Flatiron Shadow, a photo from Massachusetts, Northeast

Photographer's Note

The facade of the old Ferdinand Furniture building near Dudley Square in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. The Ferdinand Block, as it's called, is undergoing redevelopment into an office and retail complex that will incorporate some features of pre-existing structures, most notably the flatiron building. Since the mid-20th century, Dudley Square has been the main center for Boston's African-American community. Until 1987, this location was overshadowed by an elevated rapid transit line, and this is almost the very same place depicted near the beginning of "Malcolm X," with Denzel Washington and Spike Lee walking down the street in flashy suits. Though this was originally a color digital photo, I decided to desaturate--partly to emphasize what I wanted, and to neutralize what I did not want: some distracting bits of intense day-glo colors.

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Critiques | Translate

Noel_Byrne (7450) 2013-01-04 7:52

Hi Chris,
Beautiful idea to desaturate, it empahsises the shape of the building and its shadow perfectly, a wonderful play of light. It also shows the beauty of the building itself, great to see these old places brought into modern structures. Really nice shot, cheers.
All the best
Noel

AlessiaVittoria (187) 2013-01-04 11:05

Hello Chris,

great use of light from behind the building.
High-contrast had strengthened the shadows that become the strong point of the composition and a passing person revived the frame. Excellent photography. Congratulations!

Best regards
Bogna

allbje (72) 2013-01-04 12:15

Hello Chris,
Beautiful B/W work and I especially like your use of the light. The shadow and sun through the window openings leads the eye to the building. Well done!
Happy New Year.
Allan

Energysavingelk (444) 2013-01-04 12:35

Hi Chris,

impressive use of a very uncommon situation. B&W was a good choice. The scenery reminds me of the Potemkin villages, when tsarina Katharina the Great wanted to visit her blossoming landscapes, and the Earl of Potemkin, one of her courtiers, had villages built consisting only of facades, to give an impression of prosperity.
BTW: doesn't this history fit to your situation?

Regards from Rhineland
Sven

GiovanniG (1619) 2013-01-04 21:37

Hi Chris,
Lovely back light structure in B&W. Very well done with nice magic.... Well done Chris!
GiovanniG

pajaran (36282) 2013-01-05 2:20 [Comment]

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ACL1978 (5793) 2013-01-16 17:21

Chris, this is a great shot, with the shadows spreading out along the street here in a very cool pattern. I guess it's been a while since I got down to Dudley - I had no idea that this was going on! The building had been boarded up for so long... I used to live nearish to Dudley and always thought it a shame that such a gorgeous building was in disrepair. Thanks for this one.

Andrew

PS - good to see there's another Boston-area person on here (I assume you're from Boston, anyway, given many of your shots are here).