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08-08-2015, 10:08 PM   #1
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Which of These Two Appeals More to You and Why?
Lens: SMCP A 105 35-105mm f/3.5 & SMCP K 35mm f/3.5 Camera: K20D / K5 Photo Location: New Westminster, B.C. 

Which of these two appeals more to you? Why? I have my preference but really would like to get a feel for what generally appeals to viewers. They were both taken when mostly the top of the pylons of the Sky Bridge was lit by the setting sun. By the way, that body of water is Fraser River, which separates New Westminster (where I took the photos) and Surrey (right side).

Thanks so much for your input.

The EXIF data are inaccurate as far as lens focal length is concerned. The first was taken with the "stack of primes" --- SMCP A 35-105 f/3.5 --- at f/8, 1/100 sec., and ISO 400. The second one was with SMCP M 28mm f/3.5 at f/8, 1/160 sec., and ISO 100 using a circular polarizing filter. I noticed that using a CPL for the second photo darkened the upper left-hand corner more than the rest of the sky : ( I don't know how to solve it yet given my limited repertoire of pp skills. Am researching the internet for solution now.

Attached Images
View Picture EXIF
PENTAX K20D  Photo 
View Picture EXIF
PENTAX K-5  Photo 

Last edited by chmance; 08-09-2015 at 07:33 AM. Reason: editorial changes for brevity
08-08-2015, 10:48 PM   #2
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I prefer the second for several reasons.
More light on the bridge uprights.
More "motion" in the photo due to the angle the bridge traverses the frame.
More separation between the two bridges.
More orange light on the background bridge and it's pillars as well, giving more color to the scene overall.
The second one also better fits the "rule of thirds" to my eye.

To me, there's no question. (now I sit back and hear others who think I'm all wet, but that's why we love the internet, right?)
08-09-2015, 12:58 AM   #3
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I prefer the top one, I just like the lighting of the mountains in the background more.
08-09-2015, 05:40 AM   #4
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Mixed opinion. The lower is probably more technically correct in composition but has a far heavier look. The top one however is much lighter in tone, such that the train appears to be floating in midair. Whilst the mountains are better defined in the top image, they are obscured by the second bridge. So in summary each has qualities and each has problems.

08-09-2015, 07:01 AM   #5
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My preference is for the second one mainly for stronger composition and the more dramatic colors which I think are more suited to the subject. It emphasizes height more because of the lower angle it was taken from and as stated above, seems more pleasing with its better use of the rule of thirds. Camera position being closer to the left tower is also more pleasing to my eye while the first photo seems almost too balanced and does not make much of an impact for me.
Also a polarizing filter will often darken the sky unevenly with wide angle lenses due to the angle from the sun changing so much across the field of view. You can try composing a shot with a narrower field of view to limit the effect, use the effect in the composition, or use pp correction using a gradient.
I`m not good at pp either but I have seen results of others` work. My experience is from film mostly shooting slides years ago.
08-09-2015, 12:05 PM   #6
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#2, I like the colors better and imo it's a stronger composition
08-09-2015, 12:12 PM   #7
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I prefer the second; better composition, the added color on the second bridge and more prominent main image. They are both very good.

08-09-2015, 02:27 PM   #8
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The second one, by far. I would be tempted to open up the shadows but it has much more impact. In the second, the bridge is the "Star". In the first, there are too many dominant elements in competition. The second has strong , parallel diagonals supporting the idea of this soaring bridge with energy. In the first the lines are pretty flat and quiet and there are a lot of competing elements that dilute the main idea.

The color palette of the first is very attractive, mostly due to the richness of the complementary colors. If it was mine, I'd be back in ACR, adjusting #2, especially Luminance & Saturation to get colors closer to #1.

Both are okay, #2 could be very good.

Last edited by Brooke Meyer; 08-09-2015 at 02:43 PM. Reason: Correct spelling
08-09-2015, 03:55 PM   #9
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I'm going to go all-in on the first--the train suspended in air is a much more interesting subject than semi-generic bridge architecture (and as noted, the colors are superb as well.) Case closed and print big.


Addendum--if you're not a pixel-peeper, I'd think about cropping the rightmost quarter of shot...losing the second tower and really floating the train in space might add to the "lightness" that Bruce mentioned.

Last edited by CreationBear; 08-09-2015 at 04:01 PM.
08-09-2015, 04:58 PM - 1 Like   #10
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Original Poster
Thanks so much for your insightful comments. This is what I like about this forum that I don't see much in the other sites: the comments are candid (and can be technical which I like) but at the same time remain very respectful and are encouraging especially for newbies in digital photography. Although I read photography books constantly, posting here and getting comments are contributing to my learning a LOT.

I had the chance to process all the feedback and this is what I came up with:

The only tweak to the first photo: I cropped the right-hand portion of the picture. There is actually an interesting story to this. I thought of doing it following Bruce Clark's comment earlier today that the train appears floating in mid-air. Then I napped this afternoon and dreamed (seriously) about that solution to saving the picture. I woke up and then saw Creation Bear's suggestion, which confirms my dream. Wow! There is something surreal going on here

Tweaks to the second photo: I (1) lightened the shadows while trying gingerly not to lose the dramatic lighting; (2) played with hues and saturation to give the photo more punch; and (3) toned down the red colour at the pylons' top portion. I don't know if it is just my eyes but I find this lens [M 28mm f/3.5] and also its K version tend to oversaturate red.

So these are the results of our collaboration. Thanks to all of you.
Attached Images
View Picture EXIF
PENTAX K20D  Photo 
View Picture EXIF
PENTAX K-5  Photo 

Last edited by chmance; 08-09-2015 at 05:39 PM. Reason: typo
08-09-2015, 05:37 PM - 1 Like   #11
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Ha, it's a great shot--and one thing the first selection also has going for it is the focal length...100mm is good, but I might make sure to have a big hammer in the bag if you happen to revisit this locale.
08-10-2015, 12:24 AM   #12
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I like the crop on 1. Why didn't I think of that?
2 is much improved by the PP.

And you are right on this forum. It is very helpful unlike some (most?) others.
08-10-2015, 05:41 AM   #13
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I like both pics, but my preference is for the first one. It has a cleaner look to it. The second pic is strong, too, but the buildings on the far shoreline below the train keep drawing my eye. I think I'd tone those down because they're not central to the composition.
08-10-2015, 05:49 AM   #14
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I strongly prefer the second; the first had more potential but there are too many subjects that are at the same point in the photo. The second is a good photo of the bridge.

Overall, both are good photos but the first could have been better. It would be better elevated from farther away. Or anything to separate the mountains from the bridge in the frame.
08-10-2015, 08:37 AM   #15
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I like the second even more now. Nice job PP tweaking.
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