Camera Craniums: The Photography Community for Enthusiasts

Cranium Competitions => International Weekly Comp Entries => Topic started by: Malcolm1938 on November 25, 2009, 12:03:49 AM

Title: Re Spiritual
Post by: Malcolm1938 on November 25, 2009, 12:03:49 AM
I know I did not enter and perhaps I should not do this but when I viewed the entries I looked up the rules and found that editing is allowed. I took the liberty of copying the three church images and using everyday editing programs straighten out the vertical. All three images could be straightened in under 1 minute (each). ( Photofiltre Studio X and DXO Optics Pro Standard)
It just seemed a pity to me that these were entered unedited as it took so little work to improve them.
If any entrant wishes to see what I did I will put them up with permission....

Todays software is so cheap and so good it's a pity not to use it when it really helps.
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: alan1572 on November 25, 2009, 08:05:42 AM
aslong as you can try to explain what you have done, please feel free to do what ever you wish with mine  :tup:
untill my daughter gets her activation code for her new adobe software, we don't have anything to play with.
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: jinky on November 25, 2009, 08:09:22 AM
Of course that pre-supposes that people wanted to edit them. I deliberately used my 10-20 and kept that upward leaning look aiming at as much symmetry on sides but also the window / tower going skyward. It might not work but if I had wanted a straight church shot my viewpoint and lens choice would have been different. I often like the distorted effect of the 10-20 , especially on cars / certain subjects and often choose not to straighten - other times I do. We all have our views / perspectives  ;)


Edit - just did a quick straighten to show:
(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_DSC_0128-2-1-2%20copy.jpg) (http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/DSC_0128-2-1-2%20copy.jpg)

To get this (and should have spent more time) I lose the height and emphasis I was aiming for so it would have been a different shot, different height and maybe a different angle, What I don`t like about either shot is that it loses the majesty / size of that window and remaining bit of tower stretching for the sky. Neither work that well for me to be honest but the first is nearer to what I wanted and at the end of the day stuck it in cos it seemed aquite week/topic.
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: alan1572 on November 25, 2009, 08:28:43 AM
out of the 3 i think that only mine may be helped with the straightening of lines, the other 2 look all the better for the distortion ( in my most humble opinion ;D )
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: magicrhodes on November 25, 2009, 08:59:14 AM
Quote from: CannOffice on November 25, 2009, 12:03:49 AM

It just seemed a pity to me that these were entered unedited as it took so little work to improve them.
If any entrant wishes to see what I did I will put them up with permission....

Todays software is so cheap and so good it's a pity not to use it when it really helps.

Not sure on the editing idea... I like to see what the photographer wanted to show and judge that.

I wonder about the value of editing sometimes. I agree it helps create some awesome pieces of art but I do wonder if the images are able to retain the "photograph" title. What do you think? :legit:
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: alan1572 on November 25, 2009, 09:54:59 AM
i've always held the opinion that there should be (if desired0 be 2 comps), one for straight out of the camera and the other for the PS experts, obviously it would never happen but i'm with you, the least amount of editing the better.
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: oRGie on November 25, 2009, 02:53:01 PM
Quote from: alan1572 on November 25, 2009, 08:28:43 AM
out of the 3 i think that only mine may be helped with the straightening of lines, the other 2 look all the better for the distortion ( in my most humble opinion ;D )

I agree, yours is the only 1 of the 3 that imho would benefit from being straightened. Jinky's has the ott look of WA and works for that image, Irv's has a realistic feel to the angle, not OTT but what it would look like from that angle, like a kid looking up, everything looks bigger when your a kid ;)

Overall though, I think a photo that has been edited has as much merit as a photo straight from the camera, at the end of the day the photographer/artist presents what they feel is an image with beauty or impact etc and although others may do things differently what does that matter when it comes to accepting the image for what it is as presented, either way you either like it or dont :)
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: Malcolm1938 on November 25, 2009, 03:52:04 PM
(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_DSC_0128-2-1-2_DxO.jpg)

This was using DXO Optics Pro Sandard and all I did was ask for the first pillars to be parallel
Doing this has kept the impression of height

(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_DSC_3604C.jpg)

This image was deemed to be too small for DXO  so I used Photofiltre Studio X to straighten the verticals

(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_lit%20up%20churchA.jpg)

Also vertical Correction using Photofiltre

I think this shows what I was getting at but please tell me if you think I'm wrong.





Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: jinky on November 25, 2009, 04:22:56 PM
Cannoffice I think you are wrong :)
Yeah your version is no different to my 1 minute edit in CS2 but same effect - loss of the  top of the tower and just a straight church picture that was not what I was looking for. I was aiming to use the wide angle and distortion to have the lines reaching to the sky / tower top hence leaving it unedited. If I had wanted it straight I would have backed up some yards, changed the lens and done something else.
What I think you did wrong was to imply in your post that all of us were simply too cheap to invest in a bit of software to get the result that YOU wanted. I have the software needed but did not want that effect either with my software or with yours in your version. It`s purely personal opinion but as the one who took the photo it is clearly my right to an opinion. Having ticked the box to accept critique i would have preferred a comment against the image saying " have you thought of straightening it" and why it might be better that way but not an insinuation that I was too cheap or lazy to do what you thought was needed - though I am sure you did not mean it to come across that way :)
One of the things I love about the 10-20 lens is the distortion /lines you can get from the image - but I do correct when I need to.
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: Malcolm1938 on November 25, 2009, 04:35:23 PM
Sorry - I stand corrected.
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: alan1572 on November 25, 2009, 06:21:42 PM
i think mine looks much better, cheers, but the other 2....i prefere the originals...you win some you lose some. :tup:
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: Malcolm1938 on November 25, 2009, 10:41:18 PM
Thanks - I was not out to win or lose - I got what I wanted - explanations.

I was not trying to plug the software - I was asked to state what I had done and naming the software became necessary.

Thanks for the responses and for giving me a bit more info on your approaches to photography.

Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: alan1572 on November 25, 2009, 10:59:50 PM
i never meant it like that, all i meant was that some reactions were more positive than other's :)
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: jinky on November 26, 2009, 07:45:11 AM
Sorry if my reaction came across negative. It`s soemtimes the way you read these brief messages we post and can read unintended messages into them. I had not realised you were just looking at why we took them as we did cannoffice and no offence taken now I understand what you were seeking. It is actually good when you get into reasoning about what you were aiming to achieve, even if you fail to achieve it in the shot  :D
Spiritual was a difficult theme - often hard to get across a feeling in a picture I find unless something romantic / sad or more " in your face".
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: alan1572 on November 26, 2009, 10:18:34 AM
Quote from: jinky on November 26, 2009, 07:45:11 AM
Spiritual was a difficult theme - often hard to get across a feeling in a picture I find unless something romantic / sad or more " in your face".

indeed,
i would never have thought about a nuthatch as being spiritual, like i've already said, it's a fantastic shot but i wouldn't have thought to enter it into this theme, well done oldboy :tup:
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: Oldboy on November 26, 2009, 06:37:48 PM
Quote from: alan1572 on November 26, 2009, 10:18:34 AM
Quote from: jinky on November 26, 2009, 07:45:11 AM
Spiritual was a difficult theme - often hard to get across a feeling in a picture I find unless something romantic / sad or more " in your face".

indeed,
i would never have thought about a nuthatch as being spiritual, like i've already said, it's a fantastic shot but i wouldn't have thought to enter it into this theme, well done oldboy :tup:
Lots of different birds were used to illustrate spiritualism in the church mainly because they could fly, they were used as a link between heaven and earth. The Robin got it's red breast from pricking it's self, on the crown of thorns on Christ's head, according to legend. Lots of religous paintings show birds like the dove of peace. Poetry features birds of all types like Shelley's Ode to a Skylark, "Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!"  ;D
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: alan1572 on November 26, 2009, 08:56:06 PM
i was going to point all that out but thought it obvious ;D
either way, keep 'em coming
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: irv_b on November 27, 2009, 07:14:59 PM
Seems I've missed out on this discussion by not being around this week (typical - I'm always late  :-[ ) Anyway my thoughts I can see the difference that cannoffice has made to the but I was hoping to convey how high the church is on the hill and the leaning back I hoped emphasised this (I too had straightened in cs3  but reverted to how it was)  I couldn't get down lower  due to the 4 foot wall that runs around it but as any criticism is valid and useful so please don't be put out by anyones replies
Irv
Title: Re: Re Spiritual
Post by: magicrhodes on December 04, 2009, 10:39:46 AM
I had a great idea for this one but time, winter evenings and weather conspired against me... I'll just have to enter this week, win and request spiritual again...  ::)