CRITIQUE Please: Urban Numbers - Series

michswiss

I wanted to share my first attempt at a long-term photography project. I'm calling it Urban Numbers. I began capturing images for the series about 18 months ago and intend to keep adding. I'm particularly excited to get feedback from B.D. Colen. I only read about his posting as AIR for this section.

These are scenes you can find all across Beijing and Shanghai, and I am sure other China cities as well. The numbers are quickly spray painted on walls with a short description of the service and a number. Essentially, this is how you would find your local plumber, handyman or other community service. While technically illegal, it is mildly tolerated with the more popular walls regularly spot painted and whitewashed.

Critique is definitely welcome on all topics.

Jwar

First, these are a bit small. Since they are not numbered, i'll use a horizontal row-column to identify my favorites.

The first one, 1-1
4-3 and 4-4.

I like these photos because they are good photos and they are tied together with the common thread of the numbers. Photos like 5-3 and 4-5 don't really do too much for me, they are just pictures of numbers but not really too interesting. I guess I would like the picture to tell a story or have some kind of interesting composition. Overall, I like the project.
It would also be nice if the pictures were bigger, even on the link you posted.

torags

Very nice project. The number of them seem to create an interest beyond the specific image into an interesting mosaic (did I just say that???)

There may be an interesting way to present the images by segregating them into sub themes (in 2s and 4s) on a page.

Hell this project might lead you into a book. Well done...

Rags

bdcolen

michswiss wrote:

I wanted to share my first attempt at a long-term photography project. I'm calling it Urban Numbers. I began capturing images for the series about 18 months ago and intend to keep adding. I'm particularly excited to get feedback from B.D. Colen. I only read about his posting as AIR for this section.

These are scenes you can find all across Beijing and Shanghai, and I am sure other China cities as well. The numbers are quickly spray painted on walls with a short description of the service and a number. Essentially, this is how you would find your local plumber, handyman or other community service. While technically illegal, it is mildly tolerated with the more popular walls regularly spot painted and whitewashed.

Critique is definitely welcome on all topics.

I'd be more than happy to comment on these, and I'm very intrigued by the thumb nails - but I really need to see larger images before I can make any sort of reasonable comment.

michswiss

I included the thumbnails with a link to the gallery for two reasons. I'd hope to have the set evaluated as a whole and I didn't want to submit 28 shots in one go.

The other reason I've just discovered attempting to add a few images to the forum is that I can't seem to quickly figure out how to link directly to selected shots when using the new Smugmug Journal format. It only picks up the first image of each page.

eta: I'm looking forward to your comments and am trying to find a quick solution to sharing a couple of representative images without changing the gallery.

michswiss

Some selections from the gallery
I temporarily changed the gallery to collect these URLs. Here are ten of the twenty eight images. Of course, interested in individual critique, but also of the concept and the full set.

Angelo

Jennifer - I'll chime in here with an opinion.

I like your series. I followed your link to see all the full size images.

I love series work especially when combined with urban settings. I think some of the images are nicely composed and the b/w conversions are generally good.

I tend to approach projects like this by keeping the focal topic somewhat elusive. By that I mean shots would be of general interest and would stand alone as Urban Street photography but the "series" element might not always jump out at you but is still there. Sort of a "Where's Waldo" approach.

If, as in many of your images, the focal point jumps out at you without much more of interest to see then it just takes on the look of an inventory sheet.

torags

I like the common thread of the numbers with additional pieces in the environment. The bicycles I really like, the paper on the wall and the barbecue (do they have barbecues in HK?) pit. The surrounding objects give context which increases interest.

the B&W treatment really lends itself well to the series.

The empty alley with the numbers on the far wall is empty of interest to me.

Nice work

Rags

bdcolen

bdcolen wrote:

I'd be more than happy to comment on these, and I'm very intrigued by the thumb nails - but I really need to see larger images before I can make any sort of reasonable comment.

Okay, I feel like an idiot for having missed the link to the larger images.

So what do I think?

I find this project very intriguing - to a point. Some of the individual images aesthetically intriguing, particularly those where the numbers dominate the image. But after a while I feel like I've gotten the point and don't need to see more. Part of my reaction may be cultural - this series would probably be much more meaningful to a resident of these cities.

That said, I see another project here that is begging to be shot. I can see a show or book of paired images of the numbers on walls and the workers represented by those numbers. For example, you might have a photo of a wall in an alley with an ad for plumbing services and a number, and hanging next to it, or on the opposite page, a photo of the plumber, either at work, or in a formal portrait.

Were you to decide to do this, I would urge you to select a formal portrait style - or a type of environmental shot, and then stick with it. Do not mix styles.

I think you've got the beginning of something really worthwhile here.

Best