A Couple of Architectural Shots

[Didache]

Hi all

These are a little out of my comfort zone, but I am working these up as possible club-type prints. What do you think? Both print up pretty well I think.

The first is in the Shanghai Museum, the second is the Budapest synagogue (incidentally, the largest synagogue in the world outside NYC).

As always, any comments are very much appreciated.

Cheers
Mike

[jetrim]

I like both of these - very similar but still very different
The light spot over the far chandellier in the Synogogue is mildly distracting, but nowhere near being a showstopper. The museum shot has something funky going on with the uppermost row of recessed lights as well, but again, only a very mild distraction. Both have a very nice balance of natural and artificial light.

[Herriot]

Mike I think that both of these work well but the second is the winner by far for me. The doubt that I have with both are the people, the girl's pose in the Shanghai museum shot doesn't really do much for me, perhaps if she was walking down the stairs it would be more effective?? Looking at the backs of the people in the synagogue doesn't actually add anything to the shot IMO as it is already a stunning image by itself. Great stuff.

Herriot

[Frog]

I like the composition of both a lot.
Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about but I wish your focal points were reversed in both images.
The first seems to be at the farther end of the image which makes the girl and her environ soft, while the focal point seems to be closer on the second, making the farther areas soft.
Was this with a fairly wide aperture?
Or is it just my eyes?

[Didache]

Thanks guys for looking -

jetrim .. I am glad you noticed the bright spot above the further chandelier - I will have to burn that down a little before a final print.

frog .. well, they were indoor without flash, so the aperture was fairly open. In both cases I focussed around a third of the way in to maximise the depth. The prints themselves are pretty sharp from to back I think.

Herriot .. it is a judgement call I think. I took maybe half a dozen shots, some with nobody and some with people - that one seemed to me to work the best. I appreciate what you're saying though. And, I agree, the synagogue shot is pretty striking.

On a historical note, the Jews of hungary were especially badly hit by the holocaust. The synagogue holds 1800 people but there is only a very tiny Jewish remnant left in Budapest. The synagogue was completely refurbished to its former glory, largely with the financial help of Tony Curtis, whose family were Budapest Jews.

Just for interest: in the grounds of the synagogue is a holocaust memorial consisting of a giant weeping willow in metal. Every leaf contains the name of a Budapest Jew who was murdered by the Nazis. Puts it in proportion. Photos attached of this.

Cheers
Mike

[Greg McCary]

Mike I really like them both. I think you should skew the upper left side of the first one slightly to even it up. Other than that splendid work.

[Didache]

Greg - well spotted. I've skewed the original just as you suggest. Much better.

Thanks
Mike

[Overbeyond]

Hi all

These are a little out of my comfort zone, but I am working these up as possible club-type prints. What do you think? Both print up pretty well I think.

The first is in the Shanghai Museum, the second is the Budapest synagogue (incidentally, the largest synagogue in the world outside NYC).

As always, any comments are very much appreciated.

Cheers
Mike

These two are very good Mike. I can imagine the synagogue one opening up real well in large format.; it looks very compressed here. That staircase is incredible and you have done it real justice. It waits to be photographed.

I posted a horizontal view of this staircase a long while back. You might find it here.

Staircases

[Didache]

Tm - how weird .. the other side of the world and we must have been standing in almost the exact same spot!

Mike

[SmartWombat]

The staircase image, it looks like you've reached the limit of your wide angle ?
As I look further up the image there is more distortion on the lights, making them look elongated.

The synagogue, I was immediately struck by the bright spot above the second lights, it looks like daylight rather than light from the bulbs.

Both are nice exercises in symmetry.

Now if you had more people in the staircase shot, then I think it may have worked better. Personally I'd have wanted a grouping asymmetric to jar against the symmetry of the building - but I am a contrarian old sod.

The people in the synagogue don't appear to contribute much at this size, but in a print instead of web view I think their presence will be significant.

[gahspidy]

Very nice, Mike. I was going to point out the skew, but Greg already did . I love that second shot alot. Great color, depth and symetry.
well done

[Didache]

Paul & Gary - thanks for looking - much appreciated. Paul: the lights did bother me a little, I must admit.

Anyway, I have done as much to the Shanghai one as I think I can and I'm pretty happy with it. The final version can be seen at:

http://www.mikedalesphotography.co.uk/photo1787050.html

It's an interesting exercise, I think, in the fact that most pictures do require work to make the best of them.

Cheers
Mike

[Alison]

I have no cc to offer but just wanted to say, I think your work is amazing!

[Didache]

Alison .. gosh, I'd blush if I weren't so completely shameless

Thank you - you are very kind

Mike

[GB1]

Mike,

The first shot is my favorite. As much as I like the woman here as a way to spice it up, I actually think I would like it better if it were just geometry in this situation. The upper part of that photo, the lines are soooooo nice and and the colors are so harmonious that I think it stands on that alone. I can see where it would print well.

The bottom one is a lot busier, but it also works IMO. I am not sure about the way the colors work together, or if they work together for that matter (reds, browns, blues, yellows..). It seems like a jewel in many respects. But it also seems a tad soft, perhaps due to the resizing. If it were razor sharp and if the colors were adjusted a bit, I think it would work very well. A nice elegant frame and perhaps a fancy mat and it's there.

G

[natgaines]

Mike, the weeping willow is my favorite. I'm sure you got some very nice shots of the names, I like the one you displayed. You definitly need the two pictures together to show just how powerful the message is.