Critique Welcomed The Wickedest Town In The West

[Chris Dodkin]

Once known as 'the wickedest town in the West' - Jerome AZ is now slowly falling apart, with just a few stores, restaurants and artists keeping it on the map.

Abandoned Gas Station

Break-Out

Rust and Gold

Super Nature

Bumper Sticker Bus

Sign of the Times

Spotted!

All shots X-Pro1 and 55-200mm Lens apart for #1, which was the 18mm Lens

 

[Glenn Clabo]

Nice set Chris. The sun rays in the first makes it feel hot. I love it when nobody is paying you any mind...and then a dog looks you straight in the eye...

 

[Pete Askew]

Great set Chris. The first shot really does have a different feel to it but it is nice to see the others in association so you get a feel to the place where it sits. Love the details and the van. The high contrast processing on the signs also works well as does the shot of the lady with the dog.

I find it interesting that you often put such a series together. I tend to group things differently and would have presented the first, signs, van and lady as stand-alone images and then done the details as a set. When do you decide how you will process each image (a mix of at the time and on screen I guess like most of us)? Just interested in the differences in approach.

 

[Brian Moore]

Nice set, Chris. Enjoyed reading the bumper stickers. My fav:

Grow Your Own Dope;
Plant A Man.

 

[Pete Askew]

I was rather taken by 'uck Authority'!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Nice set Chris. The sun rays in the first makes it feel hot. I love it when nobody is paying you any mind...and then a dog looks you straight in the eye...

Thanks @Glenn Clabo - took a leaf out of your book and shot into the sun for change, right as a last shot as I was leaving the location - of course that's the one that worked out the best! The dog was waiting patiently for ice cream, I was snapping away and he spotted me - that's the shot I thought

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Great set Chris. The first shot really does have a different feel to it but it is nice to see the others in association so you get a feel to the place where it sits. Love the details and the van. The high contrast processing on the signs also works well as does the shot of the lady with the dog.

I find it interesting that you often put such a series together. I tend to group things differently and would have presented the first, signs, van and lady as stand-alone images and then done the details as a set. When do you decide how you will process each image (a mix of at the time and on screen I guess like most of us)? Just interested in the differences in approach.

Thanks Pete - you're right, I should have split-out the abandoned gas station shot, as it was taken outside of the main town, and with the 18mm Lens - The rest of the shots were in town, which has a more confined feel due to the narrow steep streets, and with the 55-200 lens.

I deliberately went to shoot the town with a longer lens, as I'd been unhappy with my usual wide angle building shots on previous visits - they never captured the look of the town. So the grouping this time is around a view of the town through longer focal lengths.

Lighting in this town is a big challenge as well, as it is on the side of a steep mountain, facing North - so the sun position can be a real challenge - and I'll have to go back again early morning to shoot some of the scenes I saw yesterday under better lighting.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Nice set, Chris. Enjoyed reading the bumper stickers. My fav:

Grow Your Own Dope;
Plant A Man.

Thanks @Brian Moore - the bus drew quite a crowd of people reading the slogans - I had to wait 10-15 minutes to get a clean shot with no people

 

[Brian Moore]

Thanks @Brian Moore - the bus drew quite a crowd of people reading the slogans - I had to wait 10-15 minutes to get a clean shot with no people

Worth the wait if you ask me!

 

[Dan Cattermole]

Beautiful Chris!
I love the first one. The sun flare just creeping into the shot is pucka.

 

[Kev Pugh]

Great set Chris, my knida place...

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Beautiful Chris!
I love the first one. The sun flare just creeping into the shot is pucka.

Thanks @Dan Cattermole

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Great set Chris, my knida place...

Thanks @Kev Pugh - I can see you set up there with a nice store selling your creations - you'd fit right in

 

[Ralph Thornton]

Great collection there. Love the old buildings.