Pastiche Shoot & Final Image

     I found this pastiche a lot harder than the first due to location, lighting and weather conditions. It took me quite a while to choose a location after visiting location such as Brighton, Tunbridge Wells and my hometown, East Grinstead I chose to take my image in Lewes. All of the locations had cobbled streets however I felt Lewes’ location related most closely to the original scene.  

     

     I felt the feeling of the location gave of this sense of modern vs. old just like Brassai’s ‘Paris after Dark’; the cobbled streets contrast with the street lights, lit windows and shop/restaurant signs.

     

      - I took the image using Ilford Delta 100 film with a Mamiya 7 so that the image wa in black and white, I used ISO 100 as this was what Brassai would have used as it was the only sensitivty available at the time.

      - I took the photo on a night after it had been raining a little so that the streets were slightly shiny like in the original image so that the streetlights would reflect off of the surface, and it was a clear night so the sky was dark. 

Brassai, 'Paris after Dark, No.27', 1933

    - I positioned the camera on the edge of the street facing up the narrow street that curved to the right but unfortunately this cannot be seen due to it having a slight incline.

      - Although not perfectly positioned in terms of height, shop windows in the background sit horizontal to the street lit up similar to windows lining the pathway either side of the street.

      - As I couldn’t find anywhere with neon signs, I used the street lights to illuminate the scene similarly which glow which meant I only had to use a very short exposure time.

      - Lights reflect off the pavement and cobbles in a similar way to Brassai’s photograph, as well as the sides of the buildings.

      - Although the shop sign on the left of the composition wasn’t white I have managed to include a couple of unlit shop signs  in the same position as in Brassai’s image.

      - I was also careful to position the camera so that the height of the buildings matched the originals; the buildings on the left give the idea of depth narrowing into the background while the first building on the right is tall followed by a lower lit construct followed by a taller building.  

      - Due to Christmas time there was a tree lit up in the background and compositionally this is not right however it does mirror the curve of the shop line light.

      - I used an aperture of around F.8/11 to give a medium depth of field similar to Brassai’s image as his image is mostly all in focus but isn’t perfectly in focus in the immediate foreground and background.

My Final Image (badly photographed)

      - My final print was quite complex, I exposed it at Grade 5 for 10 seconds, Grade 2 for 25 seconds while dodging the sign in the left foreground for 15  seconds. I then had to burn in the street for 7 seconds and the middle section of the street for a further 7 seconds as it was too brightly lit by the street lights.

      - The final result came out as I hoped it would, although it isn’t perfectly like Brassai’s photograph I am happy with the composition and lighting; I think the image gives off a similar atmosphere and feeling of a small cobbled street which would normally be filled with life during the daytime.