Paddington Station London.
Uploaded: April 03, 2012
Exif: F Number: 5, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/25 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 250, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 14.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 50D
Peter W. Marks April 08, 2012
I shot this image with the paintings of the British artist L.S.Lowry very much in mind. His work frequently showed busy scenes like this, with perhaps one of his most well known works "Leaving the Mill" being foremost in my thoughts. It was here at Paddington station with folks rushing off in every direction and even a cop with a bomb-sniffing dog that inspired this image.Dale Hardin April 08, 2012
I like this scene Peter and see exactly what you were after, and it works.Of course I'd like to see it straight :o) and about a 10% reduction of the highlights so I could see the textures in the floor, but that's the critique (what this club is about) coming out.
Would suggest that you take the concept further and emulate the painting. Should be a good exercise to see how close you can get. #10081073
Sue C. Cole April 08, 2012
Peter, I see what you are going for in this image and love it. I personally like the uneveness of this image. To me it makes it even more busy. I would love to see this in the paint form of L.S.Lowry to see how it would look as well. I love his work.Peter W. Marks April 08, 2012
Thank you very much Sue; I am glad that you are familiar with Lowry's work. We had his 'Leaving the Mill'on my class, home-room wall at high school; just to one side of my desk and gazing at all the action in it carried me through many a boring lesson.Jeff E Jensen April 08, 2012
Very nice, Pete! I have a similar image of Grand Central in NYC, one of my favorites. #10081684Anthony L. Mancuso April 08, 2012
Looks like a busy place Peter..every time I see a reference to that place it reminds me of the "Paddington Bear" character I used to like as a kid.I did google Mr. Lowry and I can see some similarity between his work and your image. One difference that I noted, however, is that his paintings seem to be more about the place while your photograph (to me anyway) seems more about the people. #10081702
Kristin Duff April 09, 2012
Love Paddington Station. could sit and people watch here for hours. I like the composition which works well with feel of the place. At times it is incredibly busy, and then there are moments of quiet, all in a span of a minute! #10082365Peter W. Marks April 09, 2012
Jeff, your reference to Grand Central immediately brought to mind images I have seen in magazines of that station. And so I Googled it and there is a bunch of almost identical shots looking down the(main?) concourse. Different because there are different folk rushing about their business, but all taken from the exact same viewpoint. I even remember that when I first saw the image from NYC I thought how much it reminded me of Lowry's concepts. As you know I am an 'image content' rather than an 'image perfection' person so you will understand why I took a snapshot of the Paddington scene. Just the single image with the only setting on my Canon adjusted for a slightly slower setting than it was at so that some of the rushing travellers would have a bit of motion blur.I understand what you're saying about Lowry's place and people but am not in complete agreement. There is certainly a context of the figures and places but if you scroll down through Google Images for Lowry I think you will notice that many of his paintings have crowds of people in them. Take a look at 'Going to Work'; 'Lancashire fair'; 'Playground'; 'Market Place- Berwick on Tweed'; 'Street scene Southport' and many other pieces. It was from these that I got my inspiration
So why didn't I take many more images of the station you could ask and that was because we were heading for our train and stopped just long enough for the one shot The couple in the foreground is my younger sister Jo and husband Paul and you will notice he is already impatiently on the move!
Kristin. Thank you too. Paddington station was the London terminus that I used when I graduated high school in Cornwall and left for college and an engineering career in London. Your observation about busy and not-so-busy times is spot on. Be there from 7am till 9am and from 4pm till 7pm and it is packed with commuters from the suburbs and places west. As you will know, there are about 20 platforms so it certainly can be very busy! #10082456
Peter W. Marks April 09, 2012
Ok friends, here is an altered image with the facial features and small detail removed in a similar style to Lowry's paintings.(and it's straightened by the three degrees you wanted Dale).Peter W. Marks April 09, 2012
Ok friends, here is an altered image with the facial features and small detail removed in a similar style to Lowry's paintings.(and it's straightened by the three degrees you wanted Dale).Aimee C. Eisaman April 09, 2012
I think photos like this are interesting. It's like people watching without even having to be there. In the first image there doesn't seem to be any focal point to land that satisfies me. I really liked the cop with the dog, but they were blurred a bit. In your second more painterly rendition the woman in the black dress really stands out. I would have to say I like that version better. :~) #10082736Dale Hardin April 09, 2012
Nice make over Peter. You're getting there and it's an admirable goal. I wasn't familiar with the artist but can see why everyone likes it.As you explore post processing a bit more you will be able to achieve your goal of giving varying degrees of detail to people in different parts of the image in order to highlight them and lead the eye where you want.
Reducing detail is easily done using buzz type filters such as the Topaz, but you can selectively do that with Elements on board filters also.
This is a very interesting shot and encourages me to look more at people shots and candids for inspiration. Thanks for the sample. #10082942
Stephen Shoff April 09, 2012
My lack of any kind of art appreciation background really shows up in a submission like this one, Peter. To me, the original post was just a "vacation pic" that anyone could take with any camera. A look-up of the references you provided helped me appreciate what you were composing for and I saw the degree to which you emulated it, but you hadn't gone far enough to make it work.However, your rework is "spot on". Now its an artistic effort that I can really enjoy. Good job! #10082998
Carla Capra Anderson April 09, 2012
I enjoy both images but, prefer the last post. There is just something about it that draws me in and holds my attention. I find my eye exploring the image for details I may have missed with my first quick viewing. Really cool. #10083008Sue C. Cole April 09, 2012
I'm really loven this more Peter! You have made great tribute to Lowry's work in Photographic form. #10083089Peter W. Marks April 09, 2012
Sorry for the duplicated prose; not sure what happened there.I am very happy that there are those that took the time to follow my link to Lowry's work. Much of his stuff was (he died in 1975) social commentary on the times and for me hold a similar interest to those images I see of US photographers with their images of Times Sq; Coney Island; servicemen shipping out to war etc. Images filled with folk each doing their own thing.
I appreciate all of you. #10083115
Jeff E Jensen April 09, 2012
Well done on the re-do, Peter.Here's a link to my Grand Central image:
http://blog.jeffejensenphotography.com/2010/03/grand-central-station-in-motion.html
#10083177
Ellen H. Robertson April 10, 2012
I liked the first post. The day to dayness of people. Really makes you think. The guy in front of the dog, looks like he was not paying attention and almost bumped into the dog.I love the second one. I can see the look and feel of Lowry's work. I am not a fan of me being in a crowded place, but there is a unique beauty in a group of people. And you really brought this out. #10084738
Rita K. Connell April 10, 2012
I love to people watch especially in places like this one. I prefer you second one best. I agree with aimee it helped to have a focus point.... #10084821Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.
Discussions by Category: You can view photo discussions on various themes in the Community > Photo Discussions section of the site.
BetterPhoto Websites: If you see an orange website link directly under the photographer's name, it's totally okay. It's not spam. The reason: BetterPhoto is the one that offers these personal photography websites. We are supporting our clients with those links.
Unavailable EXIF: If there is no other information but 'Unavailable' in the EXIF (meaning no EXIF data exists with the photo), the 'Unavailable' blurb is not displayed. If there is any info, it shows. Many photos have the EXIF stripped out when people modify the image and resave it, before uploading.
The following truth is one of the core philosophies of BetterPhoto:
I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.
You learn by doing. Take your next online photography class.
Copyright for this photo belongs solely to Peter W. Marks.
Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Log in to follow or message this photographer or report this photo.
I already have an account!