No wind can take you there

[ionian]

A couple of shots of Rye windmill that, if I'm honest, were pretty uninteresting before a healthy crop and PP. So, do these do it for you or are they just tourist shots with dramatic clouds (thanks dehaze tool!)? And #1 or #2 (I like the profile in #1, but the shadows in #2)? Anything else you want to suggest will also be gratefully received.

#1


#2

[Donald]

It's knowing what the final image is going to look like at the time you capture the photo that's the important thing. The capture may indeed be pretty 'ordinary', but if you know what it's going to look like once you've produced the final image, then that is what matters.

Clearly you have to get some things right at the time of capture - Composition; Exposure. But clicking the shutter is just the end of the first part of making an image.

[ionian]

It's knowing what the final image is going to look like at the time you capture the photo that's the important thing. The capture may indeed be pretty 'ordinary', but if you know what it's going to look like once you've produced the final image, then that is what matters.

Clearly you have to get some things right at the time of capture - Composition; Exposure. But clicking the shutter is just the end of the first part of making an image.

An excellent point - and this is something I feel I'm getting much better at, helped by PP practice and lots of looking at photos for inspiration.

For these photos, however, less so - on first look they lacked contrast and I originally tried to add a foreground element to the second that ended up being cropped. And the bird on the roof was a bonus that I didn't spot until processing!

[Shadowman]

Works for me. Nice captures.

[Ziggy]

Nice control of the light.

[selig1656]

Good choice for a B/W there seems to be a little lacking in the contrast that would bring out some more details possibly .

[Kaye Leggett]

And the bird on the roof was a bonus that I didn't spot until processing!

it's always good when a bonus arrives.

I like these, probably the first more than the second, but I don't know why

[IzzieK]

I am with Kaye...I like the angle of #1 and the bonus bird in #2.

[ionian]

Many thanks for your comments. I agree with Izzie and Kaye, I prefer the first. I think the vignette is more successful in this pic, which really highlights the windmill against the clouds.

Raymond - where do you feel it needs more contrast? In pic 2 I could darken the shadows to make them more prominent but it may make the pic seem too fake, with a cloudy background and strong shadows. I'm interested in your thoughts.

[deetheturk]

Very nice Simon, I like both but at a push #1 gets the nod!

[gregj1763]

Hi Simon, both great images and the seagull is a plus, he has a good bead on you in #2
I like what you have done in PP, the first image is a great photo of a Windmill, I like the angle it shows more detail of the structure. If I wanted to show people what a Windmill looks like this would be the image.
Now #2 has something special in it for me. It looks sinister and overbearing along the lines of the Ammityville horror house.
It is big and imposing and I think given the right PP treatment could become something else all together.
I could see the bird as a gargoyle, teeming rain etc etc or perhaps this is just my vivid imagination.
Anyway you have produce a good image because it has made me think not just look.
Well done

[gregj1763]

Something like what I had in mind, just couldn't find a gargoyle

[Dave Humphries]

Raymond - where do you feel it needs more contrast? In pic 2 I could darken the shadows to make them more prominent but it may make the pic seem too fake, with a cloudy background and strong shadows. I'm interested in your thoughts.

Well, I'm not Raymond, but in terms of Contrast, both shots appear to fall significantly short of a decent white, regardless of the darker end of the contrast scale.

Have a look at histogram of them; mine shows luminance values of 237 (of 255 max). I wonder if your monitor is too bright Simon, and 'encourages' you to under cook things?

UPDATE:
#1; if mine I'd have cropped some off right hand side, about one panel's worth of the platform.
#2; the composition works for the symmetry and shadows as you've observed, however, I'd be tempted to rotate it clockwise, so the mill's timber is parallel to the top/bottom of frame.

HTH, Dave

[dje]

Simon I do prefer the composition of the first shot and it's overall appearance. It's a very effective shot IMO, irrespective of whether or not you class it as a "tourist" shot.

Dave

[ionian]

Dave H - thanks for that explanation, I confess to often doing things by eye in a rush when processing. I need to make sure this sort of check is a part of my work flow. Also noted about your other suggestions, I'll have a look at these shortly.

[zen]

It's knowing what the final image is going to look like at the time you capture the photo that's the important thing. The capture may indeed be pretty 'ordinary', but if you know what it's going to look like once you've produced the final image, then that is what matters.

Clearly you have to get some things right at the time of capture - Composition; Exposure. But clicking the shutter is just the end of the first part of making an image.

Well said, Donald. Straight from the Ansel Adams play book as several of us learned well earlier this year.

Zen

[bnnrcn]

I like the shooting angle in #1, good choice for a BnW conversion

[ionian]

Taking into account some of Dave's helpful suggestions, do you feel this has improved it or have I overdone the contrast now?

[dje]

Hi Simon

I actually liked the first version but do concede it was perhaps a bit flat. To my eyes, you have gone a bit far with the contrast in your second version, but it's a matter of personal taste I suppose. One suggestion is to take your first image and apply a Levels adjustment with the "white point" wound down from 255 to about 215-220. This will bring the whites up without overdoing it.

Dave

Dave