Upstairs Downstairs Photo

Photographer’s Note

This was originally taken on slide film in 1997 and converted to B&W in PS Elements more recently. It is part of the "Sky City" which is still inhabited by the Acoma people in New Mexico. I can only imagine having to climb this ladder to your penthouse suite with bags of groceries.

fulvio52, Cretense, dareco, Gerrit, Floydian, BelCan75, mumek, Charo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jonathan_hart (22570) 2009-05-01 8:30

that's a very contrasted photo, interesting processing,
in fact it is contrasted to the maximum
could we describe this as a low key processing ?
I don't know, but that's really fine with this photo
a photo which is nicely composed
the scale looks great
jc

dareco (17094) 2009-05-01 8:40

Fantastic lighting and shadows and superb detail. Really great!!! TFS

Gerrit (35575) 2009-05-01 8:47

Hi Phil,
wonderful old architecture and agreat composition,
The light is fantastic and the choise for b&W the right one.
regards, Gerrit

Floydian (30970) 2009-05-01 8:52

Hi Phil,

Very strong local contrast with high structure, how i love to see that in a b&w. The conversion is flawless and the subject is self is also very well chosen. I never knew there was something like this in the Albuquerque area. I've been to Taos Pueblo near Taos, but also this place seems very interesting and for sure worth to visit....thanks.

Have a nice weekend,

Henk

BelCan75 (2416) 2009-05-01 10:40

Hello Phil,

Great shot with fantastic contrast and beautiful light. I like the shadows here very much and I think it was a good choice for a black & white photo. Well done!

Greetings,
Ann

brandstaetter (13878) 2009-05-01 11:03

Hi Phil,
contrasts are strong, very strong. Here it fits perfectly. GReat one.
Compliments, Chris

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-05-01 12:44

Hi, Phil.
I had a feeling this one was from New Mexico. Terrific atmosphere and super high contrast for a striking effect, perfect for this type of black & white, it reminds me of Ansel... Excellent job, buddy! Have a good day, see ya soon.
Fulvio.

jimmyjimmy (448) 2009-05-01 19:02

Hello Phil

I like the detail and sharpness in this image. Nice work.

Regards
Jimmy

rodgerg (23573) 2009-05-02 0:47

Hello Phil,

An excellent scan of this shot ... 1997...
Very nice B&W with good contrast and especially very beautiful play of shade. Very graphic too.
Have a fine WE,
Roger

Cretense (55466) 2009-05-02 2:13

Hi Phil!

Very impressive, very interesting and very original photo! Excellent composition and framing, perfect choice of b&w, fantastic sharpness and huge contrasts! Congratulations!

Hercules

batalay (20800) 2009-05-02 16:44

Hello Phil,

The image is evocative of the old English Ilford film that delivered dramatic contrasts in b&w. I remember using it in submitting graphs for publications, it had that much contrast. Here the contrast works exceptionally well.

Warm regards,

Bulent

mumek (17468) 2009-05-02 19:06

Good evening Phil!
Good choice of the b@w colours. Nice details, light and contrast.Very good quality of the old scanned photo. Thanks for posting.
best regards
ziggy

baba_flies (7951) 2009-05-03 2:43

Hello Phil! What a special photo, full of history with a very dark side (just yesterday they brought a documentary on ZDF documentary channel about Indian children that were taken away from their parents to boarding schools in the 60ies and some never saw their parents again) but you made a wonderful contribution bringing their amazing architecture back to life. Great the shadows, wonderful the very dark sky and ground and how the steps make their own marks on the stone walls and door. You can feel the hot New Mexican sun or at least how it feels when I look at this picture. Great work, very very good. Have a wonderful Sunday ... Barbara.

BlueRaven (35) 2009-05-04 1:18

Hi Phil,

The moment I saw the thumbnail, I knew it was one of the pueblos in New Mexico. A tour at Acoma is still on my list of things to do - maybe on my next trip.
Interesting details and contrasts on this shot. The traditional ladder, for example, and the modern door knob...
Good conversion job with superb contrast. It does look extremely sharp to me though, almost oversharpened, but then it's very hard to get just the right amount of sharpness into a scan.

Best,
Claudia

trewheeler (1699) 2009-05-04 7:57

A very striking image here Phil. I really like the comp and the hard contrast. Is this a forced perspective, or was the ladder really that massive? Best, TW

gunbud (27729) 2009-05-04 18:58

Hi Phil,
Outstanding B&W image that is well suited for this vertical format.
Great clarity and sharpness with lovely long shadows.
Reminds me of a scene from an old John Ford movie.
Regards, Tom

Charo (31651) 2009-05-16 15:56

Hello Phil,
Excellent composition, with lights and shadows, magnificent. Original capture with good details. Bravo!
Best regards,
Charo