‘Bout that time. | 04:28AM Sep 30, 2007
Portland is a great city. It’s well proportioned, full of eccentric and elegant little shops, placed beautifully on a majestic bay, and of course most importantly has one of the best nightlife scenes in the Northeast. Only thing is, that entire scene is squeezed into about four city blocks, the area known as the Old Port.
Built around a network of narrow cobble stone streets, the Old Port resides directly across from Portland’s working harbor. The mixture of swanky bars and all night diners filled with old salts appear to work marvelously in this wacky part of town.
I grabbed this shot out of pure happenstance. I had driven downtown to shoot the cruise ship, and as a result parked in one of the garages that lined the harbor. After the ship had left her berth and headed out of the harbor I decided to follow suit and head for my car. While riding the glass elevator to the roof – where I had parked – I was struck by the beautiful tones of twilight creeping across the skyline.
Once on the roof, I grabbed my tripod from the car and made my way to the edge of the roof. After a few minutes of jury-rigging my tripod into a corner of the rooftop I began setting up my composition.
There are a few key points to keep in mind when shooting cityscapes. First, because of the litany of things of things in the frame it can be easy to forget about your edges and allow the frame to become entirely to busy. A simple way to eliminate this problem is by making sure you pick distinct points of interest throughout the frame, which the viewer’s eye can rest on. For instance, I started by including the “Time for a Pint,” in the lower left, then the time traffic blur, and finally the beautiful granite architecture of the Customs building contrasted against the colorful sky.
A photographer must always be aware of the frame. After all, the frame is where our power stems from. When we compose a shot we, as the photographer, decide what to include or remove from the frame. In making that decision we are influencing what effect our image has on the viewer. For instance, if I had included the teenage couple making out on the bench in the park below me, this scene would take on a whole new significance. Each composition is a choice, and one that must be made with reserve. A thing I must force myself to remember on a daily basis, slow down, take your time. Trust me it’s worth the extra effort.
Built around a network of narrow cobble stone streets, the Old Port resides directly across from Portland’s working harbor. The mixture of swanky bars and all night diners filled with old salts appear to work marvelously in this wacky part of town.
I grabbed this shot out of pure happenstance. I had driven downtown to shoot the cruise ship, and as a result parked in one of the garages that lined the harbor. After the ship had left her berth and headed out of the harbor I decided to follow suit and head for my car. While riding the glass elevator to the roof – where I had parked – I was struck by the beautiful tones of twilight creeping across the skyline.
Once on the roof, I grabbed my tripod from the car and made my way to the edge of the roof. After a few minutes of jury-rigging my tripod into a corner of the rooftop I began setting up my composition.
There are a few key points to keep in mind when shooting cityscapes. First, because of the litany of things of things in the frame it can be easy to forget about your edges and allow the frame to become entirely to busy. A simple way to eliminate this problem is by making sure you pick distinct points of interest throughout the frame, which the viewer’s eye can rest on. For instance, I started by including the “Time for a Pint,” in the lower left, then the time traffic blur, and finally the beautiful granite architecture of the Customs building contrasted against the colorful sky.
A photographer must always be aware of the frame. After all, the frame is where our power stems from. When we compose a shot we, as the photographer, decide what to include or remove from the frame. In making that decision we are influencing what effect our image has on the viewer. For instance, if I had included the teenage couple making out on the bench in the park below me, this scene would take on a whole new significance. Each composition is a choice, and one that must be made with reserve. A thing I must force myself to remember on a daily basis, slow down, take your time. Trust me it’s worth the extra effort.
