Shot with Canon 5D, 200mm f/2.8L II
@ 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 640, 1/320s

I’m really torn on this image. On the one hand, I do really like the composition, timing, subjects, lines, etc… The original intention for this image as I was shooting it was to focus very sharply on the brick wall, for the texture. I wanted the texture / shape to be eye-catching and then for the figures to keep your eyes busy after that initial glance. I knew there would be compression from the 200mm lens, of course, and I wanted it, but part of me can’t help but wish that both people were of similar sharpness. But then again, the woman is the more interesting of the two, so it makes sense in a way for the woman to be more sharply in focus. The man being sharply in focus as well would probably actually make this a less interesting image.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this image – leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Processing began with my custom Lightroom preset Grayscale, Portrait 2. Next, I played with the color temperature of the image, added some highlight recovery, brushed in some clarity on everything but the man (it would produce an unsightly dark halo around him), adjusted black clipping to reign in shadow detail, removed the vignette, and finally increased the exposure a bit for a better balanced image.

Shot with Canon 5D, 200mm f/2.8L II
@ 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 400, 1/320s

This woman caught my interest because she just had this intense, hardened New Yorker feel about her. She was so focused on whatever it was on her mind that I don’t think she even noticed I was there.

Processing started with my custom Lightroom preset Grayscale, Portrait 2 and then I adjusted exposure, tweaked the grayscale mix for the best tonality, and finally some exposure adjustment brush strokes around the face to tone down some highlights just slightly.

Shot with Canon 5D, 50mm f/1.4
@ 50mm, f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/1250s

Walking around the streets of New York City, I happened to round a corner as this construction worker was about to enjoy himself a smoke-break. I thought the truck made an interesting background, while also providing some nice leading lines. It was important to me that I not attract his attention – I wanted this to be a true candid, and I accomplished that.

One of the key components of my NYC series is to capture regular New Yorkers living their lives just the way they do every day. I’m trying to make it beautiful in the process, of course, but at the heart of it, I just love NYC and I want to share its essence with the world.

Processing of this photo started out with my custom Lightroom preset, Grayscale, Punchy Portrait. From there, I cropped tighter, adjusted contrast and black clipping, then tweaked the grayscale mix color-by-color to get the best tonal range and contrast without sacrificing highlight or shadow details too much. Then I added many, many brush strokes to adjust exposure further, particularly in the shadows and highlights (effectively, dodging and burning in Lightroom). Finally, I threw a little Clarity into the mix for improved microcontrast in the midtones.