Exploration and deliberate practice in Winston-Salem
Saturday, 16 May, 2009 — photography travel
I talked about deliberate practice in my previous entry, which was borne out of some frustration with the photos I took on an April trip to DC and my general lack of attention to photography.
I was on vacation last week and we planned a much more reasonable afternoon trip to Winston-Salem to photograph around the multitude of RJ Reynolds facilities. Driving north on U.S. 52, on the east side of downtown, there’s quite a number of decaying buildings and redevelopment possibilities. I’d previously photographed around the area a few years back, but revisting has been a goal of 5x5 and I.
We spent a few hours wandering around a three or four square block area and making a couple of side-trips into Krankies, a coffee shop between 3rd and 4th Streets. Overall, I’m pleased with the results I’ve been posting in a new Winston-Salem Flickr set. I’m also trying to learn more about Aperture’s tone controls, particularly where it concerns black and white images.
I am after a few goals with my black and white images. I want some pop, so I tend to emphasize contrast. I generally underexpose slightly when taking the photograph and optimize exposure during editing to give myself some highlight latitude. Looking at other photographers, though, I want to work on my middle tonal range. I see see great tones in some middle grays, and I want to aim for that, but without leaving the image flat. My own work leans towards strong highlights and shadows, which is certainly part of how I compose my photos.
To that end, looking around at other architectural photography on Flickr and my brother-in-law’s professional work is very helpful in my own growth as a photographer.
Apart from the photography, Krankies is highly recommended. They roast on site, the shop is in a great space and there’s plenty of seating, complete with a shaded patio. Otherwise, downtown Winston-Salem seemed rather dead. Sure, it was Mother’s Day, but it’s amazing going to downtown Raleigh and seeing the activity level rise over the years and going elsewhere and seeing where that downtown revival is non-existent or still developing.
Be that as it may, we have another two photography trips to Winston-Salem in the discussion phases.