LPS #2, which pic?

JohnC

Here are my two attempts with basically no editing except for size. Which do you all like and what if anything is needed editing wise?

photogmomma

Hmmm, I really like them both. I think the first one is understated, but still stately. The other is very bold and in your face....

Not much help, am I! !

I'd love to see both of them have the contrast boosted and bring out the colors a bit more. That might help with a decision.

I do have to say that I've seen several head on building shots to it might be fun to go with the first one and bring it out a bit more.

HTH!

Swartzy

Would like to see
the first one in twilight....It looks as though there is a light there and would be an interesting shot if those illuminate the building. Shoot for something you would hang on your wall....this could with the right light and possibly some new angles.

JohnC

Swartzy wrote:

the first one in twilight....It looks as though there is a light there and would be an interesting shot if those illuminate the building. Shoot for something you would hang on your wall....this could with the right light and possibly some new angles.

I've tried to shoot it at night, but they have so many super bright spot lights on it that the sky looks black and it just looks like a aquare building in the middle of nothing.

Twilight, hmm... May be doable.

My biggest problem is not having a wide angle lens to get up close to show the size of this thing. It's huge! At 18mm, I have to be way back to get hte whole building in - which kind of makes it look smaller to me than it is in person.

My second problem is I'm a total rookie and I have no photo editing skills.

JohnC

photogmomma wrote:

Hmmm, I really like them both. I think the first one is understated, but still stately. The other is very bold and in your face....

Not much help, am I! !

I'd love to see both of them have the contrast boosted and bring out the colors a bit more. That might help with a decision.

I do have to say that I've seen several head on building shots to it might be fun to go with the first one and bring it out a bit more.

HTH!

I'll play with contrast and see what goes. It's hard to tell if they're off in color, etc., or edit because I'm at my parents' house and their Sony 17" Trinitron is darker than my 19" LCD TFT Sony Xbrite. Neither are calabrated to make things worse.

OK, I will try contrast....

DRabbit

John,

I like them... but somehow the contrast seems... unnatural? The lighting is a bit strange. You didn't play with the Shadow/Highlight tool too much did you? It has a bit of a flat look.

I prefer the composition of #1

JohnC

BTW, this is the Parthenon replica in nashville, TN if you already didn't know.

http://www.aeria.phil.uni-erlangen.de/galerie_html/akropolis/parthenon.html

http://www.nashville.gov/Parthenon/PhotoGallery.htm

The Parthenon stands proudly as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, Nashville's premier urban park. The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The building and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals.

Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the original Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The plaster replicas of the Parthenon Marbles found in the Naos are direct casts of the original sculptures which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, dating back to 438 B.C. The originals of these powerful fragments are housed in the British Museum in London.
The Parthenon also serves as the city of Nashville's art museum. The focus of the Parthenon's permanent collection is a group of 63 paintings by 19th and 20th century American artists donated by James M. Cowan. Additional gallery spaces provide a venue for a variety of temporary shows and exhibits.

This will give you an idea of its size.
http://users.saferinternet.com/wildebeest/Parthenon%2004.JPG

JohnC

DRabbit wrote:

John,

I like them... but somehow the contrast seems... unnatural? The lighting is a bit strange. You didn't play with the Shadow/Highlight tool too much did you? It has a bit of a flat look.

I prefer the composition of #1

None thus far.. I shot in A mode and resized for contest specs 800x/160kb.

Let me see what I can do with Nikon Picture Project.

JohnC

For photo #1, this is the EXIF before the resize:

Nikon D80
2007/03/25 17:42:50.2
Compressed RAW (12-bit)
Image Size: Large (3872 x 2592)
Color
Lens: 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 G
Focal Length: 22mm
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern
1/80 sec - F/10
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 125
Optimize Image: Custom
White Balance: Auto
AF Mode: AF-S
Flash Sync Mode:
Flash Mode:
Auto Flash Comp:
Color Mode: Mode II (Adobe RGB)
Tone Comp.: Auto
Hue Adjustment: 0°
Saturation: Auto
Sharpening: Auto
Image Comment:
Long Exposure NR: Off
VR Control: Off
High ISO NR: Off

JohnC

Edit, added another pic on page two...

JohnC

For the last edit, is it too much on the Color Boost? It looks OK on my screen, but not sure if it looks the same to you all on your calibrated screens.

pyroPrints.com

Yeah, it's too much...

Also, if i were you, I'd try to reshoot, and get a really low angle on the building (shoot pretty much from the ground) It might give you interesting perspective on the building.

JohnC

How is this for color?

JohnC

or this one?

photogmomma

I hope you don't mind, but I played with it to see if I could figure out what was off in the color....

First, I used Lightroom to cool it off slightly - I lowered the temperature just a bit. (This one is taken from the first image posted.) I think the ones you've posted have a bit too much yellow and that's what is making them look a little off in color.

Then I bumped the contrast using the tone curve

Then I bumped the blacks because it still felt too flat

Then I darkened the blues to bring out the sky a bit.

I am sure you could replicated in PS if necessary, but I'm not sure how.

Does this help? I think it's a little overdone, but it may help you see things different.... Let me know if you'd like me to remove it!

JohnC

Thanks, photogmomma! Thats exactly what I needed to see (something to compare by). I'll try to work on my RAW NEF again and see if I can get it looking better.

photogmomma wrote:

I hope you don't mind, but I played with it to see if I could figure out what was off in the color....

First, I used Lightroom to cool it off slightly - I lowered the temperature just a bit. (This one is taken from the first image posted.) I think the ones you've posted have a bit too much yellow and that's what is making them look a little off in color.

Then I bumped the contrast using the tone curve

Then I bumped the blacks because it still felt too flat

Then I darkened the blues to bring out the sky a bit.

I am sure you could replicated in PS if necessary, but I'm not sure how.

Does this help? I think it's a little overdone, but it may help you see things different.... Let me know if you'd like me to remove it!

JohnC

OK, edited this with Adobe LR. Is it fixed, or what else needs work? I hope I got it this time, but it's hard to tell with this junk screen I'm using at the moment.

pyroPrints.com

it looks damn good now.. but it seems someone wondered in to your picture =c) i'd try to clone em out, or perhaps grab that part from a similar angled photo to cover him up

JohnC

pyroPrints.com wrote:

it looks damn good now.. but it seems someone wondered in to your picture =c) i'd try to clone em out, or perhaps grab that part from a similar angled photo to cover him up

Thanks! Glad I finally got it right!

As for the kid in the photo, I got to thinking I needed something to help show the size of this Parthenon, so I chose another photo with the same angle with a kid walking up the side.

photogmomma

Awesome edit! Looks a lot better than mine in retrospect!

As for the person, I don't think they add much. I this the original is stately without them.

Great shot!

JohnC

OK, one last chance for the front shot. You all let me know if you like the final side angle, or this one of the front. I still have time to change my entry.