Nada Playing, I Guess

[purplehaze]

I shot this outside my office building the other day with my Canon S95. If it is a bit soft, it would be due to the shutter speed, which I just now noticed was a mite slow. Still, I kind of like it as an abstract. I made a fattish S-curve in PP, to saturate the colours, and I added a contrast overlay at full strength and 70% intensity, but maybe the blacks compete with the colours? Perhaps something more subtle would be better? Feel free to let me know what you think.

ISO 80, f/8, 1/25

[RockNGoalStar]

Hi janis,

I like it and think it has great potential - it looks like a piece of modern art. Maybe you should retake it and aim to get it sharper. I'd also be interested to see how [ul=https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/forums/thread11521.htm]Jiro's Dodge & Burn Overlay Technique[/url] would boost the contrast and maybe introduce a more 3D effect instead of just using curves... ...It may work, it may not!

[Seriche]

Hi Janis

I've been looking at your image for some time, and I really like it. For myself I don't think that the blacks compete too much with the other colours at all. I think they're like a backbone holding it all together.

My eye is constantly trying to make recognisable images out of the patterns, which makes the whole thing very vibrant and alive.

Apart from Tommy's excellent suggestions, I'll be very interested to hear what others will say about this. I love abstracts, but have done very few.

Well done for spotting the potential in this

Cheers,

Seri

[MiniChris]

If you've not already applied the "Jiro" effect of adding a B&W luminosity level, you might try adding that dimension which will very much help in pushing up the 3D effect. I'd leave the relationship of the colors just as they are, especially the blacks as Seri suggests, they seem to hold things together rather than compete. I also like natural abstracts. Nice find!

[purplehaze]

Thank you, Tommy, Seri and Chris. It's good to know other people "see" like me. Unfortunately, I don't have Photoshop, so I can't works any Jiro-like magic, but I did try another approach and used local contrast enhancement (Definition in Aperture-speak) to see if it would make the image pop more. The second version obviously preserves more detail, which I find an improvement, but am curious to know what you think. I am still learning the ins and outs of my processing software, so if anyone has any Aperture 3-related tips, please don't hold back. I definitely will try to do a re-shoot when I'm able, with my D90 and the 50 mm lens.

[Wirefox]

I don't have Photoshop, so I can't works any Jiro-like magic

Janis, try using GIMP. It is all I ever use. It is open source and stable and has many, many of the features photoshop has to offer. Some say it is not as easy to use as photoshop but if you have never used photoshop it makes no odds. As for the image I really like it and it looks even better on black.

[purplehaze]

Janis, try using GIMP. It is all I ever use. It is open source and stable and has many, many of the features photoshop has to offer. Some say it is not as easy to use as photoshop but if you have never used photoshop it makes no odds. As for the image I really like it and it looks even better on black.

Hi Steve,

I looked at GIMP back when I joined this forum and first heard about it, but it looked way too daunting at the time. When I have mastered Aperture 3, I will give it another look to see what added features it might offer me, but right now I am just trying to get through the Apple Pro Training manual and the duChemin book on Lightroom, which also speaks to Aperture users.

But thanks for the positive feedback. I honestly thought I was lightyears away from doing anything that would meet with your approval, so I am feeling quite flattered. In fact, it's a good thing I had my head shaved yesterday; otherwise it would be bursting the seams of my new hats.