Laid in waiting

[Dave Humphries]

Hi all,

Walking past this restaurant beside the Thames in Eton, I was struck by the sunlit tables, all laid ready, but without diners (it was 07:59 in the morning though!).


Canon S100 at 5.2mm: 24mm (FFE) (but cropped), 1/320s, f/4, iso80, EC -1 (20120325_0462_ed1)
Hit Kbd F11 and click image to see at 1,236px × 1,000px

It was shot through their window, I had to be careful to exclude the sunlit building behind me from reflecting in the glass, but I still had to clone a little out.

I'm just not sure I really pulled it off, is there enough obvious subject here to hold your attention?
Conversely, is it just too 'busy'?
I'm not sure about the title either, but it seemed appropriate to my warped mind at the time.

This is a P52 'reject' because it doesn't fit the main theme I have planned for Week 14, hence a separate thread to explore your feelings about it. I was obviously subconciously pleased with it as a capture though, because it was the first one I chose to develop/PP and it's a departure from my normal fayre.

My thanks for viewing and (hopefully) commenting.

Cheers,

[blakemcguire]

I don't think it looks too busy at all, in fact I quite like the way it repeats. The tables almost form an S curve, even.

[Daisy Mae]

Hi Dave.

I really like it's clean calm elegance and the lead through lines. I can imagine time lapse pictures of it during the day as it fills up with people and noise but for now it is poised on the brink of its day and there is a real sense of expectation and pride.

Contact them and ask how much they will pay you to feature it in their advertising

[Dave Humphries]

I don't think it looks too busy at all, in fact I quite like the way it repeats. The tables almost form an S curve, even.

Thanks Blake,

Yes they do, don't they.

[Dave Humphries]

I really like it's clean calm elegance and the lead through lines. I can imagine time lapse pictures of it during the day as it fills up with people and noise but for now it is poised on the brink of its day and there is a real sense of expectation and pride.

Thanks Sharon, it is quite convenient that standing outside puts your head at the same height it would be if inside sitting at a table inside, plus they have one near the window

Contact them and ask how much they will pay you to feature it in their advertising

Hah, I expect they'd like it more with some customers and staff in, and all the sets of french doors open onto their balcony and showing more of the river (which is just visible through railings outside on the right).

Cheers,

[dje]

I think you've pulled it off very well indeed Dave. Are you sure this was shot through a window ?? You would never know just looking at it.

I like the lighting and the sense of depth in this image.

Dave

[Bobobird]

You guys expecting anything less from Dave?

The top most window in the right corner could do with a bit of re-work though. The brightness maybe or the contrast? Not good at this but it does distract me somewhat.

[Carl in Louisiana]

Beautiful. I love the way the light played through the windows on the glasses, tables and columns, even making it back to the table on the far left. It make for such a clean shot.

[arith]

It is very nice; a posh place for posh people.

[happy2bme]

It makes me feel as if I'm there, waiting to serve the elegant people who will come in the door. Don't know why I picture myself as a server, possibly the pride in the setting? It's a beautiful picture, full of expectation.

[beckyhumphries]

Hi

The shot flows really nicely with the arches, light and wine glasses leading you into the restaurant. You would never tell this was taken through a window, it looks like you are sitting at the lead table.

Well done on a great picture, and nice to see something different but of such a high quality. It looks like a professional has taken it and like something out of a magazine.

Thanks, Rebecca

[MrB]

Dave,

After all the comments so far, I hope you won't mind if I mention two points, both of which might come under the category of 'A matter of personal taste'.

Firstly, the dynamic range of the scene must have been very wide, extending from the bright sunlight reflected by the white tablecloths and napkins to the dark furniture, etc., in the room. I presume you have exposed so as not to blow the highlights (EC -1), so the camera has made the rest of the scene darker. But, with so much sun streaming in, it is reasonable to suggest that the eyes would see the room a little brighter, so for me, lifting the shadows slightly would improve the image. Secondly, as the lighting was provided by the early morning low sun, for me the image would be even better with a slightly warmer white balance.

Final thoughts - if anyone (particularly anyone inside) saw you taking this shot, I wonder what they would have been thinking of you, with your camera close up to the window?! However, this was indeed a brilliant idea, and it has resulted in a great composition with an amazing depth of field at f4 from the S100's small sensor. It might be described as a busy image, but so what - for me the restaurant is the subject and it is the wealth of shapes and details that makes it so interesting.

Philip

[Dave Humphries]

I think you've pulled it off very well indeed Dave. Are you sure this was shot through a window ?? You would never know just looking at it.

