Spadina Avenue Chinatown Photo

Photographer’s Note

Taken the same day as my previous photo. This is at the intersection of Dundas Street and Spadina Avenue, on the west side of downtown Toronto. Cable cars travel here. I didn't wait around for one to go by, because the wind chill was several degrees below freezing, this day. Hence, the lack of the usual throngs of people that you would see in Chinatown when the weather is better. Call this series, "what busy areas look like when it's too hard to be outside in the winter."

I'm not as fond of this picture, but it does hold some charm for me. You can see the how the boulevard is split with the tram stops in the center of the road. And if you look carefully, you can see the government building in the center of the road, several blocks away. I've plotted this one on the map, if you'd like to find this area in Toronto.

Larger version posted in workshop. Please leave a comment or critique. Thanks for visiting!

RADEEH, spence, kajenn, eska has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

RADEEH (2772) 2006-02-22 11:35

It loks like the city is covered with some nets.
The cables there gives that impression.
A well positioned shot of a traffic of a small town.
Thanks for sharing

Homerhomer (4005) 2006-02-22 20:52

I like it Michelle, not too long ago I was at this very place looking around and thinking there are photo opportunities here, just couldn't visualize anything, you on the other hand came up with a pretty good photo. Like the three traffic lights, net of wires, foreground with all the lines and squares, quite graphical image.
Well done.
Peter

CaptainJack (0) 2006-02-23 12:01

Hi Michelle, I like the perspective, sort of "taking a step back" from things, as there is some distance between you and the crosswalk and cars. The added space really help to stretch out this shot, with the vertical lines of the trolley tracks enhancing this further. For those reasons, I like it more than your previous shot at this location.

spence (1679) 2006-02-24 6:04

Hi Michelle - I agree with Captain Jack - it's interesting how you've left this space in the foreground. It works well for this shot. I like the way the yellow markings on the road, the tram lines, the white rectangles of the pedestrian crossing, the traffic lights and the overhead wires all combine to create quite a strong graphic effect. And the people are part of that as well.

lestans (15504) 2006-02-24 12:19

We walk in our town between many wires over our heads, and many kind of lines under our feet....in modern towns buildings resemble so much each other, wherever in the world we are
Ciao Michelle!!
Livia

dsolarov (422) 2006-03-04 22:06

Hi Michelle,
I like this view of Spadina. Tram tracks and wires create good perspective. Good work!!!
Dragana

kajenn (2325) 2006-03-08 11:00

A lot of lines below and above, Michelle, making this quite a graphical image with a lot of depth and a great perspective. Unfortunately the compression has had an impact on the lines, especially the diagonals (you've only used 76 of the 200kB allowed). Anyhow, I like it a lot, mainly because of the yellow lines up front - covering almost half the image - and the three yellow traffic lights. Well done!

[workshop] [compare] +

pamastro (7213) 2006-03-29 15:07

I've been meaning to come back to this one for a while. The lines in this are really well captured. The strong liner and grid feel of the wires and the tracks is nicely broken by the curving track. The depth is very strong leading back to the building in the distance. Because the building is there makes it more interesting because it has a place to stop and come back forward as opposed to going endlessly into the distance. And then the people crossing the strong lines leading back gives a dynamic feel, giveing a nice cross action. They're all very well spaced, too. At the center, two at the outer thirds and then two more just beyond those further adds to the graphic feel. Maybe it could use some brightening up with levels. And I do like the cropped version more and how it highlights the crossers. Although the quality is much improved ont the other, which would make sense if the file sizes are that different. Nicely captured Michelle.

eska (520) 2006-05-06 21:10

Hi Michelle.
Maybe I should not read what others have to say about your picture BEFORE commenting myself but I did it.
Sorry, I can't analyze your shot so interestingly. I just wanted to say, I like it, been driving this part of Spadina, and I can swear you have captured the spirit of Spadina!
Also, I prefer the colours, levels and brightness’s of your choice, did not really like the adjusted workshop.
Greetings
Chris

paprika-jancsi (1963) 2006-09-16 22:51

Hi Michelle, Digi-Mom!
Looks like you've done many shots downtown Toronto.
I never thought T.O was photogenic and you really prove the case.
Looks like TE members are hungry for these shots.
18 points for this blurry, unimaginative picture?
Sorry, but No! But I forgive you nevertheless because you gave me a point. Best regards,
Janos