Cityscape Do something!

schitzengiggles · 02-14-2010, 09:51 PM

I liked the composition of this shot, but no idea how to PP it to get the best out of it. Any suggestions?

I might go back and take the tripod, close the aperture a little and up the exposure. Would that sharpen up the background a little?

Damn Brit · 02-15-2010, 12:46 AM

If you want PP help you should ask for it to be moved to the Post Processing forum.
This forum is for critique on the image, composition, focus, exposure etc.

schitzengiggles · 02-15-2010, 03:40 AM

ah - wasn't specifically after pp help. any tip is a good tip.

what are your thoughts on the composition, focus, etc?

slinco · 02-15-2010, 02:18 PM

It needs some perspective correction - the top is tilted one way and the bottom the other way. You can either do it in Photoshop (or whatever), or if you go back with the tripod pay close attention to getting everything lined up carefully. It's got a lot to do with camera position (should have been a few inches farther to the left) and camera tilt.
Other than that, the color seems a bit funky. Seems like a good subject for a nice Black & White...

GoremanX · 02-15-2010, 02:25 PM

Originally posted by slinco

It needs some perspective correction - the top is tilted one way and the bottom the other way. You can either do it in Photoshop (or whatever), or if you go back with the tripod pay close attention to getting everything lined up carefully. It's got a lot to do with camera position (should have been a few inches farther to the left) and camera tilt.

That's true, the picture seems to beg for a symmetry that it doesn't have.

Damn Brit · 02-15-2010, 03:10 PM

Originally posted by schitzengiggles

ah - wasn't specifically after pp help. any tip is a good tip.

what are your thoughts on the composition, focus, etc?

We can only respond to what you post, in this case I was responding to this -

Quote:

I liked the composition of this shot, but no idea how to PP it to get the best out of it. Any suggestions?

. Sometimes it's best to let the image do the talking.

I agree with what has already been said, it looks like you've gone for symmetry but just missed. If I was taking this shot I would have got closer to the statue to make it appear bigger and to make the building out of focus.

Yes, a tripod would be a good idea, not only does it give you a better chance of nailing it, it slows you down and makes you think more.

Shooting it as you did, you could have used a higher ISO, maybe 800, then you could have used a smaller aperture to bring out more detail.

schitzengiggles · 02-15-2010, 03:24 PM

there's something i didn't know about a relationship between detail and aperture. i'm going to google. thankyou. i'll also re-shoot the image tonight on my way home.

Damn Brit · 02-15-2010, 03:36 PM

Originally posted by schitzengiggles

there's something i didn't know about a relationship between detail and aperture. i'm going to google. thankyou. i'll also re-shoot the image tonight on my way home.

Simply put, a smaller aperture (higher number) will give you a deeper DOF which means more of the image will be in focus. Of course you still have to get the focusing accurate in the first place. It's hard to tell from this image but it does look a little soft. That's where a tripod helps you out.

schitzengiggles · 02-16-2010, 06:16 PM

Brit, this confuses me - in another thread someone mentioned that small apertures cause diffraction? Is there a cut-off point where any dof gain is offset by diffraction?

GoremanX · 02-16-2010, 06:18 PM

Originally posted by schitzengiggles

Brit, this confuses me - in another thread someone mentioned that small apertures cause diffraction? Is there a cut-off point where any dof gain is offset by diffraction?

in a word, yes. Everything's a compromise. Every lens has a sweet spot between wide-open softness and narrow-aperture diffraction.

Damn Brit · 02-16-2010, 08:00 PM

You can't usually go far wrong by using f/8 or f/11 when wanting a deeper DOF, especially with wide angles. With a long lens, you might need to go to f/16.
It's digital, play around with different apertures and keep the one that works best. After a while you'll figure out what will work best from shot to shot.

