Black & white VW van

[sybren]

What do you guys think about this shot? (It's been re-edited, I removed the bird already)



I edited the original photo twice. The above is the second edit, and at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sybrenstuvel/529961084/ is the first. Rules of this forum state only one photo per thread, so I stick to that. Which of the two edits do you think is best?

[Teewinot]

I definitely prefer the second edit. It elicits a much stronger emotional response in me. It is richer and the darker quality adds to the mood. I loved the shot immediately! Great light and color....this shot really tells a story. You also have a nice dramatic sky. Is that a vignette? I like it. The only suggestions I would make are to (1) straighten the horizon, unless you want the bus to appear as if it's sort of going up a hill, and (2) clone out the bird (?) in the sky because it looks like dust on your sensor.

Thanks for sharing and great job!

[terryjoey]

Cool shot , I like it alot

[Nieton21]

I defninately prefer the second edit as well. I love how well the car stands out in both pics but it is a lot easier on the eyes in the second while still maintainly a decent contrast. I also like that you can see more details in the car. I agree with Teewinot about the the straightening and the bird, the bird to me draws me away from the main subject to much. I really like the corners darkened it really pushes my eyes to the center onto the subject. Really nice shot.

[sybren]

Thanks for the feedback. The vignette-like effect is caused by the sun sitting behind the clouds, and amplified because I enhanced the sky's contrast.

About the van going up hill: that's right, it's driving up a bridge, so the tilt of the van is intentional. You can just see the trees being reflected in the river in the left-hand background.

Having removed three lamp posts and two cranes from the background, I thought the bird added something more natural, so I kept it in there. Now that you know about that, do you still think I should remove the bird as well?

[sybren]

Reading the other replies, I should remove the bird ;-)

I've replaced the photo with a birdless one.

[Teewinot]

Originally Posted by sybren

Having removed three lamp posts and two cranes from the background, I thought the bird added something more natural, so I kept it in there. Now that you know about that, do you still think I should remove the bird as well?

Wow! You did a lot of work on this shot...nice job too, I certainly didn't notice any cloning artifacts or anything. I think the shot looks better without the bird. If the bird were bigger, I'd agree with your statement about it perhaps adding something 'natural.' But since it was so small, it could easily be mistaken for dust/scratch especially if the photo is small.

[sybren]

For comparison, here is the original image

[Teewinot]

Wow, nice transformation! You really have an eye (and skill) for good post-processing.

[xxpinballxx]

Originally Posted by sybren

Reading the other replies, I should remove the bird ;-)

I've replaced the photo with a birdless one.

boy I wish I had read all posts before going back to look for that darn bird!
Great shot! Love the sky and the way you processed it and the feel of the shot is nice.