Camera Craniums: The Photography Community for Enthusiasts

General Category => Photography Techniques and how to's => Topic started by: magicrhodes on September 08, 2009, 11:02:46 AM

Title: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: magicrhodes on September 08, 2009, 11:02:46 AM
(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/KI%202.jpg)

Hope this works and please let me know what you think.
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: magicrhodes on September 08, 2009, 11:03:32 AM
Think I've done something wrong there.... why is it massive???
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: greypoint on September 08, 2009, 11:09:54 AM
I think it depends which 'properties' you copy ;)
(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_KI%202.jpg)
here's the small version. BTW if you restrict the upload size to 1024 or 800 along the top it should look OK in the forum in large size.
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: greypoint on September 08, 2009, 08:57:19 PM
Mmm - I'm still thinking about this one ;) I somehow feel what's in the background is more interesting than the foreground and I'd lose a bit of the front and the right hand side. Hopefully someone else will comment on the the treatment as it's something I'm totally inexpert on!
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: hevans on September 08, 2009, 09:22:55 PM
It's a bit flat, a bit of a curve adjustment to bring out the details/textures in the brickwork, building and snow would make give the photo richer grey tones.

Is the sky a replacement? As there seems to be a bit of a halo around the building on the right.

Other details: I'd clone or crop out the drain pipe on the top right and the tips of the benches on the mid-right. I might even be tempted to crop some of the foreground off.

To me, the main subject is the building and the two trees in the middle distance, so you could also crop some of the trees off the left side as well.

The shot has potential for several purposes:

Think about what you're trying to achieve with the shot and then go from there.

If you want, I can show you an example of what I'd do with the shot.
H.
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: Darren1978 on September 08, 2009, 09:32:31 PM
Its a 'maybe' for me.....

The shot would be improved by cropping a bit off the right hand side to remove the drain pipe and the edges of the benches.  I also find the initial part of the foreground a bit distracting so I'd crop that off too.  I agree with Hevans that a slight curves adjustment to boost the contrast and lift the tones would be beneficial to this shot  :tup:
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: magicrhodes on September 08, 2009, 10:05:23 PM
Quote from: hevans on September 08, 2009, 09:22:55 PM
Think about what you're trying to achieve with the shot and then go from there.

If you want, I can show you an example of what I'd do with the shot.
H.

That's good advice and yes please! I am always keen to learn!
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: hevans on September 08, 2009, 10:09:30 PM
Quote from: magicrhodes on September 08, 2009, 10:05:23 PM
Quote from: hevans on September 08, 2009, 09:22:55 PM
Think about what you're trying to achieve with the shot and then go from there.

If you want, I can show you an example of what I'd do with the shot.
H.

That's good advice and yes please! I am always keen to learn!

(http://www.xs4all.nl/~hevans/Misc/CamCrain/magicrhodes-1.jpg)

Let me know when you want it taken down/deleted.

Ta.
Hugh
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: Eileen on September 09, 2009, 06:03:20 AM
It's looking much better now. The composition is stronger with the wall line leading you eye to the centre of the image and the verticals creating a nice sense of balance. the improved contrast helps a lot too. I would be inclined to straighten out that leaning wall on the right as I find it distracting. I'd either use a distort filter or slight crop to straighten it.
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: jinky on September 09, 2009, 08:05:01 AM
Yes Hevans has done a great job in getting some contrast and balance to the image for me now but I am afraid for me it is still a miss. I`m really not sure what the focus of the picture is and struggle to find the interest point. People on the table of a key central point would be better but other than doing as hevans says and giving it a blue tone to show the coldness more I do not know how you would nake it have more impact.
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: Oly Paul on September 11, 2009, 10:39:57 AM
Heavans made a good job of improving it, but to me its still what seems a record shot of a building ( if thats what was intended then fine you succeeded) with no personel
input from the photographer.

But if you if what you saw in your minds eye when taking it was a forboding urban winter scene then you need to express that more in your post processing. :)

On a personal opinion if it were mine I would crop heavily as so to get rid of the white featureless foreground and concentrate the veiwers attention on the urban building and winter sky and inject a little more mood by tonaly altering the image.

Just a quick example and definatly not perfect.  :)

(http://www.pbase.com/paulsilkphotography/image/117134781.jpg)
Title: Re: Hit Miss or Maybe - Kelham Island
Post by: magicrhodes on September 11, 2009, 10:48:54 AM
I'm going to go with Oly Paul on the Redux! The image was an attempt to make the most of the snow on the old buildings of Sheffield. I find that snow has the ability to remove the nature of modern life, by erasing double yellow lines etc. I have since tried a better crop of photos but I often find I snap without realising what I am trying to achieve.... typical beginner I guess!

On my first attempt I used brush that was too think to show the backround layers which resulted in a stripey sky. How do you avoid the halo effect whilst bring back the sky?