Spiral and X’s
The spiral staircase at the LyondonellBasell Tower has intrigued me for some time. It’s an external two-story white staircase that stands in contrast to the darker tones of the tower. It just seemed like it would be a great subject. I drove by it a number of times, looked at it from various angles of Google Street View but just couldn’t visualize a good composition. Not willing to give up I decided that I just needed to go there up close and in person; no drive-by, no Street View. I simply needed to go there and see if I could find a good composition.
I’m glad I made the effort to get out and walk around the area. As I approached from the south side, I found a view that was interesting but not compelling. However, when I moved to the east side and looked back to the stairs, Eureka! I found a great “tunnel” view. Two rows of planters and trees formed a pathway leading directly to the spiral staircase. “X” shaped tube lights over the pathway completed the tunnel effect.
Looking at the scene with Google Street View you can get a hint of this composition. However, it doesn’t do it justice. You really have to get into the scene to appreciate it.
The Shot
In terms of composition, a centered view with true vertical perspectives seemed appropriate. Getting this was rather straightforward. It just took a conscious effort when taking the photo and a bit of tweaking in post-processing.
The other post-processing was a bit more tedious. I wanted a high contrast black and white image. The scene had a wide dynamic range with various bits either very dark or very bright. My edits were mainly in three areas. First, using the curves tool I emphasized the brightness of the spiral staircase in contrast with the other dark areas of the scene. Second, the levels and contrast adjustments set the overall mood in terms of brightness and contrasts. Third, some burning and dodging was done in select areas to keep the overly dark/bright bits from becoming too distracting.
Here’s the end result. I hope you like it.
Leave A Comment And Share
What steps have you taken to find that perfect composition? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Please leave a comment in the comment box below.
