Staircase With Marble Walls

[RSL]

.

[petermfiore]

I think it needs to be either the doorway and the stairs or the light fixture and the stairs.

Peter

[seamus finn]

Russ,

I'm confused. Take heart, we all live in that country. Gimme street any day of the week.

[RSL]

Long story Seamus. For many reasons -- not physical problems -- I haven't been able to get to places where I can do my favorite thing -- street. So I got serious about re-learning artificial lighting, which I did a lot of back in the sixties, but with much less capable equipment than is available nowadays. I've had fun with it, but I'm ready to leave here and go back to Colorado where I can get out on the street. Won't happen for a month and a half yet, though.

This picture is from a shoot I did earlier this week on a long-abandoned mansion not far from where I live in Florida. I've driven past it for years and wondered what was inside. Once they untangle and kill the legal snakes associated with the title a newly formed corporation is buying the place. I got an invitation to wander around inside and outside. In the process I shot more than 80 frames. To me the stairwell was the most fascinating thing. The walls of that foyer are marble. I kind of liked the abstract from upstairs, but I guess it didn't click with Peter. Here's a more conventional shot of it, one that should be more easy to comprehend.

I'm delighted to know you're getting back on your feet.

[louoates]

 I love the way my eyes are led from the bottom right, up the stairs and to the doorway upper right. Four main elements: Doorway bottom right, stairway, window, and archway top right. With the chandelier and the railing tower thrown in to balance everything nicely. Very well done.

[seamus finn]

Oh, the second shot is the real deal - no confusion there.

[petermfiore]

Oh, the second shot is the real deal - no confusion there.

+1

Peter

[wolfnowl]

Could you go back to the second image location and roll up the carpet on the lower right please? Never mind Security; tell them you'll put it right back.

Thanks!

Mike.

[cjogo]

Turn them to B&W -- and you got it ~~! :-)

[RSL]

I love black and white. I've been shooting it for more than 70 years. But not everything is better in B&W. This is one of those cases.

[RSL]

Could you go back to the second image location and roll up the carpet on the lower right please? Never mind Security; tell them you'll put it right back.

Thanks!

Mike.

I'd do it, Mike, but that carpet is made of marble and doesn't roll up easily.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I'd do it, Mike, but that carpet is made of marble and doesn't roll up easily.

All it takes is a big enough chisel and a big enough hammer and some super glue to put the pieces back afterward. 

[Jeremy Roussak]

All it takes is a big enough chisel and a big enough hammer and some super glue to put the pieces back afterward. 

Or CAF.

Jeremy

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

I have looked at these images at least ten times and
even tried editing the second and threw it away again and I didn't know what was wrong.
And I think I know why now.

The lights are out !

One of the the important features in this hall is this impressive large lamp.
But its off ....

Russ - I'd suggest to re-shoot it and get light into the lamp and everything will change, I believe.
If you want to use daylight coming in from outside - gel the lamp blue or the window orange to match color temperature and I am sure things will change greatly.
If not, just shoot late, when the daylight is down or whatever.

Just my subjective € 0.02

Cheers
~Chris

[RSL]

Thanks, Chris. Yes, I thought about what it would be like if the light were on, but the light wasn't on, and I shot the picture anyway because the light wasn't going on. When you're invited to wander through a long abandoned house the invitation doesn't include turning on lights or gelling lights or windows. You take what you can get. I got 81 frames.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Thanks, Chris. Yes, I thought about what it would be like if the light were on, but the light wasn't on, and I shot the picture anyway because the light wasn't going on. When you're invited to wander through a long abandoned house the invitation doesn't include turning on lights or gelling lights or windows. You take what you can get. I got 81 frames.

How about pointing a snooted flash at the lamp? or a speedlight invisibly into it / behind it?

[louoates]

It would be a fairly simple job to create light for the lamp in Photoshop, with appropriately colored light and shadows.

[RSL]

There's a lot of stuff I could have done if I'd had lighting equipment with me, Chris, but that day my wife had the car to take our crippled neighbor lady out for lunch and shopping so I had to bum a ride with some other people who were going out to the mansion. All I reasonably could carry was a D3 with a 24-70 on it. Both of us can think of all sorts of things we could do with unlimited time and unlimited equipment, but as I said, with something like this you take what you can get.

And Lou, I'm not sure I agree. It might be simple just to turn on the light with Photoshop, but it seems to me that to get the resulting lighted surfaces and shadows right wouldn't be simple, unless there's something new and magical in CC that I installed with the latest upgrade without realizing what I was doing --  maybe an "Auto Light Source" slider. But having said that, if you'd like to give it a try I'll put up a PSD for you to download and use for a demonstration. Might be easier than I think. I'm a lot more into shooting than post-processing.

[louoates]

I'd love to try to light that lamp. If I can manage to download your PSD or jpg file from this site I'll do so.

[RSL]

Hang on Lou. Gotta go to a meeting right now, but when I get back I'll put the PSD on one of my web sites and give you a link for download. I'd much rather have you work on the PSD rather than a thin, reduced jpeg.