Which is better? (Trevi Fountain)

[poker]

This is in Rome at the Trevi Fountain. We went at night since our guide book said it was better to go at night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevi_fountain

The smaller picture is the original shot with these specs:
1/4 seconds
F3.5
ISO 200
18mm
I was able to use a tripod.

I took a handful of shot but they came out yellow. I guess that is to be expected with this type of exposure? When you are there, you can actually see the waters blue reflection but I couldn't capture it at all.

The larger shot is a modification in PS using the color balance.

Was my Photoshop work justifiable?

[jar_e]

I like the original just because in the color modified version, the lights in the statue become overblown and too hot for my liking. That yellow cast on the shot works for me IMO.

[Didache]

Hi there .. the guide is right! It's a very photogenic place at night (even with the crowds). Of the two, I think I prefer your first - but it really is a case of what rocks your boat! I attach my own effort (taken last August) - I had the camera on a beanbag on a wall (the same wall that appears on the extreme lower right of your pics). I'm back in October and will have another go! (I want to do some decent night pics of The Pantheon too).

Cheers
Mike

[poker]

Mike, nice shot but how did you get a spectrum of colors in your photo??? What are the tech specs on your shot or did you use photoshop?? Honestly, wouldn't you agree that Trevi looks more like my photoshop version than my original ambered version?

We went to The Pantheon but I wasn't able to take any shots to be proud of.

Enjoy your trip in October.....we wish we could go back soon.

[freedom1500]

manacsa and Mike,

Both compositions are beautiful.

Manacsa, (as Jared stated) the original color is more real and a little softer---shows more detail in the highlights. Too bad you didn't get the water in your shot. The blue/green color would have added a nice contrast to the yellow light. You would have had to climb on a table or on someone's shoulders to get a higher angle of view. That's what makes a good shot, an ever better shot. Often, you have to approach a composition from a totally different viewpoint. Otherwise, it just becomes another travel/tourist shot (believe me, I have lots of those, but I'm making a concious effort to approach every shot from a very different perspective).

Mike,
Your shot has that different angle I was describing to Manacsa. Beautiful result. However, in my humble opinion, I think the contrast (or saturation, or both) is too high. Looks like you boosted it in Photoshop (I doubt it would have come out of the camera that way). Because of that, there is no shadow detail and no highlight detail.

To both of you...
If you want a more interesting shot, try cropping tighter, for example, on only a few figures/statues.

Great work guys. I was at that exact location two years ago and I shot the fountain during the day from the street. Tourist shot! I'm embarassed. Live and learn.
Thank you for the inspiration.

Robert

[Didache]

Hi Robert - yes you are right: it is quite saturated. It's a quirk of my printer. That photo is a club one and my printer always prints with less saturation than it should - so I overcompensate a little. I attach something more realistic!

Mike

[freedom1500]

Mike,
This one definitely looks more natural, less processed. In my opinion, it's a lot better! It really depends what you're going for. If you want your shots to look like they came out of a travel (commercial) brochure, then the high-contrast, high-saturation look is fine.
Thanks for sharing.
Robert

[poker]

Mike,

What are the settings for your shot and did you use photoshop. I'm impressed with all the colors you captured. Was this film by any chance?

Thanks,

Eric

[Didache]

Hi Eric .. yes it was film (just generic 200 ASA) with a Pentax *ist. I get the prints done as normal and then scan them with a flatbed before doing a little photoshop tweaking. I did several, but liked this one because of the blue and red on the left side. As for the colours, they were pretty much there - maybe because it was a hot August night!

Mike