Seattle Space Needle

[MariaMaria]

Hello everyone!

I am new to C-I-C and have been a hobbyist photographer transiting into the more advanced realm of photography. I am posting a few photos from a trip to Seattle and would appreciate some (gentle) feedback . I must admit I am nervous about posting to the forum but I can't grow unless I know right So here I go!



This image was shot using a Canon T1i, AV 11, SS 1/125, 70-300mm lens, and post-processed in Lightroom. It was a very cloudy day, the sky was completely white so decided to aim for a high contrast look. I edited this file awhile ago and cannot remember exactly what I did (I know, I'll do better next time) so I'm posting the before photo as well.



Since this photo I have switched to a Nikon D7100 and no longer use the Canon these images were taken with. I am basically looking for feedback regarding ways to improve sharpness and on composition and contrast. Thank you all in advanced for your helpful feedback!

[Donald]

I must admit I am nervous about posting to the forum

I know exactly how you feel, Maria. I remember the experience well. It wasn't on this forum (good job, or I wouldn't still be here). Nobody was rude. In fact nobody was anything. Just total silence. Not the best thing for filling you with confidence!

Anyway ..............!

As far as I'm concerned that's a 'made-for-B & W' compostion and I think you've done very, very well. I always think that all the technical stuff can be learned. But the vision to 'see' an image like this is not something that you can train. You can help people develop their vision, but they've still got to be able to do that. You've got it.

[Mike Buckley]

Excellent monochrome, Maria! The straight lines nicely contrast the circular lines. The perspective is both unique and compelling. The high-contrast style you chose is a good fit.

Notice in the color version that there is good separation between the column and the sky near the bottom of the photo. Unfortunately, you lost most of that separation in the monochrome version because the narrow part immediately adjacent to the sky blends in with the sky. One solution to that is to darken the column just a tad before converting to monochrome.

You mentioned that you don't remember what you did. If you shoot RAW files and save your edited copy as a RAW file or if you shoot JPEGs and save your edited copy as a TIFF file pr a PSD (Photoshop) file, you'll also retain your edit steps. You'll never have to wonder what you did. Better yet, if you're inclined to regularly post-process photos a second time (I rarely do that), you can make minor changes without having to start over from scratch.

[flashback]

Maria,
What horrible photography is this?
If that's what you were expecting I didn't want you to be disappointed.
I think the image is great (welcome, by the way to CiC) and I agree with the Donald that it's perfect for B&W. Looking at the SOOC color shot, you have a lot of detail up in the shadows that are lost in the B&W but you should be able to recover it with a bit more PP.
Welcome to the club.

[MariaMaria]

I know exactly how you feel, Maria. I remember the experience well. It wasn't on this forum (good job, or I wouldn't still be here). Nobody was rude. In fact nobody was anything. Just total silence. Not the best thing for filling you with confidence!

Thanks Donald! Total silence would be a bit unnerving! I appreciate your feedback as well and I hope to keep growing and learning on this forum!

[MariaMaria]

You mentioned that you don't remember what you did. If you shoot RAW files and save your edited copy as a RAW file or if you shoot JPEGs and save your edited copy as a TIFF file pr a PSD (Photoshop) file, you'll also retain your edit steps. You'll never have to wonder what you did. Better yet, if you're inclined to regularly post-process photos a second time (I rarely do that), you can make minor changes without having to start over from scratch.

Thanks for the feedback Mike! That is a good tip to darken the column before converting to monochrome. I will try that! I shot the image in RAW and believed I saved it as a PSD file. My trial version of Lightroom expired now I have to fork-out the big bucks!

[MariaMaria]

Maria,
What horrible photography is this?
If that's what you were expecting I didn't want you to be disappointed.

Thanks Jack, you did not disappoint I appreciate the feedback. I will keep an eye on the shadows. I'll have to figure out how to just adjust just the shadows without affecting the rest of the photo in Lightroom, I remember having some issue with that but I'm sure I can find a Lightroom tutorial online somewhere.

[bnnrcn]

Welcome Maria, I like the composition very much

[PhotoRob]

Hi Maria, greetings from the Florida! Nice composition, and between the two I think the mono. is stronger. As for contrast I think you took this in the right direction, given how you described the sky you were working with. Sharpness is pretty good with only a little softness slightly north of the stairs. There's a sliver of light in the upper left 1/3 of the frame (right alone the top edge) that you may want to clone out (the eye is attracted to hot spots).

Well done, great post!

[MariaMaria]

Welcome Maria, I like the composition very much

Thank you very much Binnur!

[MariaMaria]

Hi Maria, greetings from the Florida! Nice composition, and between the two I think the mono. is stronger. As for contrast I think you took this in the right direction, given how you described the sky you were working with. Sharpness is pretty good with only a little softness slightly north of the stairs. There's a sliver of light in the upper left 1/3 of the frame (right alone the top edge) that you may want to clone out (the eye is attracted to hot spots).

Well done, great post!

Thank you for your comments Robert! I did not notice the sliver of light before, thanks for pointing that out! It is a little distracting.

[Scouse]

Love me, hate me, just don't ignore me...

Not to worry Maria, you have a good eye for a different type of composition. Other than a couple of "Minor" items that have been pointed out they're very good.

[MariaMaria]

Love me, hate me, just don't ignore me...

Not to worry Maria, you have a good eye for a different type of composition. Other than a couple of "Minor" items that have been pointed out they're very good.

Thank you for your feedback Ken!

[Wavelength]

I really like how differently you looked at this construction...and this was your last chance to remain nervous

By the way. i request you to change your Avatar because Shadowman is using that already and sometimes there is a chance for mistaking the poster

Regards