shutter

[Jeremy Roussak]

Any good? Or does the shadow spoil it?

Jeremy

[Rob C]

Nope, the shadow makes it; maybe darkening the lower parts of the main pic would give it a more balanced weight? It seems to me to be fading as the eye drops lower, making it feel oddish - to me, but that's no guarantee of anything! Were it a print, the temptation would be to shade it in from the bottom right up. In fact, I think I'd darken the whole thing, regardless of what the original might have been.

Love old materials like that - but remember, no saws and no jars!

Rob C

[JBerardi]

does the shadow spoil it?

I also like the shadow; I'd actually like to see it a bit darker.

[pegelli]

Shadow doesn't bother me at all, feels very natural allthough the total picture is a bit bright.

Do you also have a version 1 step closer without the shutter holders on the wall? Not sure whether they help or hinder?

[BFoto]

Any good? Or does the shadow spoil it?

Jeremy

All the shadows will make it, if a little darker.

[RSL]

+1. Just bring it up in ACR and, once you've got the white point and black point zeroed in, move the brightness slider a tad to the left. A lot more detail will jump out.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Thanks, all. How about this one? I've decreased the brightness a bit and added a slight gradient at the bottom, which brings out the lower shadow quite nicely.

Do you also have a version 1 step closer without the shutter holders on the wall? Not sure whether they help or hinder?

You don't mean that I should [music from Dragnet] crop it, do you?

Jeremy

[Rob C]

Jeremy

I think that's much stronger, but I would go a little darker (but protecting the top shadow) yet and keep the shutter snips there too. If anything, it's the light walls down the sides that seems to be the problem. Maybe selecting them first, and darkening without affecting the wood?

Rob C

PS Whose damn shot is this gonna be?

;-)

[stamper]

Jeremy

I think that's much stronger, but I would go a little darker (but protecting the top shadow) yet and keep the shutter snips there too. If anything, it's the light walls down the sides that seems to be the problem. Maybe selecting them first, and darkening without affecting the wood?

Rob C

PS Whose damn shot is this gonna be?

;-)

Rob your recommendations are spot on imo but did you not recently state that you wasn't in favour of this kind of critique? I can't find the post. Anyways it doesn't do any harm?

[pegelli]

You don't mean that I should [music from Dragnet] crop it, do you?

Wouldn't dare to do that on this board, and for reasons of visual integrity taking a step closer is so much more effective 

Also wouldn't change anything on the second version, the light walls form a nice frame around the weathered shutter. It's quite close to the forum background colour and therefore might be inclined to think it needs darkening to get a clearer separation, but for the picture "as such" I think it's very good like this.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

PS Whose damn shot is this gonna be?

;-)

Jeremy (and Rob),

I'll be glad to claim it as mine now. I like the second version a lot.

As for cropping, the only thing I might suggest is that you make a third version in which you crop in to one single panel (maybe one of the ones in half-shadow at the top) and send it to Russ for his comments.

Eric

[RSL]

I agree with Eric. It's a good shot. I try to imagine what I'd do were I standing in front of that shutter, deciding how to shoot it. The thing that bothers me is the contrast between the antique-looking shutter and the brand-new-looking concrete blocks around it. Moving in wouldn't help much because the AR isn't quite right. To include just the shutter at 3/2 I'd still have to include a bit of the blocks. I could crop (believe it or not I often consider cropping with something like this), but I'd be reluctant to lose the hold-back's on the wall. I think Rob's pointing in the right direction. We need to do something to bring the concrete blocks into harmony with the shutter. I'd experiment with his idea of darkening the concrete a bit. I'd also probably bring up Nik's Output Sharpener and experiment with painting sharpness into the concrete until it gets a bit oversharpened, then back off a bit. The other way to do that would be a selection and a sharpened layer.

But the contrast between the blocks and the shutter may be something Jeremy was trying to emphasize, and the more I look at it the more I agree that that's a legitimate expression. In the end, as Rob pointed out, it's Jeremy's picture.

[popnfresh]

The shutter itself is interesting, but the light is too hard for my taste and I have to say that I do find the shadow somewhat distracting. If possible, I'd reshoot at a different time of day when the light is a bit softer.