What about that lion?

[marc_rochkind]

The question here is what to do about the lion in post. What I'm showing is in the middle of the range. I emphasized it a little. I could leave it as is (same tonality as the rest of the structure). Or, I could color it.

How far would you go?

The 1st image is what I went with a few weeks ago when I worked on this. The 2nd and 3rd are with less and more emphasis.

(This sort of modification is extremely to do non-destructively in Lightroom, as I have a mask on the lion.)

Edited March 27, 2023 by marc_rochkind

[MrAndMrsIzzy]

Well !  Probably not what you're looking for but here's my 2 cents worth anyway.

What I would do with this is isolate the lion and the wall he's leaning on (first pic).  Darken that bright spot behind his right paw (call it his armpit for lack of a better term).  And treat the isolated image as a separate pic.

[Robin Smith]

I like the first version-very striking. Is this Denmark somewhere? Maybe reduce the clarity a tad. I like punch, but this is perhaps a little overcooked.

[michael_kucinich]

Very good. I like the third version best, as the warmer tonality (sepia tone?) that you created of the Lion really makes it stand out.

[Tony Parsons]

I agree about isolating the lion - the architectural background is in itself of interest, but does provide a distraction from the lion himself. Cloning out the iron raiiing at the left would, in my view, also improve things by eliminating another distraction. I feel this is an occasion when 'less is more'.

[dcstep]

I thought about saying something back in March, but now I can't resist. If the lion is the subject, then why didn't you get all of it in the picture? Also, if you could have gotten a slight bit higher, then we could see both eyes. I don't think that the image is anywhere near as strong as it could have been.

[marc_rochkind]

23 hours ago, dcstep said:

I thought about saying something back in March, but now I can't resist. If the lion is the subject, then why didn't you get all of it in the picture? Also, if you could have gotten a slight bit higher, then we could see both eyes. I don't think that the image is anywhere near as strong as it could have been.

You couldn't be more right! Next trip maybe.

Someone else asked where the photo was taken. Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark.

[mikemorrellNL]

I think that the basic question is: 'how to make the lion (as a subject) stand out from the background'?

- I  agree with the 'isolate the lion sentiments'. Not complete isolation, just cropping (or blurring) the tower on the right. The tower (right) is a natural 'visual focal point' due to the perspective and 'leading lines' on the building (left) which draw the eye towards to tower (and away from the lion)

- so how to make the lion more of a focal point? My suggestion is to (artificially) create 'depth' by slightly blurring  (or reducing sharpness and contrast) the building (left). As if the photo was taken with a wide aperture (f/2.8-5.6) focused on the lion

- you could go further and (slightly) increase the sharpness and contrast of the lion against the background

Lightroom allows you to make 'virtual copies' of the photo. So you can experiment with the adjustments that make the lion stand out more against (a less sharp) background whil still looking 'natural'

Please don't color the lion!

Edited July 23, 2023 by mikemorrellNL

[Robin Smith]

There is more than one photo there. The photo of the lion (if that is all you are interested in) is one, and the photo of the lion in relation to the castle is the other. The castle is very nicely rendered too (no converging verticals!). The sculpture of the lion clinging to the balustrade is very striking and unusual which to me is what makes the picture. This is presumably why you took the shot in the first place too. The lion's head is also nicely on the third part of the image, making it visually satisfying. Looking again, I would tone the lion down a tad in the first shot. I can see the brush edges you used to lighten him, so you could improve that for those who like to engage in close scrutiny.