Escalator - Pompidou Centre, Paris

[Manfred M]

This is another one of those images that have been hanging around for some time that I was never quite happy with, so I reworked it today.

The escalators at the Pompidou Centre are attached to the building exterior and are covered in a transparent tube. I shot this at night in the rain.

[mugge]

I think this image is too bland. To my mind this image calls for more over the top processing, maybe even HDR work, which I normally dislike. Just a thought.
Cheers Ole

[Wavelength]

When somebody watches you and you know that, you are disturbed. That face at the top does the same to me. i scrolled up until the face disappeared, then watched it. I liked it

[escape]

I like the image. I agree with Nandakumar about the banners and with Ole about the processing. Maybe more high octane processing like your NYC sci-fi image. The image leads the eye to the light orb at the bottom of the escalator. For me, it is too soft to hold my attention. If the orb was say a tringle I would find it more engaging for example. Not sure what but the center point needs something in my view.

[FootLoose]

It is a pity about the advertising, especially the first one with the big bug-eye watching you. I agree with the others, the shot needs a boost.

[Manfred M]

Thanks for the comments. I will be revisiting this image and look at your suggestions.

Part of the reason it is a bit flat is that it was taken on a rainy night, so there is a mix of ambient light in the escalator tube, a bit comping in from outdoor street lighting, but that's about it.

I'm prepping this image as a print, so I am watching the contrast so that it will come out well in that medium. I can certainly be a bit more aggressive in the digital image during output prep. I will also look at what to do with the top advertising sign with the face.

[Geoff F]

Just a different thought about that face. Crop slightly tighter from the left side and bottom to make more of a feature about the face.

[Manfred M]

Just a different thought about that face. Crop slightly tighter from the left side and bottom to make more of a feature about the face.

That is an approach, but I'm fairly certain I don't want to make that the place I want the viewer's eyes to go. There's nothing to engage with there other than the advertisement.

Rather, I want to push the viewer down the centre to the area at the bottom of the escalator and then have the viewer come back up and out.

[Manfred M]

This is the SOOC image. There are too many hot spots and I want to calm those down so that I can guide the viewer through the scene.

[Dave Humphries]

I like the composition Manfred,

I spent some time switching between the two versions in LyteBox, between processed (1) and SOOC (2).

If I'm brutally honest, I am not sure the toning down of the roof (frames and top, centre glazing) has succeeded*, I mostly prefer SOOC for the top half of the shot, although the escalators and loss of the offset warning sign, do work better in processed version.

* they have gone 'grey', this is a problem I often encounter when processing similar highlights, to the extent that I now usually accept them, or deal with them by other means. In this case, I'd do what you did to the glass, but I'd leave the frames pretty much as they are.

HTH,
Dave

[Magicdrshoon]

I love images like this! Although this would need to be more symetrical for it to work for me (crop some from the left).

I prefer the processed version.