This is a concept shot that I've had in mind for months, but the conditions had to be just right to pull it off. I needed a Sunday for the shot, since that's the only day where there are not cars and prison buses parked in front. I also needed a bright sun to get the shadows and contrast, and it had to be a morning shot since I didn't want the front of the building or columns illuminated. All of the gears fell into place today. The shot turned out the way I envisioned it, so I'd say it was worth the wait.
The building is the Frank Licht Judicial Complex, formerly known as the Providence County Courthouse. It spans the block between Benefit Street and South Main Street, although this shot is from the Main Street side. (The Benefit Street side is unimpressive.) Since its building in 1930, this Georgian Style complex has housed the Rhode Island Supreme Court and the Rhode Island Superior Court. It's interesting that the complex is now named for former Governor Frank Licht. He was not one of our more popular governors. In 1968, he ran a successful campaign to unseat the very popular John Chafee (father of the state's current governor.) Chafee publicly stated during the campaign that the state's fiscal situation was so bad that a state income tax was needed to balance the budget. Licht ran on the "no income tax" platform and was elected entirely on that plank. He stuck to the "no income tax" pledge in his 1970 reelection campaign, again against an opponent that promised an income tax. Upon taking office, however, he immediately reversed course and implemented the first income tax in Rhode Island history. His reelection bid in 1972 failed as a result.
Post processing started with a contrast pop filter in Topaz Adjust. In PSE, I applied a gradient map in color blend mode for the black and white conversion. I adjusted the levels, and then adjusted the brightness and contrast a bit. A sepia photo filter was applied as the top layer.
