Zimmerman Library Gothic

[xysmas]

Hello all, first time post, long time lurker.

I made this from 5 exposures and some heavy altering in photomatix / PS - I wanted to make this as dark and dreary as possible while leaving some color in. What do you all think? Thanks for all feedback.

[Teewinot]

Welcome xysmas! Last week I joined after lurking for awhile too...it's nice to have you!

I love the lighting on your shot. You did a nice job making it look 'dreary', but I also think it looks a little foreboding, sinister, ominous...neat effect!

It might be my screen, but it seems just a pinch too dark, losing a few details (I know getting it dark is part of the process of making it look ominous!).

The noise in the sky is just a tiny bit distracting, but this could only be me...plus this type of noise may be unavoidable with the kind of editing process you used.

I like the way the shot is divided into 3 equal levels: sky, building, ground. Very pleasing to the eye.

Finally I like the colors left behind in your editing process. They enhance the sinister effect.

It would be nice if you could share how you created this shot. Also, it would be neat to try this effect with a truly "gothic" style building, although it's pretty amazing how a library can be transformed in this way.

Nice job and welcome!

[JJthethird]

Love the atmosphere of the shot, the only thing that may make it more ominous IMO would have been to add a dark, stormy sky, but thats just me. Great picture though!

[xysmas]

Originally Posted by Teewinot

Welcome xysmas! Last week I joined after lurking for awhile too...it's nice to have you!

I love the lighting on your shot. You did a nice job making it look 'dreary', but I also think it looks a little foreboding, sinister, ominous...neat effect!

It might be my screen, but it seems just a pinch too dark, losing a few details (I know getting it dark is part of the process of making it look ominous!).

The noise in the sky is just a tiny bit distracting, but this could only be me...plus this type of noise may be unavoidable with the kind of editing process you used.

I like the way the shot is divided into 3 equal levels: sky, building, ground. Very pleasing to the eye.

Finally I like the colors left behind in your editing process. They enhance the sinister effect.

It would be nice if you could share how you created this shot. Also, it would be neat to try this effect with a truly "gothic" style building, although it's pretty amazing how a library can be transformed in this way.

Nice job and welcome!

Thanks for the feedback.

I really should invest in a calibrator...

Anyway - I combined 5 exposures of the same frame, (ISO 200, 18 mm, shutter from 1/4 sec - 4 sec) in photomatix and used the Tone Compression mapping feature to generate the basic feel i wanted (dark, dreary, etc.)

In PS, I cropped the base picture slightly and added some color adjustments via masked layers to the building and reduced saturation in the foreground a touch. I though i had darkened the sky to rid the noise but I think this was the wrong saved version of the photo... lol.

[wyndhydra]

xysmas,
I love the photo! Very cool use of HDR. The photo also has great composition. If ominous is what you are going for you might be able to improve it by darkening the ground or cropping a little more. When I initially looked I was awed by the dark shadows of the building but that effect was kind of removed by the bright cheery walkway. IMHO a slightly darker walkway would just make this kick major ominous butt ! I still love it though, great job

[xxpinballxx]

great picture.....good work on the PS. Would like to see the before on it. maybe post it just so we can get an idea of how much work you did to it.

[xysmas]

Originally Posted by xxpinballxx

great picture.....good work on the PS. Would like to see the before on it. maybe post it just so we can get an idea of how much work you did to it.

Here it is - the blended HDR image with no tone mapping or altering.

[knickers71uk]

Ooooo thats kinda scary looking lol like one of those mental institutes you see in films like halloween lol, so I guess you acheived what you were looking for. Great shot!