There be light

[Seb]

Now this is a picture I meant to craft for several months and I finally went for it last week as the weather is getting decent.

comments are welcome!

Seb

[Chunk]

The writing is hard to discern. How did you do the BW? If you shoot color and use the color mixing method of BW conversion, you should be able to make it a bit more readable unless the brick and paint colors are similar.

[mtbbrian]

I am not sure the writing is relevant, but I would like to see a photograph with it though.
It is a good photograph Seb I like the repetition of the two shapes and from the bricks.
There is a good texture too.
The light and shadow is good.
Having a person was a good idea too.
This is a hard one to find anything "wrong" with it.
Brian

[Overbeyond]

The overall greyness of this I really like and the boy stands out very well as a result. The curves of the window and the other thingy complement each other very nicely. Only bit I don't like is the shadow to the boys right. Reflections in the window are great; not too strong.
Tom

[jar_e]

This color scheme is perfect. I love the tones, and a great composition. A very strong shot.

The writing is iffy for me, but it doesn't matter!

Nice shot,

Jared

[gahspidy]

Well done,Seb. The lighting here is very interesting and creates dimensions with the shadows it casts. Framing is great. Yes , the words are hard to make out, but i don't feel it hurts the shot much. You could try to lighten the scene a wee bit and then carefully go in and slightly burn the letters to be more evident. Great shooting.

[Seb]

Now this is a picture I meant to craft for several months and I finally went for it last week as the weather is getting decent.

comments are welcome!

Seb

Hey guys,

Chunk: I simply turned saturation all way down and then slightly ajusted levels manually. The letters are faint but I'll what I can do with it. Now that this area is covered, what about the picture???

Brian: Thanks!

Overbeyond: Nobody commented on the flare which I guess is a good sign. Thanks for your critique.

Jared: Thanks. There is probably something to do with the writting...

Gary: Thanks, burning might work.

[Seb]

Now this is a picture I meant to craft for several months and I finally went for it last week as the weather is getting decent.

comments are welcome!

Seb

Second take... I tried few different things including selective saturation but Gary's suggestion to burn the letters was by far the most effective.

regards

Seb

[opus]

I think I would like it more if the highlights were just a bit brighter. I don't think the darks should get any darker, but the whites are just a little too grey for my taste ... especially with the words "... there be light" on the wall ... makes me look for a brighter light.

[jar_e]

Second take... I tried few different things including selective saturation but Gary's suggestion to burn the letters was by far the most effective.

regards

Seb

Seb,

Much better IMO. The writing is easier to read, and a nice shot to look at.

[Chunk]

Chunk: I simply turned saturation all way down and then slightly ajusted levels manually. The letters are faint but I'll what I can do with it. Now that this area is covered, what about the picture???

The self title says it all. Great light and a nice catch. Those photos that you forsee and then wait for conditions are especially satifying aren't they? NIce work.

[Roy Latham]

An excellent photo. It manages to keep a lot of realism despite the bold abstraction. That makes it interesting to stare at. I tried a version with high contrast and unsharp masking to bring up the textures. It changes the feeling, but I won't claim it's an improvement.

[Seb]

Hey guys,

Kelly: thanks for stopping by and commenting. I see your point. Indeed, the picture could use a little more dynamic range. I'll experiment with some dodging and I'll see what I can come with.

Jared: Thanks!

Chunk: They definately are the most satisfying!! I've been waiting all winter long for that one (and God knows that our winter is a long one....)

Roy: Thanks for taking the time to work the picture! To tell you the truth, I find your take to be a little too bright for my liking but I still enjoy what you have done with it.

best regards

Seb

[Seb]

I think I would like it more if the highlights were just a bit brighter. I don't think the darks should get any darker, but the whites are just a little too grey for my taste ... especially with the words "... there be light" on the wall ... makes me look for a brighter light.

Kelly,

Here is a third version (the second take with some dodging).
What do you think about it?

regards

Seb

[mtb'n ski]

i really like this shot i cant quite put my finger on why though... theres just something in it that makes it rather unique... i think it may be the flat repeating backround with the patten perfectly broken by window, hoop and boy, it almost feels like it is a macro untill you realize the subject matter.

[gahspidy]

Seb, Letters are more visible now. Good work. i would agree that the highlights could use just a slight increase. I tried this a bit in PS and had a nice result when I duplicated the layer and set it to a overlay at about 18 % Then flatten image and open up levels and increase level by about 6.
However, if you leave it as it is, it will not disappoint. ( btw is that you in the shot)?

[Seb]

Thanks guy,

Mtb'n ski: Thanks for commenting and I am glad to see you back.

Gary: Overlay eh??? Clearly, you know your way arround with PS! I don't even have a clue of the actual effect of this feature but I will definately try it. To answer to your question, yes, "the boy" is me lol! I guess that I look that small due to the very large size of the window and overall framing i was going for. I stepped in the shot as it clearly needed a subject to fill the scene.

regards

Seb

[GB1]

The tones are excellant. This one is slightly on the dark side but that makes the shot. The composition is also very good. I almost wish there was a little more light on the guy so that we could get more info about him (which is more or less the subject), but the photo still works.

GB

btw, don't know if it's your lens or just the ground, but there is a slightly amt of barrel distortion at the bottom. No biggee... mine primary lens has it a lot worse.... but if it is your lens you'll notice that it's a lot more evident in places like cities where there are straight lines.

[gahspidy]

Good that you stepped in to add perspective and proportion to your scene. That is something I do at times. Produced, directed , and starring. . .Seb. Good work. I enjoy these shots of yours. . .you have a knack for finding them and forming them well.

[steelerdirtfreak]

Outstanding photo. My very first thought, upon seeing this, was a memory of hanging around, alone, on an inner city school playground, waiting for anyone to show up. Very cool effect.

[Seb]

Seb, Letters are more visible now. Good work. i would agree that the highlights could use just a slight increase. I tried this a bit in PS and had a nice result when I duplicated the layer and set it to a overlay at about 18 % Then flatten image and open up levels and increase level by about 6.
However, if you leave it as it is, it will not disappoint. ( btw is that you in the shot)?

The effect actually is neat! What does overlay really does? I assume that this is a more or less translucid (depending on the opacity) copy of the picture which seems to accentuate darker areas. Is there anything more to it?

Thanks for the suggestions

Seb

[Seb]

Thanks GB and Steelerdirtfreak!

GB: There is distortion. I corrected most of it in post processing but I am unable (or at least don't know how) to totally get rid of it.

Steeler: Interesting point of view! I haven't thought about it this way but it makes sense now that you mention it.

Seb

[gahspidy]

Good results. The overlay is sort of like an enhancing filter, but more. I imagine it as taking a exact copy of your image and laying it over the original, everything becomes deeper , richer, and more saturated. Yes, it does darken the image some. It's a great fix for images that have a washed out appearance. i use lots of the different layer properties for different image needs.