Odd Angle B-17

[mikoyan]

I really like this picture. I showed it to a couple other people they really like it. But something about it feels off. Do you guys think this would work better in black and white or something else?

From Michigan Exposures

Canon 50D
f/11
1/640
ISO-400
35mm Focal Length

[Sterling]

I think what's off is the white sky. It rarely looks good and in this case, the shiny aluminum doesn't contrast well with it.

[mikoyan]

That's kind of what I thought too. Unfortunately, at the time I took this, the day was getting more overcast on me. That is almost why I think black and white would look better.

[sk66]

How's this?

[z0mbina80]

you could always adjust the sky itself in photoshop, or just add another more vibrant sky all together from another image. Awesome girl on it though, I always loved those ^ ^

[RecurrentNerve]

Black and white would work well I think, yes. Mind if I have a stab at it?

[mikoyan]

Originally Posted by RecurrentNerve

Black and white would work well I think, yes. Mind if I have a stab at it?

Go for it.

I was going to enter this one in a contest they have in Aviation Week, if I remember correctly they are very limiting on what modifications I can do. Like I can probably convert it to black and white and adjust the contrast.

And the other picture up there, I like it. Thanks.

[sk66]

All I did was duplicate the layer and do a shadow/highlights adjustment....changed layer mode and erased part of it..Some contrast/saturation on the original layer and done.

I like the shot. Maybe a bit more of the nose art, maybe not....I'd submit it.

[mikoyan]

Originally Posted by sk66

All I did was duplicate the layer and do a shadow/highlights adjustment....changed layer mode and erased part of it..Some contrast/saturation on the original layer and done.

I like the shot. Maybe a bit more of the nose art, maybe not....I'd submit it.

Looking at some of the past contests this is something that typically ends up winning or the shots where you see dramatic breaks with the aircraft in flight or something. On another forum, someone said they liked how this shot gave you the idea of the B-17 but left you wanting more (the engine shot, the nose art, the rest of the fuselage, etc.). When I look at this, I somehow imagine myself as a pilot looking up at my mount before going off which is part of the reason why I thought about black and white.

But thanks for the pointers so far. One thing I have learned is that I need to figure out the metering on my camera because I've been noticing alot of shots where the sky is washed out (especially on my building shots).

[sk66]

Originally Posted by mikoyan

But thanks for the pointers so far. One thing I have learned is that I need to figure out the metering on my camera because I've been noticing alot of shots where the sky is washed out (especially on my building shots).

That's just a limitation of cameras in high contrast situations....Not much can be done about it, usually requires post work to blend a couple (or more) exposures.