1st time edit RAW Image by DPP. Need Seniors advice

[sachinpt]

Canon EOS 500D, Lens 18-55mm
f/8, shutter speed 30, ISO/100

[rpcrowe]

Quite a nice shot!

I would recommend straightening the image a bit by making the closest tower of the Tower Bridge perpindicular. Then I would crop the bottom of the image a bit to the top of the pier or quaywall (whatever that is at the bottom left of the image. I would also crop a tad bit off the sky....

[Polar01]

Sachin: never been there would like to go there. Here is your problem as I see it. I know that this is going to sound funny, but your are overexposed for what you need. As there is a lot of area that is dark as you try to bring the detail out in these, those area that are bright will only blow out more. The sky is very orange, if you work the sliders you can bring that down, however you will lose that colour in other areas. In the future I suggest that you shoot, I would go F11 or F16, then bracket a number of shots 30sec, 15sec, 8sec, 4sec, 2sec. Remember in RAW you can work up to 4 exposures either way, I would not suggest that far, maybe 2 to 2.5 exposures at most. You could use two exposures and layer them to get your image or once you get the RAW image looking good open it as a smart layer if your progam will let you then make a duplicate by way of a smart layer then you can go back into each layer and twick in RAW and they used masks . If you have an image at even 8 seconds you maybe able to create an better image. Night shots are very hard to get, again nice location, if you can try to get some in the future at different shutter speeds. All the best

Cheers:

Allan

[Richard Donham]

Sachin, love the scene, and I agree, quite a nice shot. Makes me think it has been too long since I was there. Anyway, I agree with Allan, but not sure that DPP has the ability to work with layers--if it does, I haven't found it. It is a pretty fundamental, easy to use, RAW converter, and I bet you can take some of the orange out of the sky with the tone curve adjustment function. I find night photos hard, have to keep in mind the need to bracket extensively.

[sachinpt]

Thanks Richard/Allan/Richard

Just 2 months before i start using my 1st DSLR and this was my 1st pic using new tripod and 1st RAW also.
Is it possible to upload RAW image here, because still i dont know details about colour combination and more about editing. That day weather was so cloudy may be because of that sky looks orange in colour or its my mistake about overexopsed.

Now I got some more interest in photography after click these photos and more because of your advise.

Thanks again.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Sachin,

I think the image has great potential, but there are a few things that I think are "sub-optimal"

1. There's all kinds of colours competing for the eyes attention

2. I think the image would benefit from a tighter crop

3. I think it needs a bit of sharpening.

Hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty of applying my above comments to a quick edit for you ... (Click on image for larger version)

[sachinpt]

Colin really thanks,

I am so happy to see this B&W image. Please reply how to upload RAW pic here. I upload it for you and other seniors and please change it as you want.

[Manfred M]

While I agree with the crop suggestions, I find that the colours themselves are quite interesting. The black and white certainly simplifies the oveall image; but that is not the only approach you could take.

Your orange sky is a result of your white balance setting / conversion; it looks along the lines of what one would get shooting a daylight colour temperature setting under tungsten lighting. Orange skies are pretty common in shots taken around sunset.

With all of the artificial lighting in the scene, you have all kinds of different colour temperature sources coming together and competing, hence all of the funky colours we see here. I've never used DPP, as I don't have a Canon camera, and in general use Adobe Camera RAW when working with raw images. I will play with the colour temperature slider until I get a look that I like; with a shot like this, there is no right or wrong answer for the "correct" colour temperature. Just use what you find most pleasing.

[rambler4466]

This is a nice view, but I am wondering about the composition. Cropping off the left side as was done in the B&W helps to eliminate some distracting elements. The main subject is the bridge, so I would really try to bring out the detail of the towers as much as possible, because I find them interesting. I think the B&W brought out more detail with the second tower. As Polar suggested you need to overexpose to bring out these details, then combine that with an underexposure to help tone down the bright lights. There are two very bright buildings on the right side that are too bright and distract us from the bridge. Our eyes naturally are drawn to bright areas. Notice how the bright lights on that one building have washed out detail. I wonder next time you are there is you could recomposed to maybe leave out those very bright buildings on the right. Again, for me the black and white works nicely, because those bright building on the right side are not nearly so bright.
Would it help to move a bit further away and them zoom back in closer?

Before the crop I notice the bridge lights starting to swing upwards, is there a nice curving line to include by shifting the view more to the left?, but avoiding the railing that appears in the lower left?

I am thinking of a similar night scene that I return to in Boston overlooking water at the city scape. I am having the issue of trying to tone down the very bright lights that overwhelm the scene.

You might try to really keep the bridge as the center piece, zoom in tighter. The B&W crop shows that you do not need all of the curving cables to be included. You do not need them to be reaching all the way down. It might work on the other side, too. It is the less is more idea about composition. Just like with daytime landscapes, it is often better not to try to include too much.

Your colors are great, but the sky although an interesting tone, does look out of place.

I have just recently started to photograph Boston nights and find just the reflections on the water softened by slow shutter speeds are very interesting. Look at the reflected light in the river of your image.

You might ask yourself, "What does the right side of the image away from the bridge add to the image?" "Is it an important part of the image and what I am interested in showing?"

What happens if all of the buildings on the right side are cropped out so that just the blue lights of the bridge structure are included?

[Colin Southern]

Colin really thanks,

I am so happy to see this B&W image. Please reply how to upload RAW pic here. I upload it for you and other seniors and please change it as you want.

Hi Sachin,

You're welcome.

To get a RAW file to us, pop along to www.mediafire.com and create an account ... you can upload the file to your own space there, and then post the download link for us.

[sachinpt]

hello,

Thanks colin and friends. I upload 1 RAW file in my new thread.........
RAW pic here, Request to seniors edit it & please share your skills for new students

Please check it.

[Polar01]

This is going to be fun, I have never been to London, so lets see what I come up with. I have a feeling that this is going to take a couple of days or so for me. Let the games begin.

Cheers:

Allan

[sachinpt]

http://www.mediafire.com/?2egaswzks0609dh

Same link is in my new thread......

RAW pic here, Request to seniors edit it & please share your skills for new students