"challenged" By 61

saurora

Everyone seems to be struggling with this challenge....including me!!! Sunday I drove by the Crystal Cathedral and stopped to see what I could find for the challenge. It was more of a challenge than I expected...I was using my new Canon 20D for the first time (so my exposures were all wrong!) I had a wide angle lens which I had never used before (buildings were leaning very oddly!) at least the weather cooperated. It was cloudy which kept most of the blue out of the sky. I didn't do too well, but salvaged these few shots. Don't think I'm going to have time for any more and now we have rain for a couple of days. I think the first one is more in keeping with the challenge, but give me your thoughts. I had a lot of trouble finding the right place to crop as well.

Original shot uncropped...


Cropped right side....



Cropped left side ... window and pole bothered me, but then I began to lose the hexagon shape tile on the floor which I liked...(but less color!)


Did a very tight crop, but it seems to get less interesting, I think..?



Also have this shot of the crystal tower.. it doesn't seem as black and white to me...



Another shot...too much color?

adrian_k

I'll be harsh & say that you shot at the wrong time of day, all the shots look a little flat, like they were shot in the shade on a sunny day. There are upsides though .

You've got a couple of really good concepts.
I'd try cropping out everything but the marble pillars, the pavement blocks are a bit of a distraction.
I really like the concept of the green palms reflected in the chrome & glass of the building. Too much blue sky in the last.


I've just read your text and that explains alot. It's a pity that you won't have time to reshoot - I undertand that one!

saurora wrote:

Everyone seems to be struggling with this challenge....including me!!! Sunday I drove by the Crystal Cathedral and stopped to see what I could find for the challenge. It was more of a challenge than I expected...I was using my new Canon 20D for the first time (so my exposures were all wrong!) I had a wide angle lens which I had never used before (buildings were leaning very oddly!) at least the weather cooperated. It was cloudy which kept most of the blue out of the sky. I didn't do too well, but salvaged these few shots. Don't think I'm going to have time for any more and now we have rain for a couple of days. I think the first one is more in keeping with the challenge, but give me your thoughts. I had a lot of trouble finding the right place to crop as well.

Original shot uncropped...

Cropped right side....

Cropped left side ... window and pole bothered me, but then I began to lose the hexagon shape tile on the floor which I liked...(but less color!)

Did a very tight crop, but it seems to get less interesting, I think..?

Also have this shot of the crystal tower.. it doesn't seem as black and white to me...

Another shot...too much color?

Richard

These are pretty good. As usual, though, the ones I like best (the tower, especially the first) seem to be the weakest candidates for the challenge because they don't look B&W enough. What fiend thought this one up? Oh wait, I remember...

Of the pillar shots I think I would go with the left crop. It has more color than the tight one, but I agree with you that the tight one is less interesting. Hope this helps.

Cheers,

adrian_k

rsinmadrid wrote:

What fiend thought this one up? Oh wait, I remember...
Cheers,

saurora

I'm bumping myself back up since this thread received very few hits and I am still not sure what I will post. I have decided the 4th (cropped) shot (at the beginning of thread )is for sure not a candidate as it is too heavily cropped. Couldn't get back out today to re-shoot as it decided to rain (of course). Tomorrow is my last chance. I have a couple other possiblities. They aren't really what I was hoping to achieve, but here they are...

Your thoughts are welcome. I'm here to learn (really!!!)


Hellooooooo down there!!!!



Visitors Only


My dog "insisted" on being the "spot of color" in this shot...I told her it already had color and she was adding too, too much...........


No Dogs Allowed

ChrisJ

Hi Saurora, my favorite shots are your first one of the Crystal Tower and the Snail. I love the snail shot (challenge or no).

I see too much color in all of these... the columns have brown and many shades of green. The tower has greens and sky blues. They're not overpowering, but they don't say black-&-white-with-a-splash-of-color to me.

I think the snail is very close, and is a great shot anyway. But the grating itself seems to have a lot of red/brownish tint to it. And some green in the hole he's looking into...

Just my thoughts. The judges can (and do) think differently sometimes.

saurora

Thanks Chris...I was leaning towards the snail, myself. None of them are what I was thinking of...but I notice a lot of people are putting a lot more color into their shots than I expected to see. Actually, the snail shot is part of a series... ... but I couldn't wait around to find out how it ended!!!! It's not an easy challenge!

swintonphoto

Well, I like the third one down the best of the pillars. The other image I like is the snail image. However, I do disagree with the statement that shooting in the shade on a sunny day is bad. :duelShooting in the shade on a sunny day is not bad unless the sunny areas are creeping into the shots. Shade on a sunny day provides wonderful rich tones which I think you captured very well. You shot at the PERFECT time of day. Contrary to many opinions in these forums, tones don't have to be 8 stops apart, and just scraping blown hilights and detail-less shadows. Yours have great rich gentle scales that work well.

mr peas

this one i think you can def work with. i def agree with you, this challenge is really not easy. but this picture i think stands a really good chance. now, i would tone down the sky to show a little bit of blue, i think you can do that by lowering the curves individually on ps. then, crop out the left hand side (leave the right side alone dont touch it!) where theres greenish reflective windows. lastly, crop out the bottom down until the base of the trees.

pfft, then just play with the clouds to make it show up a little more blue and you got yourself a really great photo to submit!

ultravox

Now, after posting your ch.61 entry I can tell that it was also my choice. It's simple and it is neat. I'm reluctant of makeing sugesstions becouse I'm not in the position of doing that and I guess that haveing so much good ones, makeing a choice was a hard time...
Good luck.