Women in Dark Alley, Clover, South Carolina IV

For this version, I straightened the photo a bit and used the Shadows/Highlights filter in Photoshop (CS4) to bring out a bit more background detail. 

I'm going to leave this file alone now.  I wish that it were a more memorable scene.

--Lannie

--Lannie

It looks like something from "film noir" and is memorable because of all the questions it raises.

Jim Phelps

I totally agree with Jim but, why in the category "Landscape" ? Best regards, Alessandro.

Of the variations, I'm inclined to favor this one.  It seems to strike the right balance of the sense of confinement - red brick wall visible to left, white to right - the full shadow of the figure with her back to the camera.  It also seems to convey more of a sense of mutual surprise - seeing and being seen - and not quite so much a sense of voyeurism or anything ominous.

Thanks, guys.   Jim, the "dark" here can vary enormously, depending on the crop, in my opinion.

Lex, regarding cropping, isn't it amazing that by cropping the photo we also crop out the context, and without context we can read anything we want into a photo?

I had previously shot this alley down in Clover, SC back in May, 2011 during the day.  The lighting certainly gave a very different effect as well, as you can imagine.

I walked on down this alley, set up the tripod (which I was carrying over my shoulder here), and got some of the best night shots of the backs of old buildings which I have ever gotten.  They are in this same folder.

I have yet to put a flash on this camera.  In some ways, this is the best camera that I have ever shot.

--Lannie