A Museum Shot

[Celso Bressan]

I was recently part on a Photography course where the students were asked to produce various pictures including some of a museum and then show them to everybody. The instructor would then make comments on them. All my pictures got some positive or negative comment but this one, in particular, was just ignored: neither the instructor nor the students said anything about it even though it was displayed for some time.

This is a HDR that, according to my own opinion, is quite technical but lacking some "life". Could it be the reason why it was solemnly ignored?

Thanks.

[MiniChris]

For me, it's just too busy...everywhere. The perspective leans in and out in a rather unnatural way and there isn't any one specific point of focus. My eye wanders hither, thither and fro. your tonality is okay and angle is fun and has that nice uplifting feel but it is uplifting to nothing in particular. I might have picked one object or person as a focal point and worked the lobby area around that focus.

[Celso Bressan]

Thanks!

My initial thought was to darken some areas. Intuitively, I was "de-busying" it, I guess. I will close the case by considering it a nice and educational exercise and relegate it to the folds of some Umbral Grotto...

[MiniChris]

If you can someday, go back and shoot it without people from three or four other angles and if possible, intorduce one person to the scene and position them as it suits yout photographic interest..then add another and another until it begins to get that cluttered/staged look...position the people in a manner which affords the greatest focusing point.
It shouldn't take much to make it into a grand shot.

[Celso Bressan]

ChrisC:

Nice suggestion! It seems though that the place is vast enough not to allow details to be the point of interest. Consider this picture taken from the opposite angle. Now, I can see that it is less cluttered than the previous one with all the lines converging to the small white statue at the bottom but small enough not to attract anybody's attention (that is, everything leads to the same point but this point... has nothing there!).

My intention was to create impact just like other guys around but now I realize what is the difference between my pictures and others: the lack of focal point! After your comment, everything became clear to me.

I will keep trying with this in mind.

Thanks a lot for your help!

[DTruex]

In the second picture I played with it a bit and decided I like it better with the statue centered. Because the picture has symmetric curves I like it better with those pointing the way to the focal point. The green wall did little for me being in the picture. I also sharpened it up just a tad.

[Celso Bressan]

You are right! Much better now.

I enhanced the whites of the statue and reduced the lights on the ceiling at right. And just a tad of sharpening.

Now, the statue stands out better.