Weihnachtmarkt (Christmas Market) C&C

[TheBigE]

All,

It is has been a while since I posted something for C&C. Frankly, just not enough time ro subject material over the last couple of months....that was until the Weihnachtmarkt Season started last week.

I went out last night with the goal to try and find the "different" shots and work on my Night Time Photography without a Tripod. I tried keeping ISO at 1600 and mostly this worked.

I appreciate any feedback on Composition or PP on these few that are my favorite.

Thanks

1. Foreboding Castile - As night sets upon, I thought this was good and added some heavy contrast with Tone Curve to bring out the Foreboding Mode. f/2.2 ISO 800 1/40s


2. A bit busy, but nice colors and addition of castle, again with the castle on the hill. f/2.5 ISO 1600 1/50s


3. Decorations atop the booths. f/2.2 ISO 1600 1/80s


4. I guess I wanted this one to be my favorite, but just does not tell enough of a story. Perhaps I needed to focus on something more that said Christmas. f/2.2 ISO600 1/320s


Any feedback is welcome. Thanks

Erik

[Shadowman]

Nice efforts.

[Wavelength]

Nice night images; the buildings are leaning somewhat... How about taking a trimmed out close up of the hill station building from the first image?

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Erik,

I think they'd be more impressive if you could link from larger versions at SmugMug, to allow better viewing in LyteBox.

Fortunately, I discovered how to get one a bit bigger (1024 wide instead of your 600);



If you're agreeable; either you, or I, could Edit your initial post and substitute "/M/" with "/XL/" (in the URLs) to 'upgrade' them all.


Personal experience - I have to say, your first two shots encapsulate my memories of Germany; wet with clouds descending the mountains - and I went in summer! (admittedly this was some 40+ years ago though) After all, an Englishman complaining about rain in another country is somewhat 'ironic', to say the least


Let me provide some more useful feedback (having viewed them much larger in your SmugMug album).

#1 - if mine, in PP, I'd have done a slight clockwise rotation to even up the leaning verticals on each side of shot, then applied some minor perspective correction. These two actions would result in the lit area on right hand foreground building being cropped out of the image - this needed to go since it attracts the viewers eye and doesn't usefully contribute.

All said and done, if the subject was the foreboding castle, why did you focus on the foreground buildings? (I think they are sharper)

#2 - either at time of shooting I would have framed up, or cropped in PP, to excluded that santa and large red box on the right hand side, a crop now would also exclude the car and door mirror.

#3 - is OK as it is, if I had to name one thing, I might trim a little off the left hand edge, and I might do some (not all) perspective correction, ok that was two things (sorry), because really the perspective isn't a problem (which is why I wouldn't make the background buildings stand vertically for this shot).

#4 - I think this needs to be a simpler composition, it is just too busy, the three large blobs (foreground lights) overpower the others, then we're not sure whether to look at the strings of lights, which are sharp, or the lit stall façade behind. Not to mention the lit interior of the stall on left which is creeping in to the picture.

I hope that's all helpful, Dave

[TheBigE]

All - Thanks for your replies. Sorry I have not responded, as it has been a busy couple of weeks.

Hi Erik, I think they'd be more impressive if you could link from larger versions at SmugMug, to allow better viewing in LyteBox....If you're agreeable; either you, or I, could Edit your initial post and substitute "/M/" with "/XL/" (in the URLs) to 'upgrade' them all.

Done and upgraded, new interface with SmugMUG and could not remember how i have done it in the past. Thanks for the reminder.

Personal experience - I have to say, your first two shots encapsulate my memories of Germany; wet with clouds descending the mountains - and I went in summer! (admittedly this was some 40+ years ago though) After all, an Englishman complaining about rain in another country is somewhat 'ironic', to say the least


Let me provide some more useful feedback (having viewed them much larger.....

#1 - if mine, in PP, I'd have done a slight clockwise rotation to even up the leaning verticals on each side of shot, then applied some minor perspective correction. These two actions would result in the lit area on right hand foreground building being cropped out of the image - this needed to go since it attracts the viewers eye and doesn't usefully contribute.

All said and done, if the subject was the foreboding castle, why did you focus on the foreground buildings? (I think they are sharper)

Good point, now that I look at it closer the castle is not truly in focus. I need to work on getting the focus point on the right spot. I typically use a center point focus and maybe that needs to be more in an area of contrast on the plane in which I want in focus. This continues to be one of my achilles heals. Hard for me to focus in Manual (eyesight not the best...another story that I hope is remidied in January with surgery), so I rely much on Autofocus.

#2 - either at time of shooting I would have framed up, or cropped in PP, to excluded that santa and large red box on the right hand side, a crop now would also exclude the car and door mirror.

Thanks again, did not even notice the car door mirror. I think there is something here, but still average snapshot.

#3 - is OK as it is, if I had to name one thing, I might trim a little off the left hand edge, and I might do some (not all) perspective correction, ok that was two things (sorry), because really the perspective isn't a problem (which is why I wouldn't make the background buildings stand vertically for this shot).

Thanks, looking back on this photo...again not super impressed with my work. It is as you say...OK.

#4 - I think this needs to be a simpler composition, it is just too busy, the three large blobs (foreground lights) overpower the others, then we're not sure whether to look at the strings of lights, which are sharp, or the lit stall façade behind. Not to mention the lit interior of the stall on left which is creeping in to the picture.

I really wanted something here, but nothing. No story to be told....but I tried.

I hope that's all helpful, Dave

It did help and opened my eyes a bit more to some significant improvements that could be made on the above photos.

Thanks again!!!