Picture This!
Skyline—A City’s Face
Shutterbug Staff, May, 2008
Our Picture This! assignment this month was all about cityscapes and how we
associate a city with the grandeur of its buildings and how the architecture
defines its space. Yes, cities have millions of stories within them, but when
you step back and view it from a distance it’s about its profile and the
face it presents to the world. Readers responded with mostly idealized visions,
which we sought, as well as abstractions that emphasized the form and scale
of the environments. We got to do some world travel with this assignment, and
received many more images that we wanted to include than space allowed.
Rotterdam, Netherlands |
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Tom Atkins added an extra touch of solarization to create this
fanciful image of the energy in Rotterdam’s urban renewal.
He worked with a Nikon D200 and an 18-200mm lens with an exposure
of f/6.3 at 1/60 sec at ISO 100.
© 2008, Tom Atkins, All Rights Reserved
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New York City |
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There’s nothing more classic than this late fall scene of
the Trump Rink in New York’s Central Park with the surrounding
midtown skyscrapers. John Fryer made this photo with a Canon PowerShot
A630 at ISO 200 with an exposure of f/4 at 1/160 sec.
© 2008, John Fryer, All Rights Reserved
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Knoxville, Tennessee |
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Blending the iconic with the architecture, Robert J. Goodwin placed
the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in juxtaposition with
the Sunsphere from the 1982 World’s Fair. He shot with a
Nikon D80 and an 18-200mm lens.
© 2008, Robert J. Goodwin, All Rights Reserved
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Zanzibar, Tanzania |
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Not every cityscape needs to include skyscrapers to be emblematic,
as shown in this photo of the rooftops in this ancient African
city. Greg Warchol made this photo with a Nikon D70S and a Tokina
AT-X 24-200mm lens.
© 2008, Greg Warchol, All Rights Reserved
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Nashville, Tennessee |
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This highly idealized photo entitled “Nashville Emerging”
would be a great shot for the airport to welcome visitors to the
city. Nicholas Dantona made it with a Canon EOS 5D and a Canon
EF 24-70mm L USM lens; exposure was f/9 and three bracketed exposures,
which he merged using Photomatix Pro and Photoshop CS3 software.
© 2008, Nicholas Dantona, All Rights Reserved
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Chicago, Illinois |
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Framed by Henry Moore’s “Man Enters the Cosmos,”
the skyline gleams in the distance. John Conway made this shot
with a Nikon D2Hs and a Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; exposure was
f/16 at 1/250 sec.
© 2008, John Conway, All Rights Reserved
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San Francisco, California |
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This classic shot of Alamo Square and the skyline on a clear day
was made by Dr. Spencer V. Moore with a Canon EOS 20D and a Tamron
18-200mm lens.
© 2008, Dr. Spencer V. Moore, All Rights Reserved
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New York City |
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We received a number of images including the Empire State Building
but this one caught our eye just as the building caught the dazzling
light. Paul Scharff made this shot from a ferry boat on the East
River with an Olympus 750 UZ exposed at f/7 at 1/400 sec.
© 2008, Paul Scharff, All Rights Reserved
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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The layout of the “City of Bridges” is shown for all
to see in this wintry shot made by Melanie S. Staab. She photographed
with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi and a Canon 18-55mm lens; exposure
was f/10 at 1/1000 sec at ISO 400.
© 2008, Melanie S. Staab, All Rights Reserved
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Austin, Texas |
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Reflections are put to magical use in this photo of the Austin
city skyline by Fredric Fink. His exposure using a Canon EOS 20D
and a Canon 18-55mm lens was f/7.1 at 1/125 sec at ISO 800.
© 2008, Fredric Fink, All Rights Reserved
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