In his pants

[rutt]

http://rutt.smugmug.com/photos/36954882-L.jpg

OK, I'm in love with this one, but it doesn't seem to have the same effect on others. Why not?

[wholenewlight]

OK, I'm in love with this one, but it doesn't seem to have the same effect on others. Why not?
I think the shot is great. It has a fun, whimsical look to it.

My only critique is that the color balance seems a little green/cyan to me. Might be my monitor but I doubt it.

I also might use a gradient layer to focus the viewer's eye toward a single point (maybe the walking woman in white) - not major "vignetting" but a little control over the viewer.

Other than that, I like the shot

[snookman23]

I also might use a gradient layer to focus the viewer's eye toward a single point (maybe the walking woman in white) - not major "vignetting" but a little control over the viewer.

Interesting shot.

What about the guy sitting in the garage door, he seems interesting. Is there a way to lighten him up?

I don't know if it was cropped, but I really like the expression of the man standing all the way to the left.

[rutt]

My only critique is that the color balance seems a little green/cyan to me. Might be my monitor but I doubt it.


Thanks for this. I think you are right.

I used the color sampler and a Margulis-like though process. It's possible to make the argumnet that it was a bit green. Depends really on whether the sign is really B&W or a little colored. But I assumed the former and I think the look is better.

http://rutt.smugmug.com/photos/37166400-L.jpg

[marlof]

As stated (http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=166926&postcount=3) I like it a lot.

[DavidTO]

Rutt,

I like the shot.

I'd be curious to see how it would look if you masked off the mural and crushed the blacks on it just a bit more. The gray of the shadows in the mural detracts, I think. I might also bring out just a touch more detail in the guy sitting down inside the building, so he's just a bit more noticeable.

[rutt]

Rutt,

I like the shot.

I'd be curious to see how it would look if you masked off the mural and crushed the blacks on it just a bit more. The gray of the shadows in the mural detracts, I think. I might also bring out just a touch more detail in the guy sitting down inside the building, so he's just a bit more noticeable.


As you might imagine, given that it was shot in bright noon light, this shot got a lot of attention in PS. I pushed the guy inside the opening to about the limit. I wish I could have gone farther, but really there is no more detail there and making lighter starts to look pretty fake.

I don't know exactly what you mean by "crushing the blacks". This image did make a trip through CMYK and got some black channel treatment to try to hold shadow detail better (part of brining out the guy in the opening.)

In case you are interested, this is is the initial RAW conversion before I went to work on it:

http://rutt.smugmug.com/photos/36868919-L.jpg

[DavidTO]

I don't know exactly what you mean by "crushing the blacks".


It's a term that we use all the time in post production. It means making the shadows darker, less gray. I would treat it like a separate image, how would you treat the curves if that was all you saw?

[rutt]

It's a term that we use all the time in post production. It means making the shadows darker, less gray. I would treat it like a separate image, how would you treat the curves if that was all you saw?

I took your advice and got this:

http://rutt.smugmug.com/photos/37190516-L.jpg

As you can see I didn't exactly take your advice, I made a duplicate layer, steepend it's black curve in CMYK and then used a layer mask to lighten the gloom here and there. This approach had the advantage of not requiring very accurate brush work (something I'm bad at.)

Thanks, David, I think this was a good idea. It's starting to get to be hard to tell as I've looked at the image a lot now.

[snapapple]

I took your advice and got this:

http://rutt.smugmug.com/photos/37190516-L.jpg

As you can see I didn't exactly take your advice, I made a duplicate layer, steepend it's black curve in CMYK and then used a layer mask to lighten the gloom here and there. This approach had the advantage of not requiring very accurate brush work (something I'm bad at.)

Thanks, David, I think this was a good idea. It's starting to get to be hard to tell as I've looked at the image a lot now.
Rutt,
I just came across this thread. I really like what you finally came up with. I think this is a great capture. You don't come across shots like this every day. You saw this one well. :thumb

[ginger_55]

Rutt, I am in love with it, too. Some people in my family would not have been. I think it is super cool. Besides, those people are all dead now! Smile.

(I am sure there are more like them out there in the world, though)

And I do like the final better than the first, but I think you did have great "material" to work with.

ginger

[pathfinder]

John, Interesting discusssion re: processsing. Is the original available online somewhere????? I think the shadowed doorway is better in your first image. :dunno

[rutt]

John, Interesting discusssion re: processsing. Is the original available online somewhere????? I think the shadowed doorway is better in your first image. :dunno

Yeah, I posted it earlier in the thread, here: http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=167994&postcount=7

I really haven't made up my mind about how much I want to show in that doorway. It's not too hard to have it either way and still get the deeper blacks that David suggested in the sign. But I think showing only the ladder and the man is more dramatic and focuses attention on them. Look at how dark it is in there in the original before highlight/shadow.

But as I said, I haven't really decided.

[rutt]

But as I said, I haven't really decided.

So, I'd love opinions...

[DavidTO]

I like the darker pants and the lighter ladder/man. Basically your first shot, with the pants darker.

[rutt]

I like the darker pants and the lighter ladder/man. Basically your first shot, with the pants darker.

BTW, the man and ladder are the same. It's the rest of the interior only that got darkened. I was hopping it would make the man and ladder stand out better and look lighter.

[DavidTO]

BTW, the man and ladder are the same. It's the rest of the interior only that got darkened. I was hopping it would make the man and ladder stand out better and look lighter.


Oh. Well, it feels to me like a hole in the picture. Having even a little sense that there's something there is less distracting than the bottomless pit blackness where my eye keeps trying to find something. It's a shot that you study, you know? Not one subject, but many. Like a where's Waldo, almost. Anyway, I find the black to be distracting, I want to see at a glance that there's something there.

[rutt]

Oh. Well, it feels to me like a hole in the picture. Having even a little sense that there's something there is less distracting than the bottomless pit blackness where my eye keeps trying to find something. It's a shot that you study, you know? Not one subject, but many. Like a where's Waldo, almost. Anyway, I find the black to be distracting, I want to see at a glance that there's something there.

Thanks, that makes sense. I'll put reworking this on my queue. It's not the sort of shot that Kodak is going to pick for KPotD, you know. I wonder what to do with it. I do like it.

[Cantfeelmyfingers]

I'm not sure exactly what I like about this picture but I really do like it. I think it's mainly because I've never seen a building like it. It's really neat in almost an unrealistic way. Awesome photo though! Jamie.

[rutt]

I'm not sure exactly what I like about this picture but I really do like it. I think it's mainly because I've never seen a building like it. It's really neat in almost an unrealistic way. Awesome photo though! Jamie.

Thank you very much. Boy looking back at this thread is something. This was the old days on the Whipping Post, eh? Before they got in David The Enforcer TO to keep alternative versions out of the brew.

I did one last version as part of a photoshop tutorial and just posted to the Before&After thread:
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=197143&postcount=8