Sunoco Abstract
Canon Digital Rebel, Sigma 70-300mm
f/5.6 @ 1/100 ISO 800
I kept going by this gas station, day after day, seeing this pattern, until I couldn't stand it anymore. So I schlepped my camera along the next day, switched to the long zoom, and made the Homeland Security people wonder why I was taking pictures of "infrastructure."
This was just before we left to visit my wife's family for Christmas, and I forgot about this image until I caught up on my CD-ROM burning last night.
posted by SteveR at 3:08 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Steve,
Nice Pattern! I know what you mean about passing by a particular every day and seeing a potential picture. There is a location that I drive by every day, twice a day, that is at a local lake (Lake Merced) where I see a great shot potential. The time and season would have to be just right in order to get what I envision from it. One day, I was out testing my new 85mm prime lens, and I had to walk to that spot to do some test shots. The pictures came out okay, but it wasn't the right set of conditions to be perfect.
So, do any of you want to see that test shot? It may take years for me to get to that ideal situation. If you'd like, I can post it so that you all can get a general idea of what I saw in that location.
On to this picture. I see that you were at the limits of handhold-ability, but if you had a tripod handy, maybe you could have expanded the depth of field to include the first 3 pump stations. At first, I was thinking that the whole image should be in focus, but upon further reflection, I think that it would be okay for the lights to be a little fuzzy. My 2nd idea would be to crop out the 4th pump station and the signs from the bottom of the picture. The triple stations with the triple lights, IMO, might be a little more harmonious and even more abstract than it is now.
Maybe if you go back to that spot with your tripod, the Homeland Security people will be waiting for you :)
-- Warren
Thanks for your comments, Warren - I was indeed on the ragged edge - below, actually, of where I should have been handholding the lens. It was a really dull morning, and I'm going to go back and try again on a sunnier day.
Your ideas about getting rid of the signs and the 4th pump make sense - isolating it to 3 pumps, 3 lights would make a better composition.
I may also try some Photoshopping to remove the extra elements.
Regards,
SteveR
Thanks, Jill - actually, I sometimes tilt the camera to see what it brings about - your idea is excellent!
-- SteveR
I also like the partial 4th pump. I think it kind of hints that the pattern could go on forever. It would worth trying again at a different angle to get rid of the signs although, they don't bother me that much. When I shoot a pattern like this, I try to put the focus on the second object instead of the first, just gives it a different look.
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