Late night voyeurism

[Marie Hass]

Working very late this evening and stopped on the way home to indulge in a bit of late night voyeurism.



Please comment on composition, conversion and anything else that needs tending to.

Marie

[Donald]

Please comment on composition, conversion and anything else that needs tending to.

I don't think there's anything needs tending to. I think that a very good social documentary image of urban living. The conversion to B & W is great, with good strong tones and the exposure has been nailed perfectly. Nope, one to be pretty pleased with, I'd say.

[Dovrob]

Agree with Donald, all including the intreging title well done. Mu only very small niggle is that while the left hand side is nicely framed with the wall, the right hand looks crudely cut by the site.

Well done overall though

[Shadowman]

Would be complete if we knew what she was eating.
Very nice.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Marie,

Picking up on David's thought, perhaps I might suggest a bit of perspective correction - to get the window frames vertical?

Good effort, none-the-less,

[chauncey]

The crop/perspective comments, while true, don't detract from it being a nice image.

[Marie Hass]

Thanks guys. I will give a more thoughtful reply when I have one. At the moment, we are heading to Maryland to welcome our first grand baby.

[Marie Hass]

David, you had a good thought, and I debated on whether to post the closer up image or the one where I was lurking out by the petrol pumps. I ended up posting the first image. But now that I am back in town, I processed the second image.



Please tell me what you think? Which do you all prefer? Dave H. - I did do some perspective correction and this image still has a bit of torque. Sorry.

Marie

[Dave Humphries]

Dave H. - I did do some perspective correction and this image still has a bit of torque. Sorry.

Hi Marie,

As you say, it still has a bit of a twist, but you have it level along the lower edge, where it matters most and, as has been pointed out, not everyone even notices such things.

At the risk of you feeling the need to post yet another version of the second image (and you don't), I would have cropped, or better still cloned out, the white/black triangular thing peeking into frame on left (I bet you knew I'd say that), arguably the same could be said for the electrical cable lower left (as it leads the eye out of frame), but by now we're getting into the area of changing reality and since the shot is documentary in style, and those sockets/cables are so ubiquitous outside these types of emporium, perhaps that's best left alone.

I really like the second version, mainly because there's also the guy with his back to the window also watching the woman eating.
I do wonder about whether you need so much concrete/building above the window, perhaps a more panoramic crop is suggested, but I might leave both sides as they are; again the bin is an integral part of these places.

That said; in the first image, your framing gives more focus on the people (than the place) and having seen the guy with his back to the window, I also considered a crop with just the left most four window panes in, so we get him too.


I see you are using Photoshop CS5.1, I am fairly certain, as you shot RAW, that in ACR you could have applied lens profile correction for your Canon 24-105mm L, I believe this would have dealt with some of curvature we still see, which would have made the subsequent tilt, then perspective correction more successful.

The above is written based on two assumptions; that the window is flat and that you didn't already use the lens profile correction (or perhaps had the amount mis-set?).

I recently enrolled in Lynda.com and have been learning Photoshop myself, if you've never tried on-line videos before, I have found it far more useful seeing (and hearing) things being done than reading about them in books (although the latter have a place too as quick reference sources).

At least I now know what is possible (if done in correct order), and how easily it can be done (if you know how (and I didn't until this week!)).

Hope that helps,

[Marie Hass]

Dave, thank you for commenting. I shamelessly admit that I did not think of applying lens correction for this image, and now that you have suggested it, I will. I dinked around with free transform and free transform perspective to attempt to straighten. I do shoot RAW, and I also save as TIFF files, so I can try again. I actually used some of the NIK filters and then finished in Alien Skin, Exposure 4. It has settings for a ton of B&W film effects.

A reply to your other comments - I am not sure that cloning out the wire or the tip of the sign would alter the image significantly, nor would the crops you suggested. Now, if I were to populate the sub shop with more people, that would be different.

Thanks again. I will have another play with this. I will also look at lynda.com.

Marie

[Dovrob]

Marie, Sorry for taking a bit of time to reply, but looking nat the 2 shots I love them. I call myself a "happy snapper", I take pictures to please myself and when other's comment on them I'm pleased, but only I know what was going through my mind at the time I took the shot.
Dave H and other has delivered some excellent advice and we all can learn, one of the joys of this site. Sometimes though its good to embrace the imperfections in our shots and accept that's how it is.
Hopefully this doesn't sound like rambling nonsense, past my bedtime haha, but I look forward to seeing your photos.

[Marie Hass]

Thanks David.

I regularly post on Flickr. I also post some shots on 500PX.

http://500px.com/mariehass

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariehphotos/

Marie

[Rob Ekins]

Some stunning images in your flickr and 500px stream Marie.

Robbie.

[Marie Hass]

Thanks Robbie. I am honored by your comment.

This is for Dave H.



Marie

[Dave Humphries]

Awwww, you really didn't have to Marie

Well it works better for me (and you certainly fixed the various 'geometric' issues well), however, I am but one person, the more pertinent question is - what do you think of it?

[Marie Hass]

Dave,

I actually like the symmetry of this new image better. The way I have cropped it creates a frame that does not detract from the central image. Remembering to use lens correction took all the frustration out of adjusting the image.

I am putting together a display of black and whites to hang at the local community college. This one will be included.

Marie

[Donald]

I prefer the composition of the original (first) post. Particularly, I think, because there is much more in the way of people interest; i.e. different groupings/arrangements of people, with them in different poses. I think the first one takes us right into the scene, whereas the second one is more distant, as if we're looking into something from afar.

[Marie Hass]

Dear Donald,

Would you consider this one, then? What appeals to me about this one, is I am peering right in the window and the tension exists, as in the original image that I posted, that I will be discovered. The image is divided by 3rd's, and also by 6th and 9th's - thus visually pleasing.



Would you prefer this crop, or the original? Or each for its own reasons? I am having a hard time picking a favorite.

Marie

[Donald]

Would you consider this one, then?

The only way I've been able to make that judgement has been to save both images and then flick between the two to make a comparison.

This latest version is not so sharp and doesn't 'pop' in the same way as the original. I can absolutely see the thinking as to how the final image is presented - right in there, etc. But I prefer how you finished the original. It's got an energy that I think this latest one doesn't have, because of that final sharpening and the greater contrast.

[Marie Hass]

Let me think on what you have said. I will get back with you.

Marie