02-14-2010, 09:51 PM	#1
schitzengiggles Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 32	Do something! Lens: 10mm Camera: Pentax K-x Photo Location: Waverley Park, Melbourne, Australia ISO: 200 Shutter Speed: 1/45s Aperture: F4 I liked the composition of this shot, but no idea how to PP it to get the best out of it. Any suggestions? I might go back and take the tripod, close the aperture a little and up the exposure. Would that sharpen up the background a little?

02-15-2010, 12:46 AM	#2
Damn Brit Guest	If you want PP help you should ask for it to be moved to the Post Processing forum. This forum is for critique on the image, composition, focus, exposure etc.

02-15-2010, 03:40 AM	#3
schitzengiggles Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 32 Original Poster	ah - wasn't specifically after pp help. any tip is a good tip. what are your thoughts on the composition, focus, etc?

02-15-2010, 02:18 PM	#4
slinco Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 203	It needs some perspective correction - the top is tilted one way and the bottom the other way. You can either do it in Photoshop (or whatever), or if you go back with the tripod pay close attention to getting everything lined up carefully. It's got a lot to do with camera position (should have been a few inches farther to the left) and camera tilt. Other than that, the color seems a bit funky. Seems like a good subject for a nice Black & White...

02-15-2010, 02:25 PM	#5
GoremanX Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Georgia, VT Photos: Albums Posts: 1,657	Originally posted by slinco It needs some perspective correction - the top is tilted one way and the bottom the other way. You can either do it in Photoshop (or whatever), or if you go back with the tripod pay close attention to getting everything lined up carefully. It's got a lot to do with camera position (should have been a few inches farther to the left) and camera tilt. That's true, the picture seems to beg for a symmetry that it doesn't have.

02-15-2010, 03:10 PM	#6
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by schitzengiggles ah - wasn't specifically after pp help. any tip is a good tip. what are your thoughts on the composition, focus, etc? We can only respond to what you post, in this case I was responding to this - Quote: I liked the composition of this shot, but no idea how to PP it to get the best out of it. Any suggestions? . Sometimes it's best to let the image do the talking. I agree with what has already been said, it looks like you've gone for symmetry but just missed. If I was taking this shot I would have got closer to the statue to make it appear bigger and to make the building out of focus. Yes, a tripod would be a good idea, not only does it give you a better chance of nailing it, it slows you down and makes you think more. Shooting it as you did, you could have used a higher ISO, maybe 800, then you could have used a smaller aperture to bring out more detail.

02-15-2010, 03:24 PM	#7
schitzengiggles Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 32 Original Poster	there's something i didn't know about a relationship between detail and aperture. i'm going to google. thankyou. i'll also re-shoot the image tonight on my way home.

02-15-2010, 03:36 PM	#8
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by schitzengiggles there's something i didn't know about a relationship between detail and aperture. i'm going to google. thankyou. i'll also re-shoot the image tonight on my way home. Simply put, a smaller aperture (higher number) will give you a deeper DOF which means more of the image will be in focus. Of course you still have to get the focusing accurate in the first place. It's hard to tell from this image but it does look a little soft. That's where a tripod helps you out.

02-16-2010, 06:16 PM	#9
schitzengiggles Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 32 Original Poster	Brit, this confuses me - in another thread someone mentioned that small apertures cause diffraction? Is there a cut-off point where any dof gain is offset by diffraction?

02-16-2010, 06:18 PM	#10
GoremanX Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Georgia, VT Photos: Albums Posts: 1,657	Originally posted by schitzengiggles Brit, this confuses me - in another thread someone mentioned that small apertures cause diffraction? Is there a cut-off point where any dof gain is offset by diffraction? in a word, yes. Everything's a compromise. Every lens has a sweet spot between wide-open softness and narrow-aperture diffraction.

02-16-2010, 08:00 PM	#11
Damn Brit Guest	You can't usually go far wrong by using f/8 or f/11 when wanting a deeper DOF, especially with wide angles. With a long lens, you might need to go to f/16. It's digital, play around with different apertures and keep the one that works best. After a while you'll figure out what will work best from shot to shot.