[juu]

I like the lines which converge to the left in this picture, but I'm not entirely happy with my two attempts at post processing so far.

Try #1


Try #2 (pseudo HDR from one RAW file)


Should I just give up on this picture as it's not interesting/good enough, or try doing something else with it?

Any other critique will also be appreciated.

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Last edited by juu; 12-24-2009 at 01:33 PM.

[Ben_Edict]

Hi juu, though I would concede, that the image is not the most compelling I have seen, it never the less has some merrits (strong compositions with diagonals, didividing the frame into text-book thirds and nice, saturated colour. What it lacks mainly is contrast. The sky is heavily blue and the clouds should be white, to contrast that. Also there are some traces of red and yellow on the foreground basalt rocks (namely the lichen or whatever that is, I am completely flora-illiterate). If you can bring that colour out, it would really add to the image.

The problem with any kind of HDR, whether genuine or in pp is, that it can reduce midtone contrast severaly (necessarily, I would add) and that often gives a dull look.

Ben

[brkl]

My K10D ran out of battery about 10 minutes before we reached this part of the Giant's Causeway. I was not happy :P It looks pretty serene here compared to the weather we had.

[foxglove]

I agree with Ben, it's not an outstanding image, but it's pretty good and I imagine you like it, even just as a memory of the day, which is reason enough to me to try to get the most out of it. All of my keepers fall into that category!

One problem is the usual one - dynamic range. The forground basalt and the headland are pretty dark in the first image. The faux-HDR helps that, but I think it makes the sky and water look a bit harsh, particularly in contrast with the dark rocks. If you don't mind doing something a little less automated, you could mess around with layers and layer masks to bring out the shadow detail, particularly in the foreground with the orangey seaweed, and avoid the (to me) over-blue sky in the HDR treatment. You might also be able to get a better balance between the tops and sides of the basalt columns, the tops seem almost too bright to me.

I'm interested in what you come up with, if you keep at it!

Julie

[juu]

OK, thanks for your suggestions. I've tried to do more with it just in Lightroom and without HDR (basically boosted the contrast/saturation of the sky w/ a ND filter and boosted the saturation of yellows to bring out the algae on the basalt).



foxglove, yes, I'm basically trying to find one good picture from the few times I've been there. The other candidate is in some ways more interesting, but the composition seems flat to me.

[foxglove]

The other candidate is in some ways more interesting, but the composition seems flat to me.

Oooh, I like that one, but I'm a sucker for big surf. I do like the way the water in the tops of the stones reflects the sky. Both shots are nice, I like the contrast between them, placid vs surf.

Julie