House and Clouds at Sunset B&W II, September 11, 2011

--Lannie

Hi Lannie,

I like the contrast gradient from the house to the clouds.

I have no idea what you are looking for, but technically the shot is good.

The camera and lens settings are fine and this Canon zoom lens is one of the best in this range.

I did further develop the contrast, and it is a bit different, but I like what I see originally here.

Best Regards,  Mike

Mike, your version is indeed very good, especially with the enhancement of detail in the clouds.

--Lannie

in Apple Aperture, you can reduce a thing called "Boost," thereby leaving more contrast energy in the brightest parts of the picture.  you could then use some shadow fill.  in Photoshop, turning boost down would be equivalent to applying a curve with a single point in the neighbourhood of (250, 240).  best, j

Single-point curve around 250. . . . .  I'll have to try that, Jamie.  There is a lot about curves in PS that I don't understand.

--Lannie

Hi Lannie,

It is like I always say,  "starting with a good image provides plenty of opportunity to present it in many ways".

For me, image processing scientific imagery is where my skills have been most useful. I have spent the last thirty years learning various techniques, developing programs and teaching image processing for specific applications.

My process of your image was one of many interpretations , and solely for conversation purposes.

Best Regards,  Mike

I understand, Mike.  I think that, for some reason, the basic photo has something of interest, and i would not mind trying a few more hundred variants.

Jamie, I am happy to have found that the steepness of the curve is important!  I am a slow learner sometimes.

--Lannie

I do like your concept here, Lannie. You certainly saw the subject as one that could be a great photograph. This is one of those images that would be amazing if made on large format B&W film. With proper exposure and development you would then have a negative from which beautiful prints could be made. Unfortunately the higher contrast of digital makes this subject difficult. I suppose HDR, with careful adjustment, could have helped. 

it all matters.  the point pulls the curve most in the area where you put it, so darkening the top also lowers contrast, which is what you need.  best, j

Hi Lannie:  I really like the composition, but the photo doesn't pop.  I am using LR3 now worked the color channels in B&W mode and did a little sharpening to bring out the house and clouds.  I think this is somewhat better. Your thoughts?  Tom

I like it, Tom, but I can't see a lot of difference.

--Lannie

Lannie: My either, much more evident on the big screen.  The images loose something when up loaded and I'm never sure why.  Tom

They often lose a lot  on upload, Tom.  Sometimes it is particularly noticeable.

--Lannie