I like the lighting and the sense of depth in this image.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Yes, I'm sure, although I agree, it has 'scrubbed up' quite well

I have almost taken this shot before passing the window, but this day, as you recognise, the lighting was just right.

Cheers,

[Dave Humphries]

You guys expecting anything less from Dave?

The top most window in the right corner could do with a bit of re-work though. The brightness maybe or the contrast? Not good at this but it does distract me somewhat.

Hi Bobo,

You're too kind.

I did give that window a click or two with the burn tool, maybe one more was needed?

The uncropped shot has absolute proof it was through a window (and not even level )



Also shows how much I cropped down to get the composition shown with far less of the windows on right and without the barrel distortion around the edges, although CS5 corrected most of that.

I knew at 24mm, if the camera wasn't level, I'd have problems with perspective, I think you can see I did a pretty good job at that. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen how much reflection of building site there was across that top arch. I tried cloning over it, but it just wasn't good enough, so I had to crop more off the top than intended, which brought the image to a place where it was pointing up a bit and so I did have to perspective correct afterall - in addition to rotating it.

Thanks,

[Dave Humphries]

Beautiful. I love the way the light played through the windows on the glasses, tables and columns, even making it back to the table on the far left. It make for such a clean shot.

Thanks Carl,

It is very nice; a posh place for posh people.

That explains why I've never eaten there Steve

It makes me feel as if I'm there, waiting to serve the elegant people who will come in the door. Don't know why I picture myself as a server, possibly the pride in the setting? It's a beautiful picture, full of expectation.

Yes - the 'expectation' of the laid, but empty, restaurant/hotell dining room is something I have wanted to capture for a while.

Another one I want to get sometime is that feeling of "hotel breakfast" you get when you're going to work on a weekday (and life for thousands is going on all around), and yet spied through the window are the "hotel breakfast people", lifted from their normal personal humdrum into the 'extra-ordinary' life of hotel life for a day or two. Know what I mean?

The shot flows really nicely with the arches, light and wine glasses leading you into the restaurant. You would never tell this was taken through a window, it looks like you are sitting at the lead table.

Well done on a great picture, and nice to see something different but of such a high quality. It looks like a professional has taken it and like something out of a magazine.

Thanks, you can see the capture above in Bobo's reply.

Amazing what can be done with a RAW capable P&S
(and playing to its strengths)

I only took the one shot of the scene too.
I guess I could re-shoot, but feel I'd get little improvement on this, perhaps shot an inch or so higher to get the full foreground place setting would help.

Thank you all for the comments,

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Philip,

After all the comments so far, I hope you won't mind if I mention two points, both of which might come under the category of 'A matter of personal taste'.

Not at all

I presume you have exposed so as not to blow the highlights (EC -1)

Yep - well actually a balance; the windows blew, but I knew that didn't matter - no sky detail outside I wanted. Additionally, speculars on glasses and some small areas of the table cloth and napkin also blew.

Firstly, the dynamic range of the scene must have been very wide, extending from the bright sunlight reflected by the white tablecloths and napkins to the dark furniture, etc., in the room.

Yes, although because shot through the window, it falsely leveled off the lower end of the range of tones somewhat higher than ideal and hiding dark interior details that were in shadow.

~ so the camera has made the rest of the scene darker. But, with so much sun streaming in, it is reasonable to suggest that the eyes would see the room a little brighter, so for me, lifting the shadows slightly would improve the image. Secondly, as the lighting was provided by the early morning low sun, for me the image would be even better with a slightly warmer white balance.

I did try lightening the mid-tones, this was as far as I could go - it began to look rather odd, with no detail below a certain brightness threshold. I hope I stopped in just the right place.

Secondly, as the lighting was provided by the early morning low sun, for me the image would be even better with a slightly warmer white balance.

Possibly - in ACR; I did sample on several areas of the image to view different balances before deciding; e.g. sunlit napkin/tablecloth and same in shadow, plus presets, I felt this balance looked best, but as you say, this is verging on personal taste. Looking back at ACR now, I 'Custom' set this (by sampling something we'd expect to be white) at 4550K and +31 tint.

Thanks for making me go back and re-assess decisions, it has been instructive.

See also my reply to Bobo above, it has the capture in, which may explain a few more issues I faced.

Cheers,

[ChrisH]

Dave - this I looks to me like the "House on the Bridge".

[Dave Humphries]

Dave - this I looks to me like the "House on the Bridge".

Yes, I was struggling to remember the name, but I think you're correct

[ChrisH]

We had our wedding reception there 35 years ago next Friday week.