[aleonx3]

Since I shoot RAW all the time (except testing lens etc.), I always (almost 100%) straighten the photos in the PP if I didn't do it right in the viewfinder while taking the picture. However, sometimes I find that in certain situations, I am hesitatant to correct that, and my wife complains about that she gets dizziness looking at the picture.

Following is an example of the picture I took recently. I thought I would ask your opinion on that, should I straighten this picture? Thanks in advance.

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Last edited by aleonx3; 10-08-2010 at 11:00 AM.

[imtheguy]

I would either straighten it or at least crop out the crown mold and tops of the window treatments to remove the hard horizontal lines. Just one opinion.

[Canada_Rockies]

I would straighten it. You can get rid of much extraneous surroundings while you are at it. I use grid screens in my cameras to help in keeping things straight, but I sometimes forget to look. [RANT]Old phart that I am, I cannot stand anything that draws attention to the technology to the detraction of the image. I am especially annoyed at videographers on the TV that deliberately spin the camera around and turn it sideways and so on. When I am watching dancers I want to see dancers move, not camera viewpoints. [/RANT]

[aleonx3]

I would either straighten it or at least crop out the crown mold and tops of the window treatments to remove the hard horizontal lines. Just one opinion.

@imtheguy: thanks, I appreciate your comment - I was thinking about cropping that too, just didn't know where to start.

I would straighten it. You can get rid of much extraneous surroundings while you are at it. I use grid screens in my cameras to help in keeping things straight, but I sometimes forget to look. [RANT]Old phart that I am, I cannot stand anything that draws attention to the technology to the detraction of the image. I am especially annoyed at videographers on the TV that deliberately spin the camera around and turn it sideways and so on. When I am watching dancers I want to see dancers move, not camera viewpoints. [/RANT]

@Canada_Rockies: I agree with you, I do that most of the time in PP. On this one, I was joggling my position to get a shot and didn't have full attention to ensure the composition is level. I will try a couple of leveling and cropping as well. Thanks..

[Canada_Rockies]

I cropped to 4x5 and straightened using the post for LR 2.6 straightening tool. I could not quite get all the dancers in without cropping to a more square format, so the man's heel is on the edge of the picture. I wanted to keep the woman's dress in because of the gorgeous flowing red trim.

[Arpe]

Usually straighten, but not always-

[jbinpg]

Straightening would have removed the tension in this shot:

Dude...we gotta go boarding... on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

With a picture like the one you've posted, I would straighten. The angle isn't steep enough for it to have been done for artistic reasons, it's obvious that you just didn't get it straight and that's what people will likely think when they look at it.
And if they know you shoot with a DSLR and not a camera phone they are going to think WTF?

EDIT: If you don't want to straighten it, caption it 'Last Dance on the Titanic' or something like that.

[aleonx3]

Thanks to all for the great input and discussion, I have learned a lot from you guys - making this such a great forum for discussion and learning. I may just leave that the way it is as Gary suggested and put a remark on that as "last dance for the evening on the Titanic"

As for the rest of the shots that evening, almost all are pretty much like the following without much to align. The shadows in this particular one did not come from my camera, in fact it came from two photogs, one from the left (using a zoom lens) casting a shadow on the guy's face and another not far from my right casting a shadow on wall in the back. I used a stofen and bounce off the ceiling. All three flashes fired off at the same time (lucky shot). I took all my shots with my cheap but trusty MF Cosinon 28mm f2 lens The second one did not have any shadows - I was the only one who had this shot.

[aleonx3]

OK, as many have suggested in this case, it does look better and less distracting after the picture has been levelled. (on a side note: the guy in this picture with a camera is the one pf those whose flash casted a shadow on my previous picture).

[aleonx3]

I cropped to 4x5 and straightened using the post for LR 2.6 straightening tool. I could not quite get all the dancers in without cropping to a more square format, so the man's heel is on the edge of the picture. I wanted to keep the woman's dress in because of the gorgeous flowing red trim.

@Canada_Rockies, thanks I tried that crop - looks better I guess, I am not a big fan of tight crop - as I see the audience is part of the action (all eyes on the dancers). Big thanks...

Usually straighten, but not always-

@Arpe, thanks I like your shots (up to point - action); I am more used the America Football here - at least more protection for this kind of tough sport.

Straightening would have removed the tension in this shot:

Dude...we gotta go boarding... on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

@jbinpg, thanks for sharing your Vancouver 2010 Olympic photos - really nice and I wish I was there as well. A great show for Canadians to pull this one off (especially after the last summer Olympic event).

With a picture like the one you've posted, I would straighten. The angle isn't steep enough for it to have been done for artistic reasons, it's obvious that you just didn't get it straight and that's what people will likely think when they look at it.
And if they know you shoot with a DSLR and not a camera phone they are going to think WTF?

EDIT: If you don't want to straighten it, caption it 'Last Dance on the Titanic' or something like that.

@Gary, you always get good ideas (that is why you are one of the moderators) Took your advice and make some minor adjustments, everybody loves that....

[GoremanX]

I cropped to 4x5 and straightened using the post for LR 2.6 straightening tool. I could not quite get all the dancers in without cropping to a more square format, so the man's heel is on the edge of the picture. I wanted to keep the woman's dress in because of the gorgeous flowing red trim.

Amazingly, even straightened out, they still seem to be defying gravity. What a great capture.

Just as an observation, everyone seems to be taking pictures from pretty much the same perspective. If I was there I would probably either be lying flat on the floor or standing on a chair (table if possible) to get shots that looked different from the rest.