Urban Paths…
Weekly Photo Challenge: Path
September 4, 2011 By 75 Comments
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Very nice black-and-white photos, they create great atmosphere!
Thank You – I wanted to capture the downbeat nature of these places.
Love these (I have an affinity for B&W- so I am always drawn to pics like this)!!! My favorite is the one with the train, although they are all fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much – that alley by the railway is used as a lavatory by dogs and humans. It’s not a very nice place to go
But worth the smell to get the photo 
Stunning photos as usual Martin. BTW, I’ve added you to my blogroll, so my readers and I can keep up with you!
Thanks Donna – I try to produce something of interest. Put me on your blogroll? – that’s brave – I hope you’re into football
Added you too 
I Like the photo in the center the cloud are tremendous
Thanks Jake. That view over north London often has good cloud formations in the late afternoon. I’ve used a form of HDR to bring them out – (created 5 versions of the RAW file and merged them in Photomatix).
Wow, pretty dramatic!
Thanks Dom
You have made the “unloved and unkempt” “urban paths” look beautiful . . . one of the reasons I love b&w photography, which you do quite well.
Thanks Cecelia – There’s a color version of the middle one on Flickr and one of my US contacts commented ‘It’s time to mow the sidewalk’
Nice one!
If you want to compare how does paths looks like in Norway, check this out: http://zbigniewwantuch.com/2011/09/04/weekly-photo-challenge-path/
LoL – I’d call that a road!… Thanks for popping in and the kind comment
They are gorgeous. And I will want to visit!
Sharing mine:
http://grightnow.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/weekly-photo-challenge-path/
Cheers
Thanks for dropping in and your kind comment
Your love for trains uplifts the first photo –
(we don’t smell the smells, after all)
Thank You – It was intended to show the train in its environment but I felt it was a handy shot for this Challenge too
You capture the gritty and unkept so well in these B&W photos that you bring beauty to these paths and places. A wonderful alchemy you’ve done with your eye and camera. Thanks for sharing these, Martin.
Thank you – I love to capture some of the parts of London that the tourists don’t see and the locals try to avoid. And if I can impart something of the feel of those places I am happy
the last photo is my favorite.
)
Glad you liked it – thanks for popping in
I love the second photo, it’s the clouds are dramatic…
Thank you – put it down to the English weather
Beautiful photos! The details are amazing.
Thank you so much Theresa
Very striking image, don’t understand your technical description above but the result is great!
Hi Gilly – Thank You. I will be more than happy to explain in depth should you wish. It is a technique which can help in difficult light situations such as interior shots of buildings. It can also be used for special effects. I’d need to know what type of camera you are using to advise what could be possible.
I really, really like these…
what a sky in that second shot! And amazing textures in all of them… the weeds and tipped over parking cone really add to the mood of these (as does the high contrast b/w in your processing)! Very, very nicely done sir!
Thank you Bob – You’re right, I do like to whack up the contrast for this type of shot. I have to thank the council for the stray cone and the weeds – if they did the job we pay our taxes for they wouldn’t have been there
Wonderful shots!
Thank you Nancy
like the converging lines, almost a theme within a theme, cool
Great photos. The 2nd one with the dark clouds have such a forboding atmosphere & the B&W definitely adds to the feel.
Thanks Tony – may the Fork be with you
Doh!!! I spelt foreboding wrong. It really annoys me that I can’t go back & change it. I wish WP.com had comment editing. That’s one plugin I really love on my site. Every blog in existence should have it.
That’s interesting – I can edit your comment but you can’t! I wouldn’t worry about tripewriter errors mate – I just put it down to dodgy keyboards
Loved the photos, especially the second path. I’m so sure we were on that road that I’d (almost) bet on it, during our visit to London in July 2011. I recognize Wembly (which I almost thought was the London Eye (don’t laugh, I’m a foreigner!). Now I wish I had taken that picture! Looking forward to your next posts.
Thanks for popping in to comment
I suspect the road you were on was the A406 North Circular Road which goes through Neasden to the east of the Stadium and gives quite a good view of it. This shot is the ramp down to the bus stop at East End Road in Finchley – that’s the A406 on the left. Most days you won’t get a clear view of Wembley because of the smog – it has to be low pressure weather conditions for the clear view I got on this occasion.
