Just thought I'd add another example of how poorly slide film handles a gamut of light/contrast. :-p By the way, thanks to everyone who pointed this out to me on my Ruby Lake photo . . .
I tried coaxing more detail out of the bottom half of the photo, but it's simply not there to coax out. Still, I like the moodiness of the shