When shooting buildings on a dull day...

[rammy]

.. you don't get much atmosphere. So convert them to B&W or do some PP'ing.

I was scouting some views for a publicity poster I am working on so went out to take some test shots on what scene may work. I'll go back when the sun is setting with a better sky but doing test shots helps in focusing ideas.

Surprisingly, this isn't a B&W image, this is as I took it (after the pano blending). My 30D's picture style is set to a custom setting as I prefer to take the view as it is (everything is set to zero).

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Then with some PP'ing I could get some colour detail.

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Just in case you are out on a dull day, you can get some colour in your pics.

[DMPhoto]

I like the 2nd, and I especially like how the 2 similar buildings frame the taller ones.
Does the fountain spray any higher? I can see some great potential there.

Thanks for posting.

Dan

[rammy]

Thanks for comments Dan.

It is quite unusual and makes you think if they planned the position of the buildings to make this view. Not only are the two small buildings on either side of the middle Canary Wharf building symmetrical, but so are the two with the rounded corners and the two on the extreme edges! :-)

The fountain doesn't spray any higher unfortunately. I did take some shots low down but couldn't get a pano because of parallax issues and no tripod is allowed in this area.

[wmmk]

Very nice! What sort of PP did you do to make the color pop so nicely?

[JAcosta]

I have to ask, why dont you just shoot RAW if you want the "view as-is"?

[BenyBoy]

It is strage how the two rounded buildings seems to have different colors.

Nice picture.

[rammy]

Thanks all for comments, much appreciated.

I have to ask, why dont you just shoot RAW if you want the "view as-is"?

Sorry, my statement of picture styles was misleading. I've always shot RAW since my first DSLR (300D) to the the 30D. I don't think I have ever shot JPG. I don't want the JPG produced with the RAW file to have a picture style applied to it. The first pano is SOOC shot (converted from RAW to JPG for the pano) with no adjustments at all. What I was showing is what a shot looks like on a dull day with no PP :-)

It is strage how the two rounded buildings seems to have different colors.

Nice picture.

Thanks! Doesn't help with the balance though, eh? I'd agree. The two buildings are made from two different types of bricks/blocks. The one on the right is made from concrete blocks which are grey in colour because of the lime content I guess and the one on the left uses a fired brick, probably made of some kind of clay to give it the red colour. Some architect may be able to explain the colour in the manufacture :-) Something to do with temperature and how long they are fired.

Very nice! What sort of PP did you do to make the color pop so nicely?

Thanks. I'll try and list the PP steps below:

1. Converted from RAW to JPG with no alterations.
2. Did the pano stitching
3. Used the PEN tool to create an accurate selection of the sky. Saved the selection.
4. Loaded the saved selection and altered the curves on the sky with an adjustment layer. Add a HSL layer with mask from selection and add a subtle blue tint.
5. Loaded the saved selection again, inversed for the foreground and did another curves adjustment.
6. Add a new blank layer and alt-clicked to merge visible.
7. Did a Shadows-Highlight adjustment to bring out detail in the middle tree area.
8. Masked the layer from step 7 just for the middle area.
9. COLOUR HERE: Add a HSL layer and add a little bit of saturation
10. Did another blank layer and alt-clicked to merge visible.
11. COLOUR HERE: Dodged the highlights at 3% and burned the shadows at 3% which added more colour.

There are other ways of being "non-destructive". This is the way I did it on this image.