Comments please: Dark Statue with Clear Sky

[Disles1]

Hello, I would appreciate comments on improving this type of photo. It was taken in Italy with a handheld Canon S3 IS (6 megapixels) using the zoom to get close. I don't know how to obtain the EXIF data so can't remember the camera settings. It was probably taken at about 2pm or thereabouts - in May - so the lighting was quite strong.



Thanks for looking. Ken

[Mike Buckley]

When capturing that kind of photo, take the same considerations into account as when you are capturing a portrait. That's because all of the details are so similar to photographing a person. That would be true even if the statue was not of a person. So, a better situation is to photograph the statue when the light is diffuse. There are no clouds in the sky, so the light is the opposite of diffuse.

[bnnrcn]

It seems good even if the ligthing was strong Ken.But I would try different shots from different angles ,this image looks a kind of flat.I think there is a flying bird at the upper right side,I would erase it with PP.

[loosecanon]

A little fill flash just to put detail into the shadows without killing them - about the only use the little flash on a camera has.

[Disles1]

A little fill flash just to put detail into the shadows without killing them - about the only use the little flash on a camera has.

Unfortunately I was too far away for fill flash.

[Disles1]

It seems good even if the ligthing was strong Ken.But I would try different shots from different angles ,this image looks a kind of flat.I think there is a flying bird at the upper right side,I would erase it with PP.

Binnur, those are two good points. I thought about removing the bird and taking shots from different angles would be a good idea. I have to train myself - especially when walking about on vacation - to take some time to explore options rather than grabbing a shot that I see. In this case my wife and I were heading away from the basilica (in Assisi) towards town when I spotted the statue. It was in an inconvenient spot (over a wall on a hillside) to really explore but even so, I could have taken some extra time to see if I could improve my position. I suppose I was "in a hurry."

[Geoff F]

A lower shooting angle may have been worth trying, Ken. But for me the rider's pose makes variations difficult to achieve.

Because he is 'looking downward' it would be difficult to show his face and still have a good angle on the horse. Possibly a fractionally tighter crop on the right side, and maybe the top as well, or use a different size ratio?

So all in all, this shot has worked out reasonably well.

[Disles1]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

[Stagecoach]

Ken,

For info the shot was taken at 1/500s, f5, FL 30.2mm, Pattern metering.

As for improvement regarding the image taken, the shadow area on this shot can easily be pulled out with some basic post processing if wanted.

One option of a number would have been to take the image from a lower position looking up but of course this depends upon access and time available.

As a general comment, pretty good image quality from your camera.

Grahame

[JBW]

When capturing that kind of photo, take the same considerations into account as when you are capturing a portrait. That's because all of the details are so similar to photographing a person. That would be true even if the statue was not of a person. So, a better situation is to photograph the statue when the light is diffuse. There are no clouds in the sky, so the light is the opposite of diffuse.

As people keep pointing out to me background is crucial. I might have eliminated the flying thing top right. i have no way of proving the following statement but might a slightly more or even radically more head on shot have worked better?

[Geoff F]

I did think that I would have liked to see a few light and fluffy clouds in the sky. However, I don't know about Ken's abilities but my attempts at conjuring them up when required, have been dismal failures.

But there is a gently fading gradient of the blue area which does help to produce a little bit of background variation.