pingyao roofs Photo

Photographer’s Note

Pingyao (Chinese: 平遥) is an amazingly preserved ancient town, some 700 km from Beijing. It still retains its layout from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with preserved Ming- and Qing-style residences numbering close to 4,000.

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This picture was taken from the southern gate tower looking to the north along Nan Dajie ('the great street south'). Visible in the distance, shrouded in the haze of the day, is the 14th century tower which marks the center of the city.

I played around with this shot and finally settled for this bl/w version. Originally I was a bit disappointed by the lack of clarity and sharpness, but in this bl/w version I feel this only adds to the atmosphere. Let me know what you think...

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Camera: Nikon D40
Shutter speed: 1:2000 sec
F-stop: f/5.3
ISO: 400
Focal length: 145 mm
Metering mode: Pattern
No flash / No tripod

leo61, Nolme, Wanda1, sevy, bukitgolfb301, luisafonso, stego, noborders, pally3100, BitterMoon trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

leo61 (43476) 2009-03-23 11:39

Hi Benny!
Good choice of B&W,I like it a lot.Great POV and good depth with the repetition of these nice curvy roofs.A good view at the nice tower in the distance and nice to see so many people at the street.
Regards,leo

zmey (7282) 2009-03-23 11:40

an interesting POV you've found yourself, Benny. i agree with the BW translation here: it let's us enjoy the roof architecture better. i also like the white accents in the street: maybe i would have even tried to play them out stronger.

warm regards,
kristaps

bigboroboy (1009) 2009-03-23 11:57

It is a great shot, B&W a good choice as it adds a sense of timelessness. However, I have to confirm your original fear that the shot seems to suffer badly from camera shake.

Good work, PHIL

Nolme (5314) 2009-03-23 13:32

belle image !
ce noir et blanc rend bien l'atmosphère du lieu
marie

Wanda1 (11015) 2009-03-23 22:36

Dag Benny,
This shot has a real old fashioned feeling about it which is enhanced by the balck and white and in a way by the slight bluriness. Great point of view to get the repetition of the roof upon roof which leads us to the tower at the end.
Groetjes
Wanda

CycleEyes (598) 2009-03-23 23:02

Hello Benny, great scene captured with well done framing and dof. I like this atmosphere and your monochrome presentation´s choice.
George

sevy (13798) 2009-03-24 0:17

Hello Benny,

I do not know how it was in color, but this B&W works very well. The loose of sharpness when going to background is building a particular feature to the scene and give interest. It seems to oppose the reality with the dream or remembering.

Yves.

bukitgolfb301 (4838) 2009-03-24 14:30

Hello my dear Benny

Great photo again. You could well catch the old tradition with very bold framework and nice color management. The choose of B&W is excellent. But I think you had better get a little more deep exposure, but Congratulation on your good job !

Best regards and thanks for sharing
Takero

PS. In Japan spring has just come, I will start shooting cherry blossom(sakura)

delkoo (34574) 2009-03-25 1:54

hi benny
peculiar mood and interesting atmosphere for this well managed
black and white.

regards
didier

aadilj (17950) 2009-03-25 3:51

Wow I love this classic 'China' shot benny. You have composed it so well and with such dramatic use of the tones and textures. great view and superb eprspective

tomescuc (2837) 2009-03-28 22:33

Hi Benny,
Really neat POV, very well balanced composition. Seems from a different era.
cheers,
Cristian

luisafonso (858) 2009-03-30 3:27

I like the mood of this one. The blurriness adds some magic here. Your high pov is great and the succession of rooftops is great. I like it.

stego (22376) 2009-03-31 11:26

Hi Benny,
If it wasn't for the modern clothes that only are noticeable only we look carefully, it could pass as an early 20th century photo, or even older if it weren't the bicycles. I like the PoV, which makes a great use the repetition and perspective effect of triangular roofs and gives a upward view of the busy street. I agree that the blurred appearance and the subdued light contributes much to the moody atmosphere.
Regards, José.

Flavia (10202) 2009-04-03 9:00

Hi Benny,

I really like the atmosphere in this picture. You got a timeless feeling. The POV is really great, the b&W and the fog on the bg works really well with the subject.

Regards,

Flavia

Manamo (3474) 2009-04-08 7:13

I don't want to harass you with 2 critiques in a row. I just thought I'd leave some quick words on this one because it really falls into my taste in terms of tones and composition.
I like how the roofs take so much space, showing their particularities. the succession is absolutely delightful. I like how they introduce the street in a subtle fashion.
You wonder about the shake. My opinion is that it only adds to the feeling. It looks like a shot taken a while ago...except for the part of the street in the foreground. It seems like you tried to recover some focus there by pushing the sharpness a bit. But actually, I think, it would help the picture to have a soft focus all through it.

I like the shape of the gate in the background!!!

see you,

Marc

noborders (14201) 2009-04-08 13:25

The state of preservation of this city is absolutely amazing, I cannot believe my eyes, it seems like a photo taken more than 50 years ago ! So after all, there are still some cities left intact in China ? I'd certainly go there the next time I visit that country !

B/W is certainly a good option, it gives an ancient feel that a colour version would not have given (but I would be curious to see it in a WS !) - some problems with sharpness, OTOH splendid POV !

Fascinating really,
"TFS",
Best,
Cath.

pally3100 (3073) 2009-04-23 13:17

Salut Benny avec mes amùitiés Henri
Comme je vois je ne suis pas le seul à etre attiré par les civilisations de sud est asiatique et alentours j aime bcp l ambiance de ces images si on peut constater que bcp d'images de ces régions ne sont pas forcement baignées de soleil ce qui n'est pas un problème pour moi je ne suis pas un amateur de filtre PL exagérant les rendus chromo et c'est avec plaisir que je vais t'ajouter a ma liste de favorits je suis certains de voyager par procuration ma santé ne permet plus d'exploits autres HC

rikko77 (6374) 2009-04-23 13:18

Hi Benny,
beautiful POV and pattern created by the roofs. A very good job, well done!
TFS
regards,
Rikk

Housegaijin (346) 2009-05-03 2:58

Lovely compo and exercise in expanding bokeh... That little D40 sure punches above its weight!
There is some "hesitancy" with regards to sharpness/focus as you yourself noticed. BW is definitely one way to go at such times and you've done a good job here.
Nice work,
best,
-B

stevev1 (999) 2009-05-03 3:29

Ideaal in z/w. De tijd heeft net echt stilgestaan in Pingyao (als je de chinese tourgroepen even wegdenkt:)
Genomen van op de beltoren zeker?
Steve

BitterMoon (2776) 2009-05-05 11:39

hello Benny

i think the lack of sharpness and the b&w adds a lot to the whole atmosphere...which i really like.
nicely framed.

kind regards,
Lucian

ngythanh (8496) 2009-06-23 20:10

One of the best shots that reflect the real China.
Congratulations, and thanks for sharing!

NgyThanh

marcdemoulin (1591) 2009-07-11 8:28

Outstanding composition here benny with these roofs looking like waves...Well seen and done.
Best RGDS
Marc

Photo Information

Copyright: Benny Verbercht (BennyV) (4835)
Genre: Lieux
Medium: Noir & blanc
Date Taken: 2007-08-04
Categories: Architecture
Camera: Nikon D40
Exposition: f/5.3, 1/2000 secondes
Versions: version originale
Carnet de voyage: China 2007
Thème(s): Ney's favorite black&white pictures!, References... [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-03-23 11:35
Favoris: 1 [voir]