archangel tower (6 pics)

JubbaKing

need to add a lil contrast to this one...

gregneil

Wanna share your secrets? Those are great. How'd you do 'em? 1-4 blow me away... Great focus and composition, and the lighting is spot on. I especially like the composition in number 3 - the pillar in the foreground leads my eyes to the fair maiden statue holding a spouting fish (saw that in real life once) whose spout draws me to the main fountain with it's time-lapsed transparent water that reveals the cool glowing red awnings behind it. Awesome. It appears to me that the fountain itself is slightly tilted to the right. Is this a result of the super wide angle you used? Anyway to maybe get it to appear a little more straight? That's the only thing I notice that seems a little off.

Thanks for posting. Now tell me your secrets.

JubbaKing

Thanks greg! My favorite one of the night was the fountain also.
No secrets here...I did a few basic levels and curves adjustments after slightly messing with the RAW files' EV and WB, dodge and burned accordingly and sharpened. I used Fred Miranda's Velvia Vision plug in to boost the colors a little. If I need to, I'll try to expose for highlights and recover shadow detail.

#2 is a blend of 2 pictures-one exposed for the sky and the other for the foreground. I didn't NEED to do it, per se, but I did want a darker sky than on #4. Though with curves and levels I bet I could have gotten the same results without blending.
I think that's about it...OH! I think on a few I bumped up the black using selective color.

Phil U.

Oh yea!! These are beautiful - especially 1-4 - you had the lighting timed out just right. The colors are great!!! You had a very productive evening in Paris...

This is my favorite: