OLD WINDOWS IN LUCCA.

But if I could ask for one thing from this photo, it would be three different colors for the windows. The blue is really beautiful, the yellow in the middle is a nice contrast, but the lefthand one is sort of lackluster by comparison. Still a wonderful architecture shot. Your framing is great.

Thanks Jeff. I think you are asking for the impossible (read PhotoShop). I am not so fond of this tool. Although the windows are slightly tinted, the colors you see in the photo, are reflections. The right window reflects the sky, while the middle and left reflect the buildings opposite the windows. These windows belong to a building on a medieval street (about 3.5 m wide) and I was lucky enough to get those reflections, because these narrow streets tend to be rather dark.

I'd like some objective critique on this one, not ratings only.

I agree, the lack of color is really hurting it. That would really provide a neat image. Even more than what it already is. If you're against toning in photoshop for some reason, can you do it by hand? maybe pick a color that's somewhat predominant in the left window and try to enhance it?

 

If I had seen this I probably would have wondered at the time of shooting how i could improve it myself, and I might have decided to do just that.

I intended to shoot an architectural detail, not a national flag.

Well perhaps it would help if you told people exactly what you wanted their critiques to say as well.

I like the colors of the windows, but am not crazy about the strong keystoning of the image. The issues with the left-hand window could be taken care of by a local contrast mask in p-shop, which is no different from a little local dodging or burning with a VC filter in the B&W darkroom. If it weren't for the strong grid pattern of the bricks, the keystoning wouldn't be so noticeable. An alternative would be to burn in the top and outside edges of the bricks so that they don't compete so strongly with the reflections in the glass and the pillars.

Mark, I cannot tell people how their critique should look like. I am simply surprised by so many people wanting to change the color of that window. That window looked exactly as the photograph shows it and I wonder if anybody would even think of trying to change the color of the real window, just because three windows with three different colors would be a hit on photo.net. Those colors are probably there for a few minutes only in the light of the dusk, in late afternoon, when I happened to be there too. Well if anybody would have told me that the composition is ruined by the reflections in the window (the colors do not match) I would have accepted that with resignation. Anyway I am not for modifying a mediocre shot in software in order to make it acceptable. It's a photograph after all. Throw it away and make a better one.

I understand. I don't think it's such a bad little photo, actually. But if you want critiques it might pay to sound a little less crabby and take whatever comes along. If you don't think the comment is worth anything, you can always disregard it.

I agree with you, Mark. I like the conditional you added in your phrase - "if you want critique". Of course I want critique. That is the reason each one of us post pictures on photo.net. I might simply disregard comments I do not consider useful, as you suggest. The reason I don't is that I would like to see a certain standard for critique. You might be right that I sound a little crabby. The proof is in the fact that people don't react to my comments. I'll try to control my temper.

The pic has an almost 3D look about it thanks to the excellent lighting. The greenish square (thigamabob?) near the top & side of the window ruins for me what otherwise would be a "super" shot.

Coloring the windows would not be a bad idea, but I'm not sure if it would be a good one either...

 

I think this image fails because of the distortion. Of course you cannot do anything with the camera you were using. I'd like to see the 3 windows vertical and flat, and this needs either expensive lenses or even more expensive cameras.

 

You can fix the distortion in photoshop, as I did, but of course I had to distort the original image so much that some detail was lost.

 

There are programs such as panotools that do that automatically and, hopefully, better. I didn't try one yet.

 

Simone