Arrested Development

[David]

I've been in Northern Cyprus for a couple of weeks, that's the bit occupied by Turkey in 1974. While much of the scenery is very splendid, the coastal strip has been ruined, IMO, by over-development of apartments and villas, many of which have been left unfinished.

I tried to capture the feeling of ruination in the following images, taken at about noon local time (deliberately to try to emphasise the harshness and washed out feeling these buildings provoked in me). Unfortunately, I don't think I've succeeded in what was an experiment in social realism. Anyway, I'd be pleased to receive comments on how I should have approached the subject.







Cheers

David

[arith]

I think it works. Very nice view.

[Dave Humphries]

David,

I agree (with Steve, not you )

Only suggestion I would make is to remove (clone out) the dark post thingy in foreground of #1.

Other than that I think the exposure/PP, which isn't so contrasty we cannot see inside the buildings, is just right.

I note from EXIF they are all f11 at 400iso and +1 EC, is that it, or was HDR involved to get detail inside?

Cheers,

[Shadowman]

While the landscape being blotted out by overdevelopment might appear as ruination, the actual images look like progress. I think you would convey your message better if more of the landscape were shown, especially if the structures were shown from an elevated view.

[Peter Ryan]

Hi David,

I agree with John. While these images could/should be included in a social documentary I feel we need to see them in their landsacpe as well to appreciate what you are really talking about.

[Dave Humphries]

The only thought I'd offer on the 'showing in landscape' idea is not get too far away, or it may just look a development, you won't be able to see the dereliction. I don't know the topography of Northern Cypress, an elevated view might be impossible unless flying. I guess the idea is valid though.

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Hi David,
Such places are everywhere not only there.The second gives me the feeling of an abandoned place.But this has more visulal hit in my opinion.

Radu Dinu

[David]

Hi Guys - Thanks for the comments. I think John and Peter have hit the nail on the head. The actual context of the buildings is not apparent from the images. The buildings could look like progress, with the builders having a break. An aerial view might help to show more of the landscape but then again that would not necessarily imply despoliation of the landscape. I'm going to have to think this through again.

On technical matters, there's no HDR involved. I used Canon's DPP to make adjustments to the shadows to give some internal detail. The derelict lamppost in #1 I left in deliberately to cause a jar to the eye.

Many thanks

David

[ScoutR]

Hi David: I like what you are trying to do, and am interested in the replies as I like to try and do this type of thing myself.

I think the second image does a fairly good job of conveying the ruin, but I do agree with what the others have said about having more context.

What if you tried to get an angle that showed the beauty of the costal location contrasted with the ruin and incompletion of the buildings. Easier said than done, I know, but that's what I would be trying for. A long telephoto migh compress things enough to bring the sea and the ruins close enough together to make the point. Not sure.

Wendy

[David]

Thanks for the comments Radu and Wendy. The more I think about it the more I didn't think about it, if you follow my drift.

Here's a shot, taken in a different context and on another day, that I could have worked up, perhaps via a telephoto to convey context: the immediate ruin with the rusty oil drum, the new and the unfinished in the distance and the coastal setting. But, overall, I'm still not satisfied.



I'm off to my cottage in Scotland for a while; I may have a shot there at social commentary.

Thanks again.

David

[ScoutR]

Hi David

The last one looks better with regards to context, but as Dave H. mentioned everything is too far away to get your point across. The rusty barrel and rock pile work, but the unfinished abandoned buildings shown so well in the original shots is not apparent. I tried using the recompose tool in Elements to bring them closer together. It worked to a certain extent but not to the point of being able to show the buildings clear enough.

I've heard of people here taking this type of shot in small sections with a telephoto and then stitching them together. It seems that might work with something like this. If you could do something like that I think this would be a very effective social commentary shot.

Wendy