Piano

[Seb]

Here is something new. Do you guys feel that the model is too distorted? This was shot with a wide-angle given the small size of the room and corrected later on in post-processing but I doubt that I could get the perspective right like if it was shot with a regular lense at the first place.

Comments on every aspect are most welcome.

Seb

[Trevor Ash]

Hi Seb.

I'd have to edge on the "isn't always necessary to correct distortion" side of the fence. Architecture is one thing, but for faces (or most anything circular or otherwise "familiar") it is a distraction. Also, as your photo shows, distortion isn't even from the center to the edges. You could spend hours trying to get things right and still have some items that are off. Using your photo, it seems obvious you corrected based on the nearer door frame. But look at the visible distortion in the distant door frame.

I speak of this because in my time with digital panoramic photography I learned just how nasty this stuff gets.

Put down the photoshop tools and just accept the lens for the qualities it has Don't think of distortion or curvature as a flaw.

Good photo otherwise, I enjoy the playful nature of it!

[Seb]

Hi Seb.

I'd have to edge on the "isn't always necessary to correct distortion" side of the fence. Architecture is one thing, but for faces (or most anything circular or otherwise "familiar") it is a distraction.

Put down the photoshop tools and just accept the lens for the qualities it has.

Good photo otherwise, I enjoy the playful nature of it!

Well that's the Nikkor 12-24 (a good one in theory) but it was shot at 12mm so I wasn't "helping myself" so to speak!

As I am experimenting with indoor people photography, my appreciation for well executed pictures of this type is rising dramatically. Maybe it's just me but a nice landscape seems awfully easy in comparison nowaday. Anyway, enough rambling...

thanks for commenting!

Seb

[gahspidy]

Seb, I agree about the distortion. Let it be, it usually makes things more interesting anyway. I like your neat composition here. the lighting is warm and pretty well balanced but i feel like just a bit more on the floor or near the bench in the fg is needed.The model does look a little odd, most likely from the distortion and correction, but has an interesting appeal. I know what you mean, inside people shots are much harder than one would think. Good work here, Seb.

[Overbeyond]

Sometimes trying to improve these distortions in PS we often end up making things look a lot worse. I dont see a great problem here at all. It's got good humour but I like to see people not being aware of the camera.
I really like the position of the table in front of the piano; it provides a nice furniture feel and gives some depth with nice verticals and horizontals.
Is that a bit of rubbish at the table leg?
Tom

[SmartWombat]

Is that a bit of rubbish at the table leg? Tom

Looks to me like fringes at the end of a small rug.

I'd like to see the original for comparison, but I can't see the distortion in the far doorframe that's obvious to others.

I like the composition, yet for me the model peering round the doorframe wasn't obvious at first sight the bright santa on the piano caught my eye.
I like the depth from the additional doorframe in the background, all too easy to have a flat background at the wall.

[Greg McCary]

One thing for sure, you nailed the lighting. Wonderful colors and exposure. Your developing your own style in that area.....
Greg

[Coastal Flyer]

Seb,

Lets get the good stuff out of the way first. I like the photo for the image, subject, itself. I wonder looking at this, the Santa on the ledge of the keys, if Chritmas Carols were not played over this past week. The colors are great, the exposier is perfect, the lack of the usual harsh shadows found on indoor images enhances your work. I like it.

But, to answer your question, I see distortion to the entire photograph left of the gold knob on the left side of the piano. Look at the angle of the leg of the piano particularly near the floor. I don't think the leg sticks out that degree, should be 90 degrees from the horizontal plane of the keys.

Having said that, I didn't mind the distortion when I first viewed the image (I look at the images before reading comments) but enjoyed the photo for all that it is.

I think you did a nice job.

Happy Holidays, Best of 2007.

CF

[CLKunst]

Hi Seb -

It's very nice to get right angles to the frame of the image especially in landscapes and architectural images. But I don't think it should be done at the expense of your model, which seems to be what happened here. The left side of her face doesn't look natural to me at all, it appears strangely flattened by the adjustment from just beyond her nose to her ear. Would you mind posting the unedited image for a truly fair comparison?

My suggestion is that if you are in a close interior situation where a wide angle is necessary, don't set up a scene that demands perfect right angles if it's going to make you twitchy to have them just so. Instead set up a shot that will not play up the distortion quite so heavily, then there is less to correct in post. i.e. A slightly closer composition which uses the vertical section of the door frame but not the corner or outer edge. Personally, I let it fly, get it level and let the barrel distortion fall as it may.

[Seb]

Thanks everyone for your valuable imput. I take notes and the next picture of this kind should hopefully be more succesful. About the original, I may post it if you guys really want to but it is quite atrocious lol... Actually, the version you are seeing is a crop as the original included much more space at the right (the piano was entierly visible). The distortion is bad as the center of the lense happens to point toward the extreme right of this crop. I could get better results by repositioning the camera and zooming at 16mm or so to fill the frame. Actually, I'll go for it asap.

happy new year to all

Seb

[drg]

I would say you did more than a fair job of eliminating most of the problems associated with distortion. There's a touch of concavity to the floor, but I didn't measure, just use to looking at interiors.

The recognizability of people is usually far more important than 'perfection' as was mentioned. Should you regularly use a 'wide' lens with people, it might be worth investing in a correction software or 'mapping' the lens with a grid pattern to see where it does the most bending. A tripod and a level are the best friends an architectural/interior photographer has in their arsenal of trick.

Best wishes and Happy New Year!

[Didache]

Hi Seb ... I really like this image (nice home you have too btw!). Re the small amuont of distortion, some programmes (eg Elements 5) have some features to help this although I don't know if it would help in this instance. I also found the rug bottom left a very slight distraction and found myself wishing you had moved it and let that lovely floor be seen. Still, the light is wonderful and there is a real 3D feel to it. Quirky and interesting!

Cheers
Mike

[readingr]

Seb,

I missed this the first time round but here goes.

Not sure what exactly the impact of the correction was but my big bug bear with the photo is the model. The face looks all wrong and the lighting on it seems banded on my monitor.

The things I like are the colours, lighting in the room and the composition.

Again - remove the rug, and let us see the undistorted as I think it may be better with the distortion.

Roger