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Station Stop
Station Stop
levyj413


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Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Lines II (Basic Editing III)
Collection: Architecture
Camera: Canon PowerShot A620
Location: Ballston Metro station, Arlington, VA, USA
Date: Jul 14, 2006
Aperture: 5.0
ISO: 100
Shutter: 0.8
Galleries: Black and White, Transportation
Date Uploaded: Jul 14, 2006

 The Ballston stop on the Washington, DC Metro is one away from my house on my daily commute. I chose it because it has the entry platform all the way at one end so I could get the longest lines.

I played around with several angles at this and the station where I work. I was trying to get some of the feel of this shot:


It was pretty dark, and it was handheld (you have to have a permit to shoot with a tripod), but with the processing, perfect sharpness didn't really matter.

I chose this shot over others because it really maximizes the lines coming in from the right. It puts the end of the train at about the lower left 1/3 intersection.

I think the shadow adds an emphasis that isn't there when the train is gone or at the other end of the station.

I think this series is the strongest set of leading lines of any shot I've taken.

I didn't go wide open on the aperture because I wanted at least some depth of field. However, that meant the shutter was a little slower, so I braced against a railing.

I took a little too long at one station and the station manager came over to ask me what I was doing!

I had fun using my new curves skills to really emphasize the ceiling lines and the train while de-emphasizing the people on the platform. More extreme contrast enhancement would make them invisible but also wipe out the tracks and lights along the empty platform, which were such nice additional lines that I didn't want to lose them.

I did end up blowing out the lights down the middle of the tracks, but such is life in basic editing.

Other edits: cropped out some distracting stuff on the left,resized, USM, save for Web.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Yanko for showing me what's possible with curves in a thread where he helped me bring out the potential of a shot of a ferry boat in fog.

Added 8/3/06: As part of the techniques exploration group, I created a high contrast version. Not sure which I like better:


This is available as an 8 x 10 print through the link above or as a 4 x 6 print:

Statistics
Place: 28 out of 447
Avg (all users): 6.1527
Avg (commenters): 7.0909
Avg (participants): 6.0729
Avg (non-participants): 6.2243
Views since voting: 2028
Views during voting: 286
Votes: 203
Comments: 22
Favorites: 3 (view)

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AuthorThread
 02/05/2007 10:55:47 PM
Jeff, this is AWESOME! What a stunning composition!

This isn't quirky. ..this is just plain art! Beautiful, perfect abstract art!

I love it!

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/21/2006 03:49:49 PM
I love the angle of this shot, also like the black and white
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/16/2006 01:24:26 AM
Lovely convergence and nice tilt to enhance an eerie sense.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/27/2006 06:04:16 PM
In response to your response on my picture: I think that apart from the B&W conversion, your square-ish crop, as you pointed out, adds to the impact of the lines. Secondly, you have the curved lines in the ceiling that add a lot to the picture. Mine is indeed more suitable for a perspective challenge ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/27/2006 04:30:40 PM
Very nice, I should have presented my entry in B&W as well (take a look, it's similar to yours), but didn't have the time to tweak the curves like you did. Good job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2006 08:27:16 AM
good job. post-processing would not have saved you if you didn't pick a good angle and a good crop.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2006 02:12:10 AM
Hey thanks for the compliment. Feel free to email/PM any time. Btw, I really like how you shot this. The focal point is off center and all the lines just shoot out filling the frame.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
07/25/2006 03:17:38 PM
Great job on the lines of DC metro!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/24/2006 01:53:15 PM
Looks like the metro in Washington DC - one of the cleanest and most efficient rail systems I've ever ridden. Great shot, I like the angle.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/21/2006 10:16:15 AM
this is a great shot, i love the composition.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/20/2006 09:18:16 PM
It would be interesting to see how this would have looked if the view wasn't so .... strange. Nice concept though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/20/2006 05:59:57 PM
I quite like this, and it's cleverly composed also. I wonder if your contrast wasn't higher it wouldn't give a bit more impact to the image. Compositionally, placing the end point of the leading lines right on the classic thirds point is perhaps a touch blatant for me - though it's a very good starting point.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/20/2006 11:13:07 AM
Great composition. Wonderful 'vanishing point',
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/20/2006 10:43:29 AM
Awesome perspective! Nice tilt and excellent black and white
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/20/2006 05:36:09 AM
Great image, love the tilt and perspective.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/20/2006 03:23:11 AM
I don't usually like canted photos but this one caught my eye.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/19/2006 06:51:13 PM
Wow, this is an amazing view, great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/19/2006 04:03:58 PM
Great desat image. The leading lines are very effective as well as the use of people for scale. Great work. (8)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/19/2006 02:29:46 PM
Were you hanging from the ceiling to get this? ;-) Great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/19/2006 10:58:32 AM
I like the variety of lines and light and dark.
Almost a bit overwhelming.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/19/2006 08:21:39 AM
I love the spin, it gives this a more dramatic effect...I hope the other voters will cause this is terrific...great choice to go b and w
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/19/2006 07:33:40 AM
nice
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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