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Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

vonwong.com

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Re: Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

#11

Post by kordless »

stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

The final pictures are so heavily over-produced that they look incredibly fake-- which is a shame and leaves me totally baffled. It looks like someone literally painted the figure on the picture. The only time anxiety kicked in was the picture of the whole team posing for a shot at the corner.

> The only time anxiety kicked in was the picture of the whole team posing for a shot at the corner.

Especially the one guy giving a thumbs up toward the middle left. There's no way he's tied in and he's standing on the ledge. One misstep by anyone there and he goes over. At least that's the way it looks.

Edit: Here's the sidewalk immediately below the location shoot: https://www.google.com/maps/@37.789224,-122.40034,3a,75y,8.7...

Re: Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

#13

Post by vonwong »

stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

The final pictures are so heavily over-produced that they look incredibly fake-- which is a shame and leaves me totally baffled. It looks like someone literally painted the figure on the picture. The only time anxiety kicked in was the picture of the whole team posing for a shot at the corner.

Sorry you feel that way :( We had home-made budget costumes that were hand painted so this was the best solution.

On the flip side though, I think you'll enjoy these behind the scenes without photoshop :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y5ixzup47wcm1tw/BTS_katherine-2.jp...

(theres more on the dropbox link:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bqtxeldmqiacm9y/AACk0lp0tl9ncGvzl...)

Re: Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

#14

Post by snowwrestler »

stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

The final pictures are so heavily over-produced that they look incredibly fake-- which is a shame and leaves me totally baffled. It looks like someone literally painted the figure on the picture. The only time anxiety kicked in was the picture of the whole team posing for a shot at the corner.

From the GIF, it looks like the people were tied in, and the tie-in gear was then photoshopped out. Which means that in terms of the truth of the situation, it's not much more impactful than simply photoshopping the people onto the ledge in the first place.

If people want to see the real thing, take a look at:

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/high-times-meet-the...

Or just Google something like "urban exploration skyscraper".

Re: Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

#16

Post by guelo »

stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

The final pictures are so heavily over-produced that they look incredibly fake-- which is a shame and leaves me totally baffled. It looks like someone literally painted the figure on the picture. The only time anxiety kicked in was the picture of the whole team posing for a shot at the corner.

They might as well have used photoshop for the whole backdrop.

Re: Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

#17

Post by ChuckMcM »

vonwong wrote: post #7
mootothemax wrote: post #3

What it is about our minds that make it so easy to imagine being up there, on the ledge, looking down, maybe with one foot over... and my palms are sweating heavily already. It's a bit like having a child; I now spend nights worrying about the most ridiculous events that could happen to my daughter. Why do our brains like to torture us like this?

Ah but standing there on that ledge and looking down knowing that the slightest mis-step could mean the end, where none of your worries past or future matter except the present... That feeling is so magical <3 !

Stress highs are not the same for everyone. Glad you didn't find one of those people during your project.

Re: Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

#18

Post by anigbrowl »

mootothemax wrote: post #3

What it is about our minds that make it so easy to imagine being up there, on the ledge, looking down, maybe with one foot over... and my palms are sweating heavily already. It's a bit like having a child; I now spend nights worrying about the most ridiculous events that could happen to my daughter. Why do our brains like to torture us like this?

Because 99.9% of the time those inbuilt reflexes are what keep you and others alive; people who don't have them get Darwin awards.

I was glad to see they used safety equipment, especially since they were working with non-professionals, but I was annoyed that they didn't mention it in the article and played it down in preference of the breathless self-affirming schtick. Safety protocols matter, because they're what makes the difference between everyone going home after having done something difficult and had a life affirming experience, and going home with PTSD or not going home at all.

The photographer standing on the corner of the building with no safety so he can take a selfie? Fuck him. Doing that on your own or with similarly risk-tolerant friends? OK, enjoy your dangerous hobby, I can appreciate your enjoyment of it as a spectator and relate indirectly to high-risk situations I am comfortable with. Involving an audience of people (on the rooftop) while demonstrating such a disregard for safety? Horrible passive-aggressive behavior that burdens everyone else with significant mental and legal risk, not to mention his employer.

If this took place in a professional context (eg of a commercial film/photo shoot) that would be an instant firing offense of the never-hire-this-person-again variety. If you're going to do dangerous stuff in a group of mixed ability, you have an ethical and professional obligation to adhere to and demonstrate the highest safety standards. If you want an entourage to witness how badass you are (as opposed to leveraging that through your creative work) then you're a walking liability.

Edit: I see Von Wong arrived here at the discussion. I'm going to leave the above up unedited, not to be personally insulting but because it expresses my sincere annoyance about this issue.

Re: Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

#19

Post by Puts »

stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

The final pictures are so heavily over-produced that they look incredibly fake-- which is a shame and leaves me totally baffled. It looks like someone literally painted the figure on the picture. The only time anxiety kicked in was the picture of the whole team posing for a shot at the corner.

This was exactly my thought too. Why bother with all this hustle when the final images are so blurred that they might as well have been painted from the start. :-O

Re: Photographing people on the edge of a skyscraper in San Francisco

#20

Post by kordless »

vonwong wrote: post #7
mootothemax wrote: post #3

What it is about our minds that make it so easy to imagine being up there, on the ledge, looking down, maybe with one foot over... and my palms are sweating heavily already. It's a bit like having a child; I now spend nights worrying about the most ridiculous events that could happen to my daughter. Why do our brains like to torture us like this?

Ah but standing there on that ledge and looking down knowing that the slightest mis-step could mean the end, where none of your worries past or future matter except the present... That feeling is so magical <3 !

Those are similar to feelings associated with awakening as well. I'm not saying they are the same thing, but I'd put my money on them being related.
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