Don't Stare at Me!
Uploaded: March 03, 2013
Exif: F Number: 14, Exposure Bias Value: 0.67, ExposureTime: 1/200 seconds, Flash: did not fire., ISO: 400, White balance: Manual white balance, FocalLength: 24.00 mm, Model: NIKON D5100
Elaine Hessler March 03, 2013
This was taken at Rocky River Reservation in Ohio. ISO 400, 24mm, .7EV, f/14, and 1/200s.Here's a B/W-let me know which you like better and any fixes please:) #1517464
Kristin Duff March 03, 2013
I like this composition Elaine. Only one thing catches my eye and that is the tag at the bottom of the stairs on the right hand side. #10595337Dale Hardin March 03, 2013
To much snow (Brrrr) and too many stairs for this old dude. Love the image though. My favorite is the black and white because it seems to emphasize the starkness of the winter scene.Didn't really notice the tag until mentioned but did notice that my eye was constantly pulled out of the image by the chain. #10595417
Stephen Shoff March 03, 2013
For me, Elaine, this image's potential is its graphics theme. I don't think this one is going to work though. You have a great concept in the geometric patterns of the stairs, that are reinforced by the bare areas that are so consistently in the center of the steps all the way up. The image also contains a good "C" curve leading line...supposedly a winner as an element of composition.My problem? Too much clutter which weakens the strong lines of the stairs. The stairs aren't well enough separated (in tone or color) from the trees on the inside of the curve both along the line of the bottom bannister and at the top where the stairs turn. This is true in both the color and the B&W versions.
I did try to see if I could get some separation. I pulled a screen shot of your color version into Photoshop and used the B&W layer to convert it. One of the very flexible tools for B&W conversions in the ACR, Photoshop, and even NIK SilverEfex Pro software is that you can apply color filters to change tonal relationships. (I'm sure that is true in the other 3rd party tools as well. Where it is much less flexible is in Elements.) I had hoped that I was seeing enough yellow in the stairs (that wasn't present in the trees) that I could induce some tonal separation between the railings and the trees in a back and white conversion. That didn't work.
The couple of things that did work (in the B&w conversion) was to a) remove most of the blues (cyan and blue sliders in CS4) until you start to lose detail -- this whitened the show and increased contrast with the stairs, and b) cropped of the bottom to the first stair, a 5:6 ratio -- this did add a lot of graphical strength to the lower portion of the stairs.
something I didn't try was a gradient applied diagonally from the top right to the bottom left perpendicularly to the lower bannister. By darkening the upper right corner, you might add some depth to the image and incraese the sense of movement up the stairs. #10595425
Jeff E Jensen March 04, 2013
Hmm, looks like things around here. I'm ready for this snow to go.I'm really enjoying Stephen's in-depth analysis of these images. Some great ideas and pointers. #10596169
Debbie E. Payne March 04, 2013
Elaine, this looks like Bridal Veil Falls in Cuyahoga National Park (spelling???) near Akron. Beautiful place How far is this place from Cleveland? I like this image Elaine but Stephen is right about the trees, but for me it is not so much the trees as the small debris due to the branches . Maybe cloning some of those would help. I'm anxious to see what you do with his suggestions. We are all benefitting from this in-depth critique. Thank you! #10596371Elaine Hessler March 04, 2013
Thanks a bunch for the input. I removed the tag and chain, did a 5:6 crop, but not sure if the placement of the crop is right (bottom or top of the first stair). I did play around with the levels of blue in the B/W, but couldn't get the effect. So I went about it by increasing the contrast and I think it helped. I couldn't figure out the gradient thing. PSE kept wanting to reverse the black and white-it was weird and I couldn't get the diagonal gradient. This is what I have so far.I do see your point about the trees not having enough separation in color/tone with the stairs.
And Debbie, is this in Rocky River-west of Cleveland in the Metroparks. This is where I go running every Sunday. Some days you see people walking the stairs for exercise-up, down, up, down, ect. I am surprised there were no water bottles at the bottom. Although it was a VERY cold and icy day-must have been slick.
I am more than happy to do more work on this-I am trying to not lose momentum on this one:) #10596713
Dale Hardin March 04, 2013
Elaine, you've done a fine job of interpreting Stephen's suggestions and the result works.But I have a small suggestion that may surprise you. To add some detail (it's a bit soft) and to also add more contrast between the wood of the fence and the white of the snow. Give this a try.
Duplicate the layer, apply a 100% overlay blend and then with the top layer selected apply the high pass filter with a large setting of 7.5 to 8.0. Depending on the range the high pass settings, it does more than just tweak the sharpness.
This is a difficult image and the thing that would help it most is difficult. That would be to clone out all the brush and leave only the trees and the stair. #10596830
Dale Hardin March 04, 2013
Forgot to mention that this last suggestion applies to your last post only. #10596831Stephen Shoff March 04, 2013
At the very least, you are getting good practice with this shot Elaine. You do have the crop just about per my suggestion. I think I went to the top of the first step so that none of the landing was showing.I'll be interested to see what Dale's extreme High pass filter setting does for you. #10596915
Elaine Hessler March 05, 2013
Ok I am on a roll. Did the overlay/high pass filter. Weird thing I noticed, if I reorder the layers, the image looks different. I did not expect this.I recropped as suggested.
Thanks again for looking at this! #10597758
Stephen Shoff March 05, 2013
I must say, all the effort made a significant difference. #10598173Jeff E Jensen March 06, 2013
Yup, I agree, this last version is great! #10598420Brandi K. Mills March 06, 2013
Fun title :)Elaine Hessler March 06, 2013
Thanks! That means a lot coming from you Steven and Jeff!#10599086
Beth Spencer March 06, 2013
I am late but you have worked this well. I really like the last edit, great improvement.Peter W. Marks March 06, 2013
I slightly prefer the original version with that touch of color giving a bit of warmth. I've had more then enough of winter.Jeff E Jensen March 06, 2013
Well, Peter, let me try to explain my point of view. I think it ultimately comes down to the intent of the image. If my intent is a snapshot that documents a stop on a family vacation, then I'm going to leave things as is. However, if my intent is to create an image that is compelling and will capture the viewer's attention and imagination, then I am going to treat things differently. It is up to me to decide what my intent is for the image. In this case, had I made this photograph, my intent would have been to use the strong lines to draw the viewer into the image and up and over the stairs. I'd want the viewer left wondering what was on the other side. You are right, there is a lot going on in this image between the stairs, the trees, the sky and the snow. To me, all of those elements work together to accomplish my goal for the image (At the very least, they don't distract). The small sign with its strong contrast catches my eye and keeps me from exploring further into the image. Even if I force myself to wander up the stairs, I still come back to the sign. As the artist, my intent for the image is hindered by an easily removed, insignificant little sign. Out it goes.Here's my question for you: Had Elaine removed the sign and the chain before posting the original image, would you have questioned her as to what might have been removed? I'd dare say you wouldn't have. It is likely that you would have spun us a tale of a young lad eagerly scampering up the stairs to catch up with the pretty young lass in his attempt to steal a kiss before her father catches up with them.
That, my friend, is my thoughts on the subject. #10599205
Debbie E. Payne March 06, 2013
Elaine -- when all is said or done, this has become a great shot. I think there will always be different points of view among us and that is what makes up this group. We all benefit from each others critiques and suggestions, but in the end, it boils down to the photographer who gets to decide on what he or she does to the critiqued image. #10599271Peter W. Marks March 07, 2013
Good morning Jeff. Well my friend I am still puzzling over, to quote you, "the insignificant little signDon't forget to "spring forward" on saturday night. #10599871
Debbra Bailey March 10, 2013
Love your final version of this! When I first saw the thumbnail (in color) I thought what a great bw shot this would make! I was happily surprised when I opened the pic and saw you had made it bw. Great work on following all the suggestions for this one! #10604230Rita K. Connell March 12, 2013
wow that is a whole lot steps.... I like your last edit, I like that you edit the sign out I found it a distraction #10607028Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.
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