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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

#61

Post by 001sky »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #36
Puts wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

There was a trend in photography that began at the end of the 19th century called Pictorialism, which emphasized soft focus and significant retouching[1]. It began to fall out of fashion in the nineteen-teens when its most prominent voice, Alfred Stieglitz, embraced modernism[2]. Interestingly, even Ansel Adams started as a pictorialist before embracing "straight" photography. Adams became an incredibly outspoken cri…

This is just a glorified commercial-style shoot. Look at the credits at the end.

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

#62

Post by Gracana »

anigbrowl wrote: post #18
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 ma…

He took his picture while standing on a flat platform next to something scary. You cursing him out and imagining how "passive-aggressive" his behavior is seems utterly bizarre to me and I could not disagree more with how you're portraying the situation.

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

#64

Post by CyberDildonics »

Stratoscope wrote: post #60
nostromo wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the raw photos are more intense for me. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bqtxeldmqiacm9y/AACk0lp0tl9ncGvzl... All are awesome though, great work.

Oh my. Yes, the raw untouched photos - with all safety equipment showing - activate a completely different part of my brain. Now I know these are real people, really leaning over the edge of a skyscraper. It was a bit like seeing the Mission Impossible movie and admiring the great CGI that made it look like Tom Cruise was swinging from a rope off the side of the Burj Khalifa, and then seeing the "making of" video and…

There was actually a lot of tricky paint getting the safety wires out of the reflections at Imax resolution.

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

#65

Post by cletusw »

Stratoscope wrote: post #60
nostromo wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the raw photos are more intense for me. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bqtxeldmqiacm9y/AACk0lp0tl9ncGvzl... All are awesome though, great work.

Oh my. Yes, the raw untouched photos - with all safety equipment showing - activate a completely different part of my brain. Now I know these are real people, really leaning over the edge of a skyscraper. It was a bit like seeing the Mission Impossible movie and admiring the great CGI that made it look like Tom Cruise was swinging from a rope off the side of the Burj Khalifa, and then seeing the "making of" video and…

Here's the "making of" video. Holy crap, he's insane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16BFrEBZQS4

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

#66

Post by jwise0 »

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 !

I'm not sure why you got downvoted for this, but I wanted to say that the point you're trying to make is not in vain. Different people have different risk tolerances, and even enjoy different levels of risk: and, of course, we combat fear of risk by having knowledge of what the real consequences are and what our limits are. Some of the pieces that highlight Alex Honnold's work [1] as a free solo climber bring to fore a very similar experience: the emptiness and clarity inside you of knowing that you must focus 100% on what you're doing is said to be quite liberating.

[1] e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itIRdx1pJ2I

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

#67

Post by danellis »

Shivetya wrote: post #40
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.

there are enough videos out of Asia and Russia if you want to feel real anxiety. The daring do of so many young people never ceases to amaze me. While I appreciate the attempt to artfully present this type of thrill seeking little beats a go pro on a stick or one handed hanging from building framework. Dressing up makes it too hollywood and who needs that when real life is all more impressive

It's 'derring-do', just so you know.

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

#69

Post by azinman2 »

BorisMelnik wrote: post #26

something about this makes me incredibly nervous and provokes a lot of anxiety, I can't even look at these photos. that said, I'm sure that is the sort of emotion they are looking to elicit, well done!

They're also giving me vertigo

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

#70

Post by Stratoscope »

cletusw wrote: post #65
Stratoscope wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh my. Yes, the raw untouched photos - with all safety equipment showing - activate a completely different part of my brain. Now I know these are real people, really leaning over the edge of a skyscraper. It was a bit like seeing the Mission Impossible movie and admiring the great CGI that made it look like Tom Cruise was swinging from a rope off the side of the Burj Khalifa, and then seeing the "making of" video and…

Here's the "making of" video. Holy crap, he's insane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16BFrEBZQS4

And after a hard day of movie making, what better way to relax than to sit barefoot on the spire that tops the building!

http://www.tomcruise.com/blog/2013/06/13/tom-cruise-sitting-...

I can't say I've ever been a real Tom Cruise fan, but man, I have to admire his guts.

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