Los Angeles, a wealth of Architecture. So many buildings crammed together. Different types, different styles crammed next to each other. A building gets old, down it comes and a new modern one goes up. The skyline is ever changing. I am sure this area would be an Architects dream job. Los Angeles, New York, Chicago…come build me a skyscraper…SAY WHAT!! Name etched in a skyline and all I want to do is take a photo of it.
This shot was taken on the corner of 7th and Figueroa looking SE. After walking a few blocks and taking a few shots this scene crossed my path. I really liked the way the buildings lined up as you looked down the block. In color each building is a different shade so that looked pretty cool, but color never crossed my mind. I did shoot this with a slight angle and in post processing decided to give it even more angle to once again remove some unwanted trees. The lighting you see on the side of the Ernst & Young building is from the sun reflecting off of other buildings windows. I did take that reflected lighting and enhance it to give a more profound look. 818 brick building on the left I felt needed a little light enhancement but just enough to brighten the corner but not to much that it would stand out. The increased lighting in the windows was to make sure the side of the building didn’t look to dark and lifeless. The sky…well that is just a product of a 67 second exposure. Most of my photo’s as you may notice are single buildings. That is not by design or preference, it is just the way it has worked out so far.
The Shot:
F/16, ISO 50, 67 seconds, 16-35L Lens @22 mm. 10 Stop ND filter, Tripod and Shutter release
Post Processing:
- Adobe Raw-minor adjustments to taste -no sharpening-no noise reduction
- Photoshop CS-5
- Topaz Denoise-Just enough to remove noise from windows
- Selections made and saved-Sky, Each individual Building, Ernst & Young sign, Windows of 818 building
- Silver Efex Pro 2.0-Neutral BW made and used as base
- Silver Efex Pro 2.0- Darker and lighter copies made and saved
- With Neutral BW as base overlapped Darker and Lighter copies using masks to enhance areas to taste
- High pass sharpening
BEFORE AND AFTER
