Late Preperation

[escape]

I need help figuring out how to handle this image. While posting it, I thought of cloning the moon out. I always thought it was an essential part of the image, but now, it is less critical. I also tried tight crops of the subject. I would like to hear your thoughts
on cropping and anything else. Technically, it could be better. I did tone down the group of bright lights in the dark area as much as possible.
.

[Manfred M]

I can see why you took this shot. There is a lot of interesting material here and as you have noted, there are some technical issues; noise in the sky is quite noticeable, the mixed light gives the man a rather orange skin tone and he is definitely not quite sharp.

The bright area to the camera right of the man are really distracting and draw far too much attention. That area really needs to be rebuilt through cloning or AI assisted fill. The man is unfortunately too close to the edge of the frame, looking the wrong way. Without the moon, the image would have a completely different dynamic and I suspect removing it will take away more impact than leaving it in place.

A bit of dodging and burning never hurts.

If you open either image up in Lightbox mode and use the arrows to toggle back and forth, the changes I made are more apparent. I used Topaz for noise reduction and sharpness improvements.

[Geoff F]

Cropping away about half of the right side and a similar amount from the top would overcome the issue of the man looking the wrong way and create a totally different scene.

I'm not saying it would be better, but something to consider. It depends on your original intention with this scene.

[escape]

I can see why you took this shot. There is a lot of interesting material here and as you have noted, there are some technical issues; noise in the sky is quite noticeable, the mixed light gives the man a rather orange skin tone and he is definitely not quite sharp.

The bright area to the camera right of the man are really distracting and draw far too much attention. That area really needs to be rebuilt through cloning or AI assisted fill. The man is unfortunately too close to the edge of the frame, looking the wrong way. Without the moon, the image would have a completely different dynamic and I suspect removing it will take away more impact than leaving it in place.

A bit of dodging and burning never hurts.

If you open either image up in Lightbox mode and use the arrows to toggle back and forth, the changes I made are more apparent. I used Topaz for noise reduction and sharpness improvements.

Now thats an improvement. Will follow your sugestions. Thank you, Manfred, much appreciated.

[escape]

Cropping away about half of the right side and a similar amount from the top would overcome the issue of the man looking the wrong way and create a totally different scene.

I'm not saying it would be better, but something to consider. It depends on your original intention with this scene.

Hi Geff. I tried that crop and others, but none worked for me. I now I believe the image should stay as it is with additional processing, as suggested by Manfred.

I think in this image, the subject not looking into the frame is a plus. His head is tilted down so you are not being led out of the frame as you might normaly expect. This may offer an element of tension to the subject. Just my thinking or overthinking at the moment. Thank you, Geoff

[The amateur]

My editing of the image is definitely lacking in terms of the absence of suitable software, to remove the noise.

However, in the meantime, I've increased the amount of light on the person essentially enhancing the existing illumination.
I've also touched up some minor points here and there, like a part of a window appearing on the right side. I softened the distant area and removed the white line that was descending towards the subject's hand, which seemed odd at first glance.

Maybe this description is a bit condensed... sorry

On the other hand, the lack of sharpness or perfect focus doesn't bother me much because it's not crucial for the proper perception of the image and its framing.
I tend to be overly concerned about technical aspects that may or may not enhance the image, but different situations call for different approaches. This is one of those cases.

[escape]

Lovely work, Antonio. Those were hanging cables you removed. I have tried to correct this photo, but I lack the skills to do so. Will have to put this one back up on the shelf for now. Thank you for taking the time to create and share your rendition. Much appreciated.