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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Three: Stirring emotions through atmosphere and mood. > Lexington Avenue, New York City, New York, 2008
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02-SEP-2008

Lexington Avenue, New York City, New York, 2008

One of New York City’s busiest streets acquires a quiet mood in the gathering shadows of day’s end. I amplify that mood through my vantage point and my use of the reflected light that plays on the iconic Chrysler Building, a structure that gives Lexington Avenue much of its identity. I build the image around the striking column of white clouds that seem to stream from the famed art deco spire itself. I use spot metering mode to expose for those clouds, and enriching the golden light of the reflected sunset on the skyscraper. The resulting under-exposure also deepens the blue gray sky, and creates a shadowy tunnel of foreground buildings streaked with artificial light to anchor the shot.

Sigma DP1
1/30s f/4.0 at 16.6mm iso50 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis12-Sep-2008 04:36
Thanks, Rusty, for this comment. I was actually thinking of Stieglitz when I made this shot -- he lived a few blocks from this spot back in the 20s, and I am sure he played with the light and shadows much as I've tried to do here. I was fortunate to have a tool such as the DP1 on hand for such an image. As you can see, the dynamic range of its DSLR sized sensor is wonderful and RAW processing allowed me to get the detail in the shadows while still expressing the beauty of the color in the distant skyline.
russellt11-Sep-2008 17:06
wow, what a stunningly gorgeous muted mellow image, which I could also say about your previous image. it kind of reminds me of e steichen playing around with lights and shadows and mood around the flatiron building or acropolis. you kind of half convinced me on raw processing and specifically the dp-1's processor this spring, and you fully convince me here.
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