means something to you as does mine for me)
This shot may or may not mean a lot, depending on the viewer and the journey they wish to take. It's a simple documentation of a time and space for the most part but the title might help bring on a twist or contrast to how we generally view where holy people live. Believe it or not it's actually an extension of the image below but of course it was shot re-created for the Challenge. Of the two which do you think the voters would have liked more?
BTW regarding the "almost perfect shot" ...the original cover also has some skewing up top. The position of the original photographer now exists only within a brick wall. Having access to that spot woudld have made things a little better. I have some other thoughts about this that I'll pm you.
Congrats on your ribbon, almost perfect shot (scored it a 9).
Not wanting to be offensive, but referring to the recent voting thread I'm curious, though, what makes this shot different from my "Lemon Splash" (in the sense of "meaning", knowing that your shot means something to you as does mine for me)
I remember a more senior student at my school showing this album around soon after it was released (that, and Stariway to Heaven pretty much sums up my knowledge of Led Zeppelin ;-))
Anyway, it's interesting that you could take a shot of the same location. By 'No Parking 8.00-10.00', do you mean that is so people can take photos of the place??? ;-)
Awesome cover of the Physical Graffiti cover! You must have the inside trivia on the actual location. I googled the image, and the arches are missing. I bet there are other shots of this. Original approach (and title).
Surreal plethora of plied confusions, well seen and ordered. The added contrast only makes it infectiously humourous to rummage for a single elusive subject.
So much detail, so much to look at, a reflection in every window...
There must be a way to minimize the arc of the horizontal lines in the upper part of the image, or maybe not. As I look at it more, that arc adds interest. My favorite of the challenge.
Even better you took a photo of the album cover that song is actually on! Toning is perfect, I was in a record store and showed her the cover then showed her your pic. :) very cool indeed.
The color and lighting is great on the buildings. Really like the tone. The person is a little dark and doesn't stand out enough against the building background. Also don't care for the way the person is past the halfway point and appears to be walking out of the photo.
exceptionally well done, lots to see--would love to see this larger. This is the kind of image in which one can always discover something new with each viewing. 9
Brilliantly done. I actually thought I was looking at the Physical Graffiti album cover for a moment here. Very evocative for me and I'm sure many others!
Houses Of The Holy
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