This week’s theme for our photography adventure is graffiti, mural and/or building art. I was fortunate enough to get out on Saturday while the weather was still fantastic. I had planned on venturing out to a few locations over the entire weekend but Sunday decided to rain on my parade. Luckily for me, my exploring Saturday afternoon provided plenty of image options.

Although I fell back on a familiar location for these images (the barge canal) I tried to compose differently than I normally do. I’m not sure I completely succeeded but I am happy with the results. The hardest part was narrowing down my choices to just three images. I did consciously decide to only use single exposures for this week’s images. I had already explored the HDR method last week…

The barge canal trail in North Utica has been a great location for my photography exploring. The Utica Marsh is accessible from the trail as well as numerous trails along the canal. This first image is off the bridge supports for Route 12 as it crosses the canal. As you can see they provide a large canvas for artistic expression.

Under the Traffic
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/125s, 38mm, f/4, ISO 400

This second image is a detailed look at one particular piece of graffiti. I felt it wasn’t a very strong composition if I only included the artwork but the juxtaposition of the calm, sunset look of the canal enhanced the art. It was a thought…

Peeking
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/400s, 24mm, f/4, ISO 400

To really jump outside my normal methods I threw the 8mm fish-eye lens on for the last few minutes of sunlight. I did manage to capture a few more images of the graffiti on the bridge supports but they are similar to the last image in composition. Although the fish-eye effect does add to the image I wanted to include something different.

This last image is a spotlight on one section of an on-ramp for Route 12. The canal trail winds right along the road and this large section of concrete appears to be another favorite area for expression. The 180 degree field of view and the normal distortion from the lens definitely enhances the look of this robot.

Robot Surrender
Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 800