Critique and Advice Please

[Meerkat17]

I took this shot a few days ago. Whilst I like the overall image the colour is a little flat and I cannot really increase it further as there is so little colour to the image as a whole. Conversion to srgb for the internet has caused it to lose colour too.

You can see how much work I've put into the post-processing from the original shot which I've posted above. I felt that the image deserved it, I've tried it in B&W and Sepia and I don't really like the effect although it does work in both treatments.

Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.

Cheers
David

Exif Data:
Shutter speed: 1/250 sec - Aperture: 8
Exposure mode: Manual - Flash: Off
Metering mode: Evaluative - Drive mode: Single frame shooting
ISO: 50 - Lens: 7.2 to 28.8mm - Focal length: 28.8mm
Subject distance: 66 m

Original Image:
http://www.btinternet.com/~David.Lewins/g5/images/ch_le_st0043C_2.jpg


http://www.btinternet.com/~David.Lewins/g5/images/ch_le_st0043C.jpg[/url]

[Sailor Don]

David,

Excellent job on photo editing to remove the wires and telephone pole. Adding some blue to the sky also helped.

Did you use a "cloudy" setting for your exposure and do you have "vivid" for a color enhancement option when taking the picture. That can save some editing afterwards. The blue on the underside of the cloud a the peak of the house looks unnatural. Still, it's and interesting shot and the photo editing helps overall.

[who10]

I really like this image - excellent Photoshop work :shock:
If I didn't see the original I'd never know there were distractions.

Great Work! David


Sent you a PM with a visual thought... let me know what you think.

[PhotosGuy]

I agree that it's just a bit drab Did you try Curves to get the house to pop out just a bit? Or, if you can't, maybe increase the brightness of the house by painting some 'History"?

Nice PS job. (Lotsa weeds, too!) :wink:

[Meerkat17]

Thanks for all your advice - after a few experiments I came up with this:

http://www.btinternet.com/~David.Lewins/g5/images/ch_le_st0043C_3.jpg

Done using a "Velvia" style action then reducing the overall amount of saturation and adjusting the mid-tones using the levels.

Oh, yes, I altered the hard edge on the cloud too.

Regards
David

[Andy_T]

I like the last version of the photo ... but I'm not all too enthusiastic about it... it's a bit 'run-of-the-mill' :? .

I think that the composition is the culprit here.

Maybe cropping according to the rule of thirds might make it more interesting.

Best regards,
Andy

[Meerkat17]

Thanks for your comment - that "rule of thirds" is becoming very boring and rules are only there as a guide and are meant to be just that.

There are many other means that you can use to aid composition and with this picture it is quite simplistic in my view: it has a foreground, middle ground and a background of sky, the composition is left-hand heavy (where the eye naturally falls). The overall image has a diagional going through it, almost from corner to corner - hence the eye precieves it as being easy to view.

I don't limit myself to seeing everything I view through my lense, within the "rule of thirds" and if others only used this rule in photography and art it would become very boring.

Sorry if this sounds as if I can't take the critique - I can - I just find that a great number of people on this forum seem to be blinded by or hang onto one way of doing things and its usually the "rule of thirds".

Grouch over!!!! :D

David

[Andy_T]

I don't limit myself to seeing everything I view through my lense, within the "rule of thirds" and if others only used this rule in photography and art it would become very boring.

Sorry if this sounds as if I can't take the critique - I can - I just find that a great number of people on this forum seem to be blinded by or hang onto one way of doing things and its usually the "rule of thirds".


Point taken. :lol:

Still ... it just 'doesn't work for me'.

I cropped it in my mind and thought that it *might* work better *for me* if more of the left part (e.g. half the tree) were cropped out. YMMV.

Best regards,
Andy

[PhotosGuy]

That seems to have brightened it up a bit. I think it's much better now. :)

[lomond]

David,
I always find your shots to be well thought out (i.e. not snaps).
I can see that you have put a deal of post processing work into this one and it's made a huge difference.
It sort of reminds me of the #9 image in your "Old Railway Line" collection.
A small critique ( it's only right in this forum) the uprights on the left seem to lean to the left.
Like I said a small critique and easily fixed.

Cameron