The ring

[leslie1283]

Is it a good idea to add some audience?

#1




#2

[Mike Buckley]

Is it a good idea to add some audience?

That depends entirely on the story you want to tell.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Leslie,I prefer B&W for this shot,because with #1, I can feel that your main subject is the rocks .There are no colours to distract and the man is looking at the main subject. #2 is a colourful picture and I don't feel the rocks as main subject.Colours are distracting from the rocks ,the man is looking at a different direction and the girl is pointing at something other than the rocks.So it seems they are not interested in the rocks.So,I quite like#1

[kdoc856]

Is it a good idea to add some audience?

If this your family, yes. If not, they are not close enough to lend any perspective to the Henge, and not interesting enough to tell a story. Frankly, short of a drone, helicopter, or special access for photography at selective times, I'm not sure how Stonehenge could be shot interestingly or uniquely. I find it a photographic conundrum, and if I ever go back, probably wont take a camera.

[MrB]

In agreement with previous posters, keep the colour one, if that is a record of your family visit. Then make another image by cropping the sky and rocks down to the tops of the heads of the outer children, clone out the blond hair of the middle child, and keep one or two of the distant visitors on the left (i.e. right of the big man's arm) to give a sense of scale. Then convert to B&W, but making a darker and contrasty image to bring out the dramatic structure of the clouds.



Philip

[Saorsa]

I like the color in general with two caveats.

1) it appears to be somewhat oversaturated. The greens look a little too green/yellow.

2) They colour of the fellows trousers is very vivid and distracts from the kids and Stonehenge.

Fortunately, he is in a position where he could be cropped completely out of the presented image with little loss.

[Shadowman]

The B & Ws are very dramatic.

[Mike Buckley]

Well done, Philip. Your revision does an excellent job of telling a very different story.

[IzzieK]

I agree with the others, Leslie -- your B/W renderings is much better for the drama you wanted to create and Philip's edit is very good too.

[Quentin88]

I prefer the B&W, the story, at least as I get it, is "a happy family visiting StoneHenge"...
With the "family" as main subject and StoneHenge as background or "second subject" (is however StoneHenge so is the mind more that the eyes than keep it as "important" and not as a simply background) and, in my opinion, is graphically interesting being full of horizzontals and verticals lines that cross eachother.
Therefore: Only StoneHenge would have been just another "picture postcard", with the "audience" instead is a more interesting story and picture =)

[leslie1283]

Thanks Mike.

[leslie1283]

Thanks for your comments. I prefer the B & W as well.

[leslie1283]

In agreement with previous posters, keep the colour one, if that is a record of your family visit. Then make another image by cropping the sky and rocks down to the tops of the heads of the outer children, clone out the blond hair of the middle child, and keep one or two of the distant visitors on the left (i.e. right of the big man's arm) to give a sense of scale. Then convert to B&W, but making a darker and contrasty image to bring out the dramatic structure of the clouds.



Philip

Very nice. Thanks Philip.

[leslie1283]

I like the color in general with two caveats.

1) it appears to be somewhat oversaturated. The greens look a little too green/yellow.

2) They colour of the fellows trousers is very vivid and distracts from the kids and Stonehenge.

Fortunately, he is in a position where he could be cropped completely out of the presented image with little loss.

Gorgeous! How come I never thought of it? Thanks Brian.

[leslie1283]

Pellegrino, thank for your helpful comments.

[leslie1283]

Thanks John.

[leslie1283]

In agreement with previous posters, keep the colour one, if that is a record of your family visit. Then make another image by cropping the sky and rocks down to the tops of the heads of the outer children, clone out the blond hair of the middle child, and keep one or two of the distant visitors on the left (i.e. right of the big man's arm) to give a sense of scale. Then convert to B&W, but making a darker and contrasty image to bring out the dramatic structure of the clouds.




Philip

Philip

How about these two, after B & W conversion?

#3



#4

[leslie1283]

Thx Isabel.

[Mike Buckley]

The compositions in both monochromes are basically nice. However, #3 has a noticeable blue tone that is less pleasing to me. Notice in #4 that you "cut the person in half" on the left side of the frame. (That's almost always a no-no.) Try cropping that side so only the four people are included. Also eliminate the two people partly visible in between the stones.

[MrB]

Philip

How about these two, after B & W conversion?

Hello again, Leslie.

I agree with all of Mike's comments in Post #19.

Cheers.
Philip