Photography of the Manchester Street Power Station in Providence, Rhode Island
Manchester Street Power Plant
The other night I traveled into downtown Providence, Rhode Island to participate in a Google+ photowalk with several other photographers from around the state. Coming from all over the state, and with a variety of different photography backgrounds, it was really a neat experience to see what the different photographers gravitated to, and how they approached their subjects.
Some folks immediately started photographing a group of teenagers performing skateboard tricks in the park, while others setup tripods and went to work capturing the unique architecture that makes up the city of Providence. Photography as an art form allows us to capture and share what we see with others, and as artists we all have unique visions. It is always exciting on a photo walk to show each other the photographs that we are creating!
After some photography in the late afternoon light, we headed to a local restaurant for some dinner and a few drinks. Burgers, beers and a LOT of laughter ensued as the 9 of us, our cameras and tripods in tow were shown to a private dining area where we could socialize and eat a great meal!
With dinner behind us, and the sun settled below the horizon we took to the streets of the city. I love the lights and colors of a city like Providence at night, and I am always searching for that flash of colors that light up the nighttime scenery. As we roamed the streets, each searching out our own photographs, we reached S. Water Street and my eyes fell on the Donut sculpture with the Manchester Street Power Station in the background.
The Manchester Power Station is one of my favorite buildings in the city, and I have photographed it numerous times, from several locations and under various conditions. However, the view that I saw before me was unique, unlike any photograph I have tried to create of the Power Station in the past!
Framed through the center of the Donut, the power station was small and distant in the frame, yet still instantly recognizable to anyone having spent any time in and around Providence. I had my work cut out for me, as it was a challenge to locate a vantage point that allowed me to see the power station, yet hide the street lights and the flare that they were causing on my lens.
In addition to the composition challenges, finding an exposure that was able to capture enough detail in the dark of the power station, yet still capture the donut, with all the bright reflections of its polished, metallic surfaces. In the end, I set my camera into manual mode and used the Histogram on the back of the camera to guide me. Some slight dodging and burning during post processing helped to bring down some of the really bright spots.