Somerset House Terrace

[Mike Farley]

One taken during the recent outing to see the Landscape Photographer of the Year and Henri Cartier Bresson exhibitions.

Focal Length - 23mm (on M4/3)
ISO 2000
1/4000 @ F/5.0

Why ISO 2000? Because earlier I had been shooting indoors and had not reset it to a lower value when I had finished. Doh. I don't really trust Auto ISO to do the right thing, but it seems I am not that reliable either! Some noise reduction has been applied in Lightroom.

As this was a grab shot and I did not get the framing entirely the way I wanted, there has also been some cropping. For preference, I would bring the right hand side even closer, but then the couple would be placed too centrally.

[davidc]

The jpg artefacting (I'm assuming that's what it is and not the ISO noise?) robs out a lot of the detail, what level did you save it on? It's only 97kb so not high I don't think?

[Mike Farley]

I exported it from Lightroom which allows a maximum file size to be specified. I don't normally place images on the web above 650 or 700 pixels and 100k is normally sufficient. This image needed to be a bit bigger than normal, so I have now replaced it with a version that has a bit less compression.

[Nina]

I exported it from Lightroom which allows a maximum file size to be specified. I don't normally place images on the web above 650 or 700 pixels and 100k is normally sufficient. This image needed to be a bit bigger than normal, so I have now replaced it with a version that has a bit less compression.

Hi Mike,
Was that the picture you said got no comments? I can see one comment but nonetheless I decided to have a go.

I can see why you decided to capture the image, it works well with the deserted terrace and only one couple passing buy. What I would have done here is omitted the sky grinning through the trees as it is too bright and takes eye away from the subject. To illustrate my point here is a quick rework including a little vignetting to "shine the light" on the people. WDYT?

[Mike Farley]

Thanks, Nina. I can see the benefits of cropping as it simplifies the composition and concentrates the eye on the people, but one of the things which attracted me to the scene was the buildings in the background being partially obscured by the trees and giving the image depth. Perhaps toning the background down a bit might help. I'll give it a try.

Incidentally, the reason why I said to you that I had not received any comments were that the only replies I had received related to the technical quality of the image, rather than aesthetic.

[davidc]

Heh I'll complete my "assessment" beyond just the technical

I must admit I'm sorry but didn't find it appealing to me personally. I found the background & foreground cluttered and distracting and didn't think the composition worked for me - there's a moderate diagonal across the very centre of the image but it doesn't lead the eye to or from anything. However, this is a pernickity critique... the main reason I opted to withhold a comment was the emotional impact, unfortunately I didn't find a particularly powerful message coming across - what was the "story" being conveyed?

Obviously this is easy for this to sound mega harsh over the forum which is not the intent, and the main reason I didn't give an aesthetic opinion in the first place

[Mike Farley]

It is an image which I quite enjoy and am at a loss to explain why, so I posted it here to see if anyone could shed any light on the matter. I quite agree with Dave's comments about there being no real story, but I do like the way all the elements come together.

[Rose]

One of those 'marmite' images ! I do think there's a story here so can see why Mike chose to take the pick in the first place but I prefer Nina's interpretation as it adds a certain mood and focusses on the people. I find my eye wandering a bit too much on the original.

[Mike Farley]

Yum, marmite!

Reflecting on it, I still like the contrast between the people on the terrace, the trees and the background, although I take Nina's point that the top part of the picture is too bright and distracts. To that end, I have reprocessed the image and made the following changes:

• Added a graduated filter in Lightroom ACR to darken the sky
• Lightened the people's faces in Silver Efex Pro
• Added a fairly strong vignette in SEP
• Removed the selenium toning in SEP

To my mind, this concentrates the attention on the main subject, but still allows the inclusion of the background. What do others think? Still marmite? Or now more marmalade?

[davidc]

Still marmite for me I'm afraid

I personally find monochrome images work better when there's a stark/sharp difference between subject and surroundings, clear/clean lines and the monochrome serves to highlight and really enforce the message the photographer wants to get over. Sorry, still doesn't work for me!

Though in the interests of balance I'll get a photo posted soon that I'm unsure about too.