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Pro tip: I used to snap pics of dead mall storefronts from across the hall, and my shots always came out flat
Then a guy named Reggie at the old Owings Mills mall in Maryland told me to shoot from inside the store looking out at the empty concourse instead, and suddenly the pics had depth and a story. Took me 3 trips to figure out that simple flip. Anyone else shoot from inside the store rather than the hallway?
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ramirez.vera26d ago
The "flat" part really hits home for me. I spent a whole winter shooting food court signs from the hallway and every single one looked like a bad real estate listing photo. What finally clicked was a tip from a guy named Sal at the old Rockaway mall, who told me the hallway shot is basically me standing in a cave yelling at another cave. Once I stepped inside and framed the empty concourse through the glass, the light coming in behind the gate did all the work. Took me way longer than three trips too, so you beat me there. Now I feel silly every time I look at the old shots.
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charles_coleman26d ago
Man, I have to push back a little here. A photo of a dead mall is a photo of a dead mall, and no trick with the light through the glass is going to turn it into something deep. I get that the cave line sounds smart, and sure, standing in the hallway probably was the problem, but Sal was describing basic framing, not some big secret about life. People get way too serious about this stuff. It is a building with no shoppers in it. Shoot it however you want and move on.
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