What to Choose, Where to Look? Ten Photos in One of a Boston Construction Site
All of these images come from the same cell-phone photograph, to be revealed at the end of the post.
Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day for photography in Boston. I don't usually work Saturdays, but I headed in to help out with an event in the afternoon. On the walk to and from the train I took over 100 pictures with my cell phone and DSLR, and a few of them are pretty good!
Something tells me this woman could power through anything.
Today I set to work selecting and editing a few to work into a post. I always feel like it's cheating to share one photo, write ten words, say "done!" and expect upvotes - although heaven knows lots of people do just that. But I quickly realized that these photos had enough going on in them that just one photo might be enough.
(High resolution images can be seen by right clicking and selecting "open image in new tab...")
In fact, I've spent hours making ten compositions out of the same image.
![DoNot.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmU17qZs5qEmZkhqpZ5kg7fcKw91gaWmyc8EzniApmsNsA/DoNot.jpg)
Do not? Dare me!
This was taken on a road near the edge of Chinatown, where a construction project has recently started up. It's across the street from the strip club I mentioned last week. As with all construction projects, it's begun with a great deal of de-struction.
We're left with a visual field of textures upon textures.
Double do not? Shit just got real.
Close to the ground, things are quite muddled and chaotic. But higher up, the sun strikes the bricks at the far end of the lot and brightens things considerably.
Building being invaded by some sort of giant worm.
Having walked past this site on a regular basis, I can confirm that all this work was done in just two days. A whole 2 1/2 story building has been reduced to rubble in this corner in 48 hours. It's amazing what you can do when you have the right tools handy.
The street smells of gypsum and concrete dust. I'm hoping there was no old asbestos in there.
Kaboom! One of these would come in handy on the homestead.
Just a few feet away is another yellow machine. It's much lighter, quieter, and I would suspect, more fuel efficient.
This looks like it's more fun than should be legal.
There's a fire hydrant handy too, of course. Just in case all that garbage catches on fire.
Fire hydrants always make me think of little power-hungry gnomes, there to remind you of where thou shalt not park. This one seems to have had a little tinkle sometime in the last few hours.
O Hai there. Do you like my yellow hat?
Even the play of light on the pavement here tells a story of its own. Can you see why it's taken me so long to finish fussing about with this one photograph?
C'mon, feet...
Of course, every scene needs a witness. I'm so grateful that this jogger happened to pass by at just the right moment, and I feel she deserves a portrait shot of her own, beneath a machine that symbolizes her strength and determination. But is she a source of creation or destruction? I didn't stick around to find out.
![ToughCookie.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmaKckpNFMuA2o38hTcxa97e9cE5L9RLJRQMz3xyfpNkq4/ToughCookie.jpg)
Much better weather for running than marathon day.
Presiding over it all, in a spirit of calm, well-balanced justice, is a lamp-post supporting a couple hanging baskets of flowers. It really feels like we're in a different universe here. And who hangs these plants?
If I hadn't taken this photo, I'd never have even noticed these were here.
Something nice for the strippers to look at when they come out for cigarette breaks.
Lots of very different pictures, right? But yes, they all came from the same photo.
Here it is. Compositionally, I'm not sure it's as strong altogether as the sum of its parts. But the more I look at it, the more I notice, and the more I want to zoom in, crop, and adjust.
10 pictures in one. Could have been more but I got tired.
If we can measure the success of an image by how long we want to look at it, then I have to say I'm pretty damn proud of this one. But it's tacky if I spend too much time validating myself.
What do you all think of it?
![AtopySignature.png](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmShk2CeqM8owifSwJBNHMTE1G92wTBD9mGgKPVT19baCj/AtopySignature.png)
Amazing shot! If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one should be at least 10,000!
I think I may go back and visit one more time before I die!
Let me know when you're coming! It would be fun to meet and an honor to buy you a beer or a cigar or a cup of coffee or all three.
Absolutely! Most of my favorite haunts are gone or been changed. I'm a Cambridge guy and Jacks on Mass Av. burnt down. The Deuce of Clubs that I played ball for is gone.The Cantab is for Yuppies. Even Cambridge Coffee Tea & Spice where I went for coffee is gone. My best friend is Chief of Police at Harvard... he told me not to bother coming back, I'd hate it. When I lived there it was amazing, everybody got along- now everything's racial. But I still have a yen to see it one more time!
I so rarely get up to Cambridge. You're right, it's mostly chain stores and franchises now, not so different from going to the mall except the architecture's better. Downtown retains a little bit more character, but of course Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, and Burrito franchises are eating up all the retail space.
I think that's why I love Chinatown so much - it's like no place I've ever seen.
It somehow seems odd as one picture, after seeing it's individual parts.
I have the same issue....when I only put one image up I feel like I'm cheating lol. Its like even if its drawn and took me hours to make it....if I dont put some text next to it.......cheated!
The shot is great though. I mostly like the contrast of it ...one side u got demolition and the other side u get a nice wall with flowers lol. Like it was croped from two photos and glued together.
I think we both need to relax and accept that there's no shame in one well-done image!
That is such a fun idea, Winston - you know what I was thinking? that if you showed thatphoto from the get-go, a lot of the details would've been lost. Most people (even the serious readers) would've thrown a passing glance over it and missed so many things.
Really nice ;)
Funny you should say that. I was just going to share the picture, but I knew the thumbnail wouldn't look that interesting in the feed... too small with too much going on. So I started looking for part of it to crop that would be more attention-grabbing. And then I realized how much potential it had.
Thanks for the compliment!
I honestly enjoy to look at travel and street photos by feeling and instinct, however I like that you de-construct the photo piece by piece. The yellow moto is so cool too!
I say, validate away. That is so very wild, I had no idea when I was reading down. A visual puzzle of sorts. Very very creative indeed. Bravura on the unique idea and final result.
Amazing how much is going on in that one scene. And I can imagine how much time it took to parse it all out into individual visual vignettes, though they stay put in time. Well done.
Very very nice post. Nice to meet you. I'm a runner too :D