Mary's Market, Sierra Madre

And just to show I don't hate color photography:



Shot these this morning for a work project -- a photo essay for the Metro blog on life in the Foothill cities of the San Gabriel Valley. Mary's Market has been there since 1922 so I went for the retro look when processing with Google NIK's Analog Efex 2. I'll probably change my mind three minutes from now and go for a different look. Or no look.

In any case, I like the third pic the best -- it has the strongest subject. The second image is sort of interesting, showing the diner in all its slapdash/casual glory. 

Perhaps this one below is better, albeit very cluttered. What makes the image interesting is that the real subject -- the busboy looking directly at me -- is the real subject. But he's small in the frame and there's perhaps a little too much other stuff to distract the eye. 

The other thing I like about this image and the others: it's hard to tell what year they were taken. The most obvious clue is the attire -- it sort of looks contemporary. And, of course, the fact that the photos look like digital trying to imitate film, at least to the trained eye. 


Anyway, what a great place -- and one of those diner-type places you have to go looking for to find. 

Looking forward to finishing up the essay. Shooting all kinds of things and processing with a lot of different looks. And gaining a new appreciation for the Foothill Cities.

--S.H.