Which Version Do You Like Better?

Flyinggina · January 27, 2006

Which of these two versions of the same photo do you prefer? They both work as prints, but convey very different moods.

Here is a shot of rooftops in Boston during a snow storm last week as I originally posted it:

And here is the same shot after I followed Rutt's advice to (1) bring out the red of the buildings more, (2) punch up it up by setting the black and white points and (3) increase sharpness.

I wasn't quite able to replicate Rutt's version which is posted on the original thread, but I did manage to achieve some major adjustments.

For both versions, I started with a RAW file and converted it to 48 bit RGB file. In the first version, I adjusted the histogram to be sure that the photo had both pure black and pure white pixels, then sharpened in the L channel of HLS. For the new version, I used droppers to set the black and white points before changing the color mode to 24 bit LAB. I tweaked the L channel slightly and steepened curves in the a and b channels until I liked the result, Finally, I applied USM in the L channel only, pushing the sharpening further than I did in the first version.

Anyhow, I'm trying to learn and would appreciate any thoughts, comments or suggestions any of you might have.

Thanks!

Virginia

Lee Massey · January 27, 2006

Hi Virginia,

I like the second one better. The contrast between the trees and the buildings is much easier on the eyes (IMO). The first one gives me a more dreary type feeling wihile the second one seems a bit more enlightening.

Thanks for sharing...

Lee

Frog Lady · January 27, 2006

The 2nd one definately. The 1st appears too flat and the roof tops almost seem an afterthought to the trees in the foreground. In the 2nd, the trees are much sharper, accentuating the cold snow, but the red bricks in the buildings hold their own and add so much more interest.

Tom K. · January 28, 2006

They both have appeal. If I was forced to chose I would go with the 2nd image.

Flyinggina · January 28, 2006

Thank you all. Your comments are really helpful and I appreciate them. I have to agree that on the screen the second shot is much more interesting. Something in between seems to work best as a print.

Virginia

adrian_k · January 30, 2006

I'd actually say somewhere in the middle.

If I had to choose it would be the first one. It seems more natural.

Although setting wp & bp would make the photo more technically correct, it doesn't convey the truth. The first more 'looks' more real.

Flyinggina wrote:

Thank you all. Your comments are really helpful and I appreciate them. I have to agree that on the screen the second shot is much more interesting. Something in between seems to work best as a print.

Virginia

gus · January 30, 2006

Rhuarc · January 30, 2006

I would have to say the first one. Living most of my life where we get plenty of snowstorms throughout the winter, the first one gives a much truer sense of being in a heavy snow. The 2nd one, IMHO, you don't get the feeling of barely being able to see in front of you, which is true in many many snows!

Richard · January 30, 2006

Rhuarc wrote:

. The 2nd one, IMHO, you don't get the feeling of barely being able to see in front of you, which is true in many many snows!

I like the sense of hardly being able to see the buildings through the snow. Reminds me of a winter I spent in Boston.

On the other hand, I also like the detail of the trees in #2. So I guess I like the top half of #1 and the bottom half of #2. Mask time?

Flyinggina · January 30, 2006

Thanks everyone! Yes, perhaps it is mask time, although I do have a version I did without masking that is somewhere in between which I will print just to see how it works. I showed prints of these two photos to a couple of photo friends of mine and the one whose photos are technically superb liked the second version and the one who is more an artist turned photographer preferred the first. (Let me hasten to say that they both do excellent, beautiful work.) But both thought that an in between version -- using masking -- could work. Of course, one thought he would like mistier trees with the more visible buildings and the other thought that leaving the buildings misty but sharpening the trees would do the trick!!

I am reminded that for Ansel Adams, a negative was like a musical score and each print a distinctive performance of that score.

Virginia

Which Version Do You Like Better?

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