DINE

One of my favorite recent diner shots. May have to go back and check

it out when they turn the sign on.

Great sharpness! Quite graphic, I like it.

nice reflection.

Good idea, I would put the DINE a bit off centre, cheers Jana

Jana, I think the placement of the vertical element on the right playing off the dark blue reflection on the left keeps the composition from being static. Think in terms of visual weight.

Very well seen, Carl.... Excellent composition!

So, did you?

Patience, Ben. I need time and good light. Ask other natives about crossing the American Legion Bridge during rush hour.

I keep wanting to skew that top right corner straight up just so slightly. I think you did that on purpose in order to drive me crazy.

 

This photo is like a thorn in my side because it keeps reminding me of a photo I want to take but that I keep putting off every time I get near the location. In fact, all these photographs are so good that they inspire both admiration and remorse for being such a procrastinator (thanks).

 

PS - I am now ankle deep in expensive frames and mats, so tomorrow I am making a few prints before I go to work.

It has already been skewed slightly, but I don't disagree with your observation and may futz with a bit more. The problem is that sometimes there's a wedge shape somewhere which gets exaggerated and throws your perception off even if the main lines are straight.

Believe me, I understand the problem. In this case you might be able skew that corner independantly of the rest of the photograph by making a rectangular selection on the straight lines and transforming that selection only.

 

The other problem I have noticed (in my work) is that sometimes once I correct everything, the photograph can loose some of its vitality or tension.

After thinking about your observations, I decided to go back and start over. I rotated the image one degree CCW, trimmed off the top line and the line on the right. Now the red area leans a bit to the left which counters the downward leaning lines in the top and bottom right. Add 10% saturation, adjust levels to taste, stir until done. . . .

Thats the rub, knowing when you are done. I have noticed that some of my efforts vary wildly depending on the hour of the day.

 

Sometimes I wonder if these things I see as minor imperfections are ever noticed by anyone else. This photo is really good and I think the things I mentioned are mostly a subconcious response caused by too many late night sessions looking at a monitor. I would like to see the fruits of your editing though.

Done.

You know I only just noticed the crucifix on its side here. Perhaps food is also the religion of many.

Outstanding! My favorite part is the big D in the center of the black hole where time and matter are being crushed. ;-)

 

I wonder what it was like back in the days when you pressed the shutter release and all of the work was done. Long live photography (and photographers).

Well, the darkroom guys may have something to say about that, but it is one of my regrets in life that I somehow missed that experience even though I've owned some kind of camera pretty much all of my life.

 

What I didn't get about this shot was that putting "DINE" on center diminished the impact of the "black hole" areas you refer to. I keep telling everyone about bright distracting areas, but this one had too much of it on the right side.

That light area in the upper right corner now compliments (rather than competes with) the rectangular shapes of the glass panels in the top part of the frame.

 

The new crop also sets up an even more interesting pattern or interplay of squares and rectangles in the bottom part of the composition.