Which one is better?

[tingeliM]

I'd like your opinions about this. B&W or not? I do like the colors, but then when I look at it for a while it starts to look kinda boring to me. Like a regular snapshot.. What do you think?

[t blanchard]

I like the B&W - it's a great treatment. I would recommend experimenting with your crop. Maybe crop out some of the top - leave enough to give context that it's a gazebo, but as it is now there is so much of that interior it seems distracting. And then crop out part of the right of the photo - enough that she is on the rule of thirds - probably almost to those tree branches.

If you like the photo without a crop then I would definitely go with B&W.

[wulf]

I think I prefer the colour version. The monochrome one suffers from significant haloing, which is not an effect I am keen on.

There is some potentially interesting stuff going on with the colours (blue, cyan and then the contrasting oranges and reds) and the way the building frames the image. However, I think it would be better straighter (an easy post-processing adjustment) and with sharper focus on you as a subject (trickier!). Failing that, it might be worth processing for a vintage-colour vibe - eg. cross-processed colours, a bit of scratchiness, vignetting and more blurriness round the edges.

Wulf

[tingeliM]

Originally Posted by wulf

I think I prefer the colour version. The monochrome one suffers from significant haloing, which is not an effect I am keen on.

There is some potentially interesting stuff going on with the colours (blue, cyan and then the contrasting oranges and reds) and the way the building frames the image. However, I think it would be better straighter (an easy post-processing adjustment) and with sharper focus on you as a subject (trickier!). Failing that, it might be worth processing for a vintage-colour vibe - eg. cross-processed colours, a bit of scratchiness, vignetting and more blurriness round the edges.

Wulf

Thanks for your great advice Wulf. I'm not too familiar with cross-processing, but I gave it a try. Played around with curves and added some blurring on the sides (a little too much maybe in the right corner, but that's the best I could do). I don't know if this is anything you were thinking but I think it came out pretty nice. I see a little vintage-effect there (maybe a little too red, I might take care of that later).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tingelim/3267370140/

I think this is a good start in learning how to use the curves-tool. ^^

[wulf]

It's a shame to lose so much of the orange band along the bottom. I can see that it is the result of rotating and then cropping but I think it is now too narrow to have the effect it did before. If this is somewhere close by then I think it is definitely a setting to revisit.

Do you have a tripod or was the camera precariously balanced somewhere?

Wulf

[tingeliM]

No I don't have a full-size tripod in my use here. I use my dad's tripod in weekends, but during the weeks I don't stay with my parents. I should borrow it sometime and go back to that gazebo to get more into the picture. Today I put the camera on the gazebo's railing on the opposite side from me. I was jumping up and down as I was scared that the camera would fall down 'cos it was so damn windy down there Gladly it didn't.

[wulf]

Definitely be careful with your camera. Even something like a loop of cord or string you can use to attach the handle to something like the railing might be worthwhile - it could be the difference between a minor knock and falling all the way to the ground.

If you can, definitely go back with the tripod sometime and see what you can do with that as a stable platform for your camera.

Wulf

[tingeliM]

I did some final tweeks and now I've got the orange railing back in the straight picture. I'm pretty happy with this one. Again, thank you wulf for suggesting the vintage look. ^^ Now there's this kind of sun set feeling, but I like it.

[wulf]

I like that. Glad you've found the discussion useful.

Wulf