Where did you stay in London? I hope you enjoyed your visit
These are really great photos! I love the black and white – I especially love how the clouds are so highlighted in the second photo. Great stuff!
Thanks for your kind comments Andini
Haunting pictures. The black and white effect heightens the feeling of stillness. It’s like watching a movie scene of the future. It makes you think of what it feels like to be alone in a city. Great photo as always.
Thank you. I hadn’t thought of the loneliness aspect – they are devoid of life aren’t they!
I love the first shot! so much memory
Thank you – Now that’s definitely a path I’d recommend you avoid!
Enjoyed looking at your dramatic black and white photos today. They could be wonderful writing prompts.
Thank you Ruth – If you feel some writing coming on, Just do It
Stayed at a Holiday Inn Express (Henlys Corner). They’re not glam but they have the amenities I want and transportation options were great. Especially since I have a bad sense of direction. We walked and ended up in an area that looked just like your picture when I really wanted to cross Henlys Corner, past the shops, toward Golders Green tube station. I love visiting London and I try to see as much and take as many pictures as possible.
The Holiday Inn is hidden behind the trees in the photo. You can see the A406 on the left just starting to bend round towards Henlys Corner – it’s beyond that footbridge in the distance. You were very close to me then – I live on Long Lane which is the next road to cross the A406 to the east of where this shot was taken. Crossing the North Circular on foot at Henlys Corner is difficult at the moment because of major roadworks. A 460 or an 82 Bus from outside the Holiday Inn would take you to Golders Green through Temple Fortune. Hope you got lots of photos during your stay
Wow, love them all. The B&W really adds to the drama and details which make London the special place it is. Thank you!
Thanks Patti
very nice captures in black & white. thanks for sharing.
thank you also for heading over to my path & the great comments. much appreciated.
Thanks Chris – greatly appreciate you dropping by
“Crossing the North Circular on foot at Henlys Corner is difficult at the moment because of major roadworks. A 460 or an 82 Bus from outside the Holiday Inn would take you to Golders Green through Temple Fortune”
True! It was the detour from the hotel that sent me in the wrong direction at first. So we ended up taking the bus all of the time. No problem because I really appreciate London’s transportation system. It’s systematic, organized and allows me to get wherever I want to go with relative ease–everything’s marked.
Took hundreds of pictures. Always looking forward to my next London trip.
Funny isn’t it – us Londoners are often complaining about our transport but a visitor truly appreciates it
Glad you had a good time. Hope you come again 
Nice path photos. Looks like they need weed killer on the second one.
Thanks Connie – There’s a color version of that one on Flickr and one of my US contacts commented ‘It’s time to mow the sidewalk’
Great work. Love ‘em.
Thank you.
stunning photos with great atmosphere
Thank you very much Jo
It’s amazing how we humans can create “paths” that look sad, lonely, neglected… can nature do that, too? Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting, I appreciate very much!
Regards from Germany, Uta
Thank you Uta – I suspect that only Humans can create such ugly desolation – nature creates desolation too but there’s always a sense of grandure and beauty lying within it
That’s so true. Gardens have obvious beauty, but some “barren” places possess the kind of beauty that is more subtle.
I just love ur B&W photos..they are simply outstanding…and these are no exception to that fact..
brilliant clicks!
Thank you so much Sheetal
These are wonderful pictures. They have a lot of “texture” (the brick wall; the clouds; the tufts of weeds); I don’t think would have been as effectively captured if the shots were in color. I don’t take many b&w pictures but, these shots make me want to experiment with the form.
Glad you liked them. They were taken in color but later converted into Black and White. The texture comes from using a form of HDR first before the conversion – look up the Photomatix program on the web to find out a bit about what HDR can do. I choose B&W for specific subjects where I think that will be artistically better. Good luck with your experiments – I look forward to seeing some
Great black and whites! Love the detail!
Thank you very much
Hi there, thanks for dropping by my site today. I appreciate it. Have a great day!
NP – thanks for popping in too
I like the top one, it feels like the start of a story, and the angle is great.
Thank you very much – If you have a story to mind please feel free to borrow and compose