Chateau HDR Critique svp

[blarg]

Finally managed to get out and take some piccies today. This is of the chateau Chombard in the Loire Valley, largest chateau in France. It was bloody cold though!

Anyway, can anyone give me some feedback on it please? Is it an interesting shot? And does the HDR do it justice? I have cropped it from the original as there was a lot of sky. My initial feeling is I need to crop the left a bit more and it feels as if it isn't sitting straight (maybe need to rotate it a degree).



The HDR was created from three exposures. After that, I opened in ps and applied a vignette to it via the lens correction to give it a border.

Exif:

Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/8Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F22
Metering Modes
Evaluative metering
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
200
Lens
EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Focal Length
18.0 mm

[blarg]

Corrected the sitting. Now appears level.

[blarg]

Made it more interesting. Better?

[dlaf]

With all the detail, I think the shot is a great candidate for HDR, but for me, I think I'd like to see it in black and white or with bumped up color. I find myself looking at the clouds on the left and being disappointed that the color stops there. It would also look nice with a hand-tinted look, imo. Are you able to recrop so we can see the entire reflection in the water? I also think it would be good if you could clone out the bits of brush in the lower left. A bit distracting. I definitely like your last version where you brightened up the structure! What a beautiful site!

[jiminyClickit]

blarg,

Not as noticeable in your first post, but when you corrected the vertical of the buiding, the reflection seems wonky now. It's as if the actual building, especially in the middle, were leaning toward the water.

A lens correction in editing, or a Distort function for the water might work, if it appears that way to you, too.

Agreed on left being a candidate for cropping. Sky offers little reason to keep. If Post #1 were cropped, that would be my choice.

[blarg]

Hmm, thanks guys, food for thought.

My favourite is the second one, my wife's is the third one (which has now been printed out and framed, she always wins).

Isn't art subjective?

Anyway, here's the pre-cropped original just after the HDR process.



As for the site, it is fantastic place to go for a picnic in summer with the dogs and have the chateau as the backdrop. Leonardo da Vinci designed the interior staircase btw which is a double spiral, and is quite interesting to see.

[nicotine]

I like the first one you created most, the shot is breathtaking. It gives a feeling of age, which is good since the building does look like it has been there for awhile.

I would crop out the left of the picture, it feels unnecessary and unbalances the picture a little bit.

[xxpinballxx]

First off I can just say it seems uncomposed....and by that I mean it doesn't seem like its framed as best it can be. Although I have no idea if there is something on either side to obstruct the shot.
As for HDR....it works real well. Alot of nice detail on the castle. I think the uncropped version hints of some nice foreground that could have been included if shot was taken a few feet farther back.
Do you have a scene from farther away?

I think the muted color suits it well and B&W might be the best way to go with it also.

Nice shot!

[blarg]

Thanks for that. I have taken so many shots of this chateau over the past few years that I had become bored of seeing it centred etc and wanted to try and break the rules of compositon hence the plenty of sky on the left hand side. I can see for someone seeing it for the first time, that it would not appear well composed. In fact, thinking back if I'd have gone to the right instead of the left, I would have got the church and part of the village in next to it too. But as it was so cold, it was a case of shoot and go!

I have taken a few other better composed shots at the same time as this one and will perform hdr on a couple of those and post them later.

Also got some great shots of Palais de Versailles outside Paris yesterday that I'm itching to hdr too.

[xxpinballxx]

i can understand the shoot N Go cause its too Darn Cold method!
I use it all the time in the winter......lol!
Looking forward to seeing the other shots......