Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Andres Bonilla on July 03, 2018, 12:18:57 am
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Late at night a lonely soul stills wanders. Roma.
I got a new Dell monitor that does not display the blacks lime my NEC use to do. It sees through the blacks, I have a tough time assessing the contrast. When I see it looks fine in my monitor , it usually has more contrast in my work computers. Daylight shots are OK but in this case the moody ambiance I was looking for, turn out too dark on a friends monitor. I did two versions, do you guys see any difference, can you see the piece or it is still too dark. First one is the original one. Thanks!!
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Very brave I think and it well seen. Definately an interesting direction. I’m not convinced by the composition but that could just be me. On my iPad I prefer the lighter image. I think the less solid blacks are more mysterious than the darker images where the blacks are so heavy they take on the nature of an object rather than a veil if that makes any sense. I have calibrated my iPad so I think it’s quite accurate.
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In case I wasn’t clear I really like the image.
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When assessing, I use the histogram as a guide as it will be the same regardless of individual monitor brightness/contrast. The histograms below show the colour and luminosity of the first image, and then the same for the second image. Both still look very dark on my monitor, as the histograms indicate, although I can still see shadow detail. How others will see the images depends on monitor setting and viewing conditions.
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Fascinating approach. The second gives a tiny bit more detail, which helps.
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Andres, you should be a painter. Maybe you are already...
Rob
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For me the second one works and is powerful.
In the first, I can't make out enough to get any sense of what the image is.
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The first. Caravaggio.
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I must say, +1 to what Rob C said. I prefer the second, but my screen is uncalibrated so your mileage will vary. I also agree wholeheartedly with Martin on the brave part. Very well done Andres!!!
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I like the 1st image more.
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On my really dark "for print" screen the 1st really is very dark, I can hardly see what is there. The 2nd is pretty brownish in the background, don't know whether this is what was wanted.
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Very brave I think and it well seen. Definately an interesting direction. I’m not convinced by the composition but that could just be me. On my iPad I prefer the lighter image. I think the less solid blacks are more mysterious than the darker images where the blacks are so heavy they take on the nature of an object rather than a veil if that makes any sense. I have calibrated my iPad so I think it’s quite accurate.
Thank you!I think the lighter image reveals the image a bit more without losing the atmosphere I was trying to convey. How would you change the composition?
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When assessing, I use the histogram as a guide as it will be the same regardless of individual monitor brightness/contrast. The histograms below show the colour and luminosity of the first image, and then the same for the second image. Both still look very dark on my monitor, as the histograms indicate, although I can still see shadow detail. How others will see the images depends on monitor setting and viewing conditions.
Thank you! Judging by the histograms are the shadows in the second version usable? I think the idea of using histograms is great specially with the variety of monitors out there. I wanted to insinuate the surroundings but you say they are very dark on your monitor, can you still see the background in the second version?
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Fascinating approach. The second gives a tiny bit more detail, which helps.
Thanks! Do you think the tiny more detail is enough?
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I'm working with a calibrated monitor; actually with two calibrated monitors. I really need to look at the pictures in a darker environment than the one I usually work in, but the second picture seems to have enough detail. Slobodan's right. It's a Caravaggio, though Caravaggio's highlights were brighter. You might want to try bending the curve a bit to bring up the highlights without raising the lows. In any case, it's fine work.
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I see less Caravaggio and more Rembrandt in the way the figure melts out of the darkness, but in either case, it's an utterly fascinating imaging job. Bravo.
Edit - I want to like the first one better, but there's just not quite enough detail in the shadows for me. Almost though.
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On my iPad earlier, it was the first. On my desktop (calibrated for printing), it is the second. iPad screens are great for web viewing though, so depending on the destination, you might want to use both versions.
On my iPad, the second version looks like a pea soup (the background), murky and featureless, forcing the eye to wander around looking for something, anything of value to see, thus distracting from the main point of interest.
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On my iPad earlier, it was the first. On my desktop (calibrated for printing), it is the second. iPad screens are great for web viewing though, so depending on the destination, you might want to use both versions.
On my iPad, the second version looks like a pea soup (the background), murky and featureless, forcing the eye to wander around looking for something, anything of value to see, thus distracting from the main point of interest.
On my uncalibrated laptop, I see the same as your iPad, and on my calibrated desktop the second works better for me as well. This is one of the more display-dependent images I think I've come across, and I bet it would give a printer fits. :)
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On of my more surprising discoveries, while visiting world museums, was just how dark renaissance masters kept their shadows.
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On of my more surprising discoveries, while visiting world museums, was just how dark renaissance masters kept their shadows.
Yes, and it's an aesthetic I've always loved. It's too bad printers are so very, very bad at rendering rich shadow detail from digital negatives (or too bad that I'm really, really bad at file prep for those images, may be more likely).
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Thank you! Judging by the histograms are the shadows in the second version usable? I think the idea of using histograms is great specially with the variety of monitors out there. I wanted to insinuate the surroundings but you say they are very dark on your monitor, can you still see the background in the second version?
I should have been more clear. I can see most of the shadow detail in the second one. By comparison, there are larger areas in the first version where detail is lost, especially if I use the "printing" calibration on my monitor. Both are still very dark (your brightest highlights don't reach half way through the histogram), but that's obviously an artistic choice.
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The environment/background is a little too dark for me. The second provides more context of where the man is. I would also lighten him ever so slightly. Nice shot.
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I love most of #1 on my iPad and TV but prefer the central figure in #2. So I've lightened the figure just a touch…what do you think?
BTW, I think it's a terrific photo.
-Dave-
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I'm working with a calibrated monitor; actually with two calibrated monitors. I really need to look at the pictures in a darker environment than the one I usually work in, but the second picture seems to have enough detail. Slobodan's right. It's a Caravaggio, though Caravaggio's highlights were brighter. You might want to try bending the curve a bit to bring up the highlights without raising the lows. In any case, it's fine work.
Thanks! So the highlights could still get a boost and not affect the overall ratio of the image.
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Andres, you should be a painter. Maybe you are already...
Rob
Thank you sir! I do love art and visit them as much as I canon my trips and locally.
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On my really dark "for print" screen the 1st really is very dark, I can hardly see what is there. The 2nd is pretty brownish in the background, don't know whether this is what was wanted.
Thank you! This worries me since the purpose of the photos of this trip is to make a coffee table book for my house. The color grading was very warm intentionally.
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I must say, +1 to what Rob C said. I prefer the second, but my screen is uncalibrated so your mileage will vary. I also agree wholeheartedly with Martin on the brave part. Very well done Andres!!!
Thanks! I am trying different color palettes and light ratios.
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I see less Caravaggio and more Rembrandt in the way the figure melts out of the darkness, but in either case, it's an utterly fascinating imaging job. Bravo.
Edit - I want to like the first one better, but there's just not quite enough detail in the shadows for me. Almost though.
Thanks! I heard that quite a bit! I love the mood of the first one but I can tell what exactly is in the background.
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On my iPad earlier, it was the first. On my desktop (calibrated for printing), it is the second. iPad screens are great for web viewing though, so depending on the destination, you might want to use both versions.
On my iPad, the second version looks like a pea soup (the background), murky and featureless, forcing the eye to wander around looking for something, anything of value to see, thus distracting from the main point of interest.
Thank you, oh so the warm color came out as pea soup? That would be more of a greenish tint? The final output would be a book, I would need to match as close as possible the output of their printing machines.On my monitor the first one looked fine but I think it would be too dark for printing.
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On my uncalibrated laptop, I see the same as your iPad, and on my calibrated desktop the second works better for me as well. This is one of the more display-dependent images I think I've come across, and I bet it would give a printer fits. :)
Thanks, I am getting the feeling that for a printed book the second one may work better, a bit worried about the color perspectives.
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I love most of #1 on my iPad and TV but prefer the central figure in #2. So I've lightened the figure just a touch…what do you think?
BTW, I think it's a terrific photo.
-Dave-
Thank you!! Now I am starting to go back and forth with the images a lot , I would love for the other photographers to look at this version with fresh eyes. What do you guys think?
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Thank you! This worries me since the purpose of the photos of this trip is to make a coffee table book for my house. The color grading was very warm intentionally.
There is a reason that many photographers use a different setting when 'soft-proofing' for print, often reducing monitor brightness to the 80-110 cd/m² range, depending on printer and paper. I would strongly suggest printing a small book-sample including this image before you commit to a larger project. Make sure your sample is on the paper you will choose in the end. I don't have a lot of experience with book printing, but I recently pulled the trigger on a 100+ page coffee-table book with Blurb (just for myself). I 'soft-proofed' all my images, and needed to make some changes to many of them (increased overall brightness and more shadow detail mostly, contrast boost on some). I was very pleased with the results overall. On a few images the Blurb printing of very bright reds went out of gamut and I lost some of the subtle colour variations. On a few others, the shadows blocked up more than I expected they might (this is in comparison to prints from my Epson).
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There is a reason that many photographers use a different setting when 'soft-proofing' for print, often reducing monitor brightness to the 80-110 cd/m² range, depending on printer and paper. I would strongly suggest printing a small book-sample including this image before you commit to a larger project. Make sure your sample is on the paper you will choose in the end. I don't have a lot of experience with book printing, but I recently pulled the trigger on a 100+ page coffee-table book with Blurb (just for myself). I 'soft-proofed' all my images, and needed to make some changes to many of them (increased overall brightness and more shadow detail mostly, contrast boost on some). I was very pleased with the results overall. On a few images the Blurb printing of very bright reds went out of gamut and I lost some of the subtle colour variations. On a few others, the shadows blocked up more than I expected they might (this is in comparison to prints from my Epson).
This is great to know since Blurb is the only company I have found to be very consistent with its product. It has been a while but I will check their new specs. The monitor to print book is very interesting and challenging.
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It's a good suggestion to "hard proof" some critical images like this before jumping right into the "big thing". Such dark tones are a challenge, I wouldn't rely on "soft proofs" here. Also consider the viewing circumstances of the actual coffee table book. I bet nobody will look at it unter controlled D50 light or something. Or under a real bright light that might show the last detail in the shadow. Rather one would be sitting in a comfy chair with a dim, warm light ... but perhaps you considered all that, just thinking aloud. ;-)
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I agree with Slobodan as to classical dark's in the shadows and while I like the second one from a perspective of the figure being brighter, I am not sure I like the BG brighter as well.
Perhaps an expanded mid-tone correction on the figure and leaving the BG dark as in the first rendition.
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My edit didn't translate nearly so well as I had hoped but the idea is there, anyway ;D