Up until relatively recently, my shooting for color was generally handled with the preconception that it absolutely needed to be abstracted and close up, which was a poor assumption on my part, and after some clarification from my professor I set out to try and get some work that I would be happy with. Generally speaking, using the tops/sides of buildings and the sky as a means of composing with color wouldn’t necessarily be my immediate inclination but I am definitely satisfied that that was the direction that I had ended up taking.
Viewing an urban scene purely in terms of color and value is sort of a contrast to the way I would normally approach shooting such an area, but with that in mind urban landscape is among my more comfortable styles. I often hear people saying that your best work comes from when you venture out of your comfort zone and try things you are unsure about, and I think this is a decent testament to that. Not to say that these photographs are particularly great or anything of the sort, but merely by slightly altering my approach I was able to come home with work shot in an area I often shoot in that also stands out from other similar things I have done in the past. It would also be a crime to discount the huge effect the light the day these were taken on their overall quality, had these been shot on a cloudier day, for instance, the harsh shadows that contribute heavily to the palette of values would be far more muted and the photos would likely not be as successful.
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