I'm not a curve maniac

[Phoenix_Jackson]

I was reminded of my old shots that I've planned to revisit before, but forgot about them. When I had the chance, there were more scenes I took that I wasn't able to see the first time. And this is one of them. I had a hard time on this one since my tripod was set on a very uneven road, and in the middle of it. Having to rush, scared of being run over, I just had to take a wide shot and cropped it later. This is when I came across a decision.

I noticed that I'm fond of curves and I think this time, a bit too much. This frame is the cleanest I could produce but I'm a little bit concerned with the foreground. Though I find the uneven curve interesting, it seems to be out of place. But when I cropped it off, the image seemed a bit lacking. So how can I deal with this? Showing this version means I prefer it over the possible crop. But I'd like to get some input if possible. Of course, any additional comments is more than welcome. Be brutally honest if you have to. I'm here to learn.



Camera Model Canon EOS 60D
Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 10
Av( Aperture Value ) 16.0
Metering Mode Spot Metering
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Focal Length 18.0mm
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation +1
White Balance Mode Tungsten
AF area select mode Manual selection

I copied the EXIF from the original since this is an HDR (still learning how to use it)
Attached is SOOC (only resized to fit for the site)

Thank you very much for taking time on this.

[lunathea]

I like the curve simply because it ties into the yin-yang on the door. Almost like a foreshadowing of it.

[Phoenix_Jackson]

Hmm... now that you said it, it does look related to the symbol at the door. Would it have been better then if I lowered the camera to add more foreground? I think I'm going to revisit this as I see some nit-picks.

[EOBeav]

I have no idea what kind of curve I'm supposed to be looking for.

[Phoenix_Jackson]

Originally Posted by EOBeav

I have no idea what kind of curve I'm supposed to be looking for.

It's that road under the steps.
And speaking of that steps, I was thinking of light painting it to lead the view towards the door, if that's a good idea. And I want to get rid of those shadows if it's possible.
Then again, staring at this picture for so long is starting to bore me. I don't even know if it's worth the effort now.
... I wish I could've done better.

[EOBeav]

Originally Posted by Phoenix_Jackson

It's that road under the steps.
And speaking of that steps, I was thinking of light painting it to lead the view towards the door, if that's a good idea. And I want to get rid of those shadows if it's possible.
Then again, staring at this picture for so long is starting to bore me. I don't even know if it's worth the effort now.
... I wish I could've done better.

Well, when I look at your image, I ask, "What's the most prominent thing?" It's not the steps, because they're quite dark in comparison to the house.

Keep working at it, though. My own keeper ratio is only about 1%, on a good day.

[Krusty79]

The curved road in the foreground is dark and unfortunately, does not lead my eye towards your subject, so I don't think it's adding much to the shot. Since the road and steps are so dark, I was going to recommend bracketing your shots, then I saw this is an HDR. An HDR shot should not have dark, underexposed areas like your foreground, so you might have to take a greater range of exposures for the HDR.

Also, the lights are casting unflattering shadows on the building. It's going to be tough to get an even exposure here. What if you shot this again earlier in the evening when their is still some color in the sky? The lighting should be soft and hopefully more even.