Dissecting a Photo: 1964 Sears Department Store

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THE BOOK

CHAPTERS
- Intro (0:00)
- Film, camera, & composition details (1:16)
- Anatomy of a Sunset (7:10)
- The science of Blue Hour (18:36)
- A closer look at the light (20:57)

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VIDEO DESCRIPTION
I’m trying out a new series here. Basically I’m going to do the opposite of what most photographers do…I’m going to reveal every last little “secret” and “hint” and “tip” and/or “trick” about my photos for your viewing and learning pleasure. Yessir, lots of TIPS and TRICKS. Because that’s what real photography is, a checklist of tips you collect over the years and then vomit all over your subject in the field. Just distill photography down into an easy soundbite we can remember. Give it a clever name and throw “rule” in front of it if you want it to really stick.

Rule of thirds? Guaranteed banger. Rembrandt Lighting? Sounds like something a real photographer would use. THIS IS WHAT THE PROS DO

Sorry, I got a little sidetracked there. I’ve always been annoyed by the concept of tips and tricks. But hey that’s not what I’m doing here anyway. Here I’m going to dissect one (or a few) of my photos and provide details on all sorts of things from camera technique to exposure settings to compositional notes and lighting. Time to pull back the curtain, folks.

The photos featured in this episode were made on Kodak Portra 160 and Portra 400 film in 6x17 format with a Shen-Hao TFC 617-A using a Rodenstock 115mm lens. The subject is a vacant Sears department store located in Riverside, California…and I got a hell of a beautiful sunset on the day I photographed it.

I hope you enjoy the video! If so, I plan to do more.

*This video contains no paid endorsements of any kind.

[brucebuckman]

Man in 26 minutes you've just turbo charged my understanding of sunsets.

[monkeysausageclub]

Absolute brilliant explanation of how the light works when it passes through our atmosphere.

[kurtmaloney]

If there were Academy Awards for YouTube videos, this would be the video of the year! I watch a lot of photographers, but I've never learned so much about light in 26 minutes. Nick, you are brilliant!

[sojournous]

I’m a painter not a photographer. But your explanations regarding light, sunset etc. will definitely impact my painting style. Thank you!

[nelsonm.]

This video should be mandatory in every serious photo school, I tough it was going to be dry but the explanation of light at sunset was so well explained, I learned more on sunset in this video than 5 years of actual sunset photography

[guywright]

How refreshing to have a photographer who understands the physics behind the light, and can explain it easily. I don't think any other photographer on this platform has ever said more than "it's golden hour", when talking about sunsets. I will look forward to more of this informative content.

[JimNorman-opcv]

Yes, please continue this dissection series.

[BiggeDink]

A masterful requiem for the Sears chain of stores. R.I.P. Sears.

[adamvanderpool]

This was unbelievably good. Please do more.

[paulscottfilms]

The man travels from an extraordinary photographer's guide to a brilliant guide. I never thought I would compare anyone to Ansell Adams, but here we are.

[ATF_CA]

You failed to mention that the center of the Twilight Arch is known as the Twilight Zone -- the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge

[fajararmas]

man i cannot believe i sit tight for 26 minutes of this. i understand sunset and physic behind it way better than im at collage lol. i like this!

[Tbonyandsteak]

Know a guy from Greenland who photographed an blue hour photo of the ice. A very special moment that only last at best 1 minute. Where all ice turns blue. A color you never thought possible.

It also interresting just when it becomes dark and make an long exposure photo. You can make it look like day, but the colors are different, no reflection in windows.

[giovannirodriguez]

I can't tell you how surreal it is you are there. I grew up in that neighborhood. In 1999 I rented movies from a video store across the street. I remember when that sears was open. Beautiful image & a stroll down memory lane.

[llvllamb]

This shouldn’t be for free. Thanks Nick please keep doing this kind of work.

[chris_keeps_taking_photos]

At the end I realized the trees are growing on and through the building. Wonderful video, Nick!

[Emerald_City_]

Wrote a whole essay in a comment and an ethernet failure destroyed it all when posting without a copy.
Now a shorter version.

*I am very much impressed by this video.* One doesn't really know what's inside on basis of the thumbnail and title alone. It is only after 7 minutes that the real show starts to unravel _("Anatomy of a Sunset" and onwards)._ I frown at the possibility of have overseen this, which might easily have happened. Am subscribed on mere handful of channels in all these years, and this will be my first sub based on the first video viewed.

After my purchase of the Pana-Leica 100-400mm lens in 2021 I started photographing more *sunsets* and *sunrises.* The spectacle proved beyond my all expectations - the astronomy dynamics, the swift and unexpected changes of light, color, mood, movement of the sun, atmospherics, vistas, meteorology, birds, airplanes, all that is fascinating. All that you teach in this class therefore comes so familiar and is most welcome. It is essentially a low-light phenomenon, so the MFT sensor of my camera is not quite suited tot the task. But still, even looking at it through the viewfinder is sometimes rewarding enough.

In my youth I photographed twilight, dusk and similar landscapes using the film rolls. To my surprise, the digital sensor now doesn't seem to be more sensitive/responsive to that kind of light. The film captured it better. It is a sort of paradox, as during the daylight it is actually the other way around. You've most likely noticed this and know why it happens, so there you have it, an idea for a future video of yours? Can't wait to see more of this stuff. Keep up your fantastic didactic work.

[flyingo]

Very nice. Thoroughly describes the “why” of the rapid color changes at sunset.

[kevinscotton]

This man is THE photographer’s photographer. I have never found anyone who offers as much useful information as you.

[davidturner]

I enjoyed the technical parts about light and sunsets. If you're on the fence about that stuff in the future, keep it in.