"Union Station"

[truth]

http://truth.smugmug.com/photos/103889590-L-4.jpg

[SloYerRoll]

One cool thing about this shot is alot of people that live in major city can relate to a Union Station. There's at least 7 that I know of.

I would have liked to seen the whole building. (at least I think I would have)

Underexposed w/ a side of barreling. The exposure may be due to lossy compression though.

Would have been nice if those three gates were gone. Not too much work in pp could take care of that.

Tough luck w/ how the architect set up the building for you. Confilcting angles (street vs. building) make this shot disorienting.

[rosselliot]

I don't mind the gates of the fact that you can't see the whole building. I like the fact that all of the cars of dark color - that adds a lot to it. I do think it would've been better if you'd backed up and zoomed in to get less barrel distortion. notice the front of jeep is out of proportion.

what would it look like with a TAD bit more contrast? not much, just enough to make it pop a tad more.

I like the b4w conversion though - great job there.

- RE

[truth]

That's as far back as you can get before trees and light poles get into the frame in the foreground. The building is a full square city block so it's ginormous. That was shot at 10mm so there's no way to make the frame any wider. Barreling is part of the beauty of shooting at 10mm. It's going to be there and you have to know that going in.

The gates are there 24/7/365 as that side of the station is no longer a functional entrance, you can see other openings in the wall have also been sealed in with stone. Ironically this is the only side that retains the art deco signage whish was why I wanted to shoot this scene. The downsloping street really is a trip as well. The street level was raised when the building was contructed in order to bury the train tracks below ground. The narrow corridor along the river is one of the few places in the city where there is an elevation change

I'll play with the contrast a bit and see if I can get some pop. My favorite thing about Union Station is the dirty stone and I really try to keep that gritty mottled feel in my light adjustments in RAW conversion. If I bump the exposure I risk blowing out the white in the letters up top and the reflection off the cars down low. The small image size does not help the image here either.

[rosselliot]

all of that's good information, with such obstacles, sounds like little can be done to make it evern better than it already is! - sorry we didn't know before we began. :)

again - great photo!

- RE

[audi]

I get a real "1940's" feel from this shot. A sort of Dick Tracy set. If only those cars were vintage!

B+W was a great choice.

[rosselliot]

I get a real "1940's" feel from this shot. A sort of Dick Tracy set. If only those cars were vintage!

B+W was a great choice.

in 30 years, someone will see this photo and say the exact same thing. those cars will be vintage then, anyway.

- RE

[audi]

in 30 years, someone will see this photo and say the exact same thing. those cars will be vintage then, anyway.

- RE

Ha! Very true!

[JGD]

Chad,
The distortion from the wide angle is a little disturbing. Lens Distortion, Perspective Control ?

Jim

[truth]

Ha! Very true!

Yes, but they will not be of the same period as the building, which is what Audi was getting at I think. As an aside the buidling is where the "staircase" scene in the film "The Untouchables" was shot so that time period is clearly represented in the style of the building. It's very much a product of the Art Deco / Streamline motif.

JGD ~ not sure how you can shoot at 10mm and not get distortion. I needed to be that wide to get enough of the building in the frame as I stated earlier. I guess the effect is either love / hate. I'm not sure where I stand on it yet.

[Carbon Based]

That's as far back as you can get before trees and light poles get into the frame in the foreground. The building is a full square city block so it's ginormous. That was shot at 10mm so there's no way to make the frame any wider. Barreling is part of the beauty of shooting at 10mm. It's going to be there and you have to know that going in.

The gates are there 24/7/365 as that side of the station is no longer a functional entrance, you can see other openings in the wall have also been sealed in with stone. Ironically this is the only side that retains the art deco signage whish was why I wanted to shoot this scene. The downsloping street really is a trip as well. The street level was raised when the building was contructed in order to bury the train tracks below ground. The narrow corridor along the river is one of the few places in the city where there is an elevation change

I'll play with the contrast a bit and see if I can get some pop. My favorite thing about Union Station is the dirty stone and I really try to keep that gritty mottled feel in my light adjustments in RAW conversion. If I bump the exposure I risk blowing out the white in the letters up top and the reflection off the cars down low. The small image size does not help the image here either.

You need to pop for the $15 bucks and get PTLens to fix the distortion.:rofl

[truth]

You need to pop for the $15 bucks and get PTLens to fix the distortion.:rofl


I have no idea what you are talking about or why you think it's so funny.

[DavidTO]

I have no idea what you are talking about or why you think it's so funny.


There are plenty of solutions of removing or reducing distortion introduced by the optics of your camera. He's referring to one $15 solution. My favorite is DxO (http://www.dxo.com).

[David_S85]

This is from an older copy of Panorama Tools, a set of free plug-ins by Helmut Dersch. The code is now incorporated inside of PTLens (http://www.epaperpress.com/ptlens/index.html), as mentioned, a $15 plug-in that is much easier to use. I have an older version of that too; the newest build also adds perspective control.

The trouble with correcting an image such as this is that is has multiple issues. Keystoning, perspective, barrel (which I didn't correct in the below image), rotation, and not enough room around the subject. When correction this severe will be required, it is necessary to make loads of extra room surrounding the subject that you know will be trimmed out later in processing.

http://davidwatts.smugmug.com/photos/107473274-L.jpg

[Carbon Based]

But is that not all part of critiquing?

[truth]

But is that not all part of critiquing?


Sure it is. I just had no idea what you were referring to.

Trouble with this image is that there is no way to shoot it and have space on the sides to allow for a correction.

[DavidTO]

But is that not all part of critiquing?






No worries, Carbon Based. You done good.

Being the moderator, and also one of the parties getting this thread off point, I want to encourage us all to stay on track with critique, and if y'all want to explore distortion correction, please feel free to start a thread in Finishing School.

[Seefutlung]

Hey ... I like and appeciate the distortion ... the converging lines create a feeling of "towering" and strength ... the distortion isn't overwhelming where the distortion becomes the photo ... yet enough to convey that this sucker is big.

Gary

[Carbon Based]

Sure it is. I just had no idea what you were referring to.

Trouble with this image is that there is no way to shoot it and have space on the sides to allow for a correction.

You could try to turn your camera in portrait mode and take 3+ images and stich them togeather. Leave enough room for distortion correction. Essentially making your camera into a medium format one.

[truth]

You could try to turn your camera in portrait mode and take 3+ images and stich them togeather. Leave enough room for distortion correction. Essentially making your camera into a medium format one.

Now that's an interesting idea. Thanks.

[Carbon Based]

Now that's an interesting idea. Thanks.

PhotoStich that came with your canon does a pretty good job.

This image is two seperate ones stiched togeather.

http://Carbon-Based.smugmug.com/photos/104871845-M.jpg