Gowanus

I've been obsessed with the Gowanus Canal since high school, when I used to skate over the Carroll Street Bridge on the way to Stuyvesant. Back then, the Canal was a lovely shade of green, and smelled much worse than it does today. But it was still very quiet down there, as it is today. [Related: Gowanus in Winter, Gowanus pictures from A Night in the Life]

Comments

[Joe Holmes]

Jake --

I love these gowanus shots -- looks like early morning from the color of the low sun. The lighting really adds to the mood.

-=-Joe

[Eliot]

Number two is beautiful.

http://www.slower.net/entries/000355.php

[Mike]

I love that spot too:

http://www.satanslaundromat.com/sl/archives/000273.html

[Keith]

Yeah the second shot is awesome, and I really like the last shot, but can't really figure out why, are the dark spots rain on the lens?

[jake]

i was touching up the curves adjustment mask with a normal blurred circular brush, and accidently chose the wrong brush shape. i liked the effect, so i decided to keep it- but normally i'm against this kind of thing- it's suspiciously close to using a filter. soon you guys will be seeing all of my stuff treated in like the "posterize" filter or some bullshite like that.

[alizinha]

ooh, i think i like these even more than the smith-9th pics. why is gowanus so alluring, despite its ugliness and smelliness (did it really used to smell WORSE?!)? i feel the same way when i pass by it when i go running. thanks for the photos.

[Robert Wright]

i think you have a large-format sensibility that is getting downsized to a small format execution. Or in other words, your vision depends on details, textures, volume. This is hard to do in 35, and even hard to show on the web.

"I've not yet mastered shooting in twilight- too bright for long exposure tricks, too dark for fast shutter speeds."

I think what is there is good enough most of the time if it serves your intention. There are no techniques really except the ability to execute your intention. Trust what you see, and maybe make some big prints to see what you are really getting.

Great work. Also great commitment to working daily, I check out the site often and you always have good stuff.

Robert

[rosa]

jake--love the gowanus series. absolutely lovely. gowanus is one of my favorite photo-taking spots--the light is just gorgeous at 'magic hour' and i can spend all day mucking around with my camera. what are you shooting on? how do you get those flares of light like you did in the night-shot series from brooklyn heights?

[Jonathan]

So, I have to ask...
Do you roam around at night all by your lonesome? Do you ride a bike or drive a car to the sites you photograph? Just looking at the pictures, it looks like your evenings are tranquil times of reflection and quiet. Even the truck yard looks like an inviting place to just be.

Very awesome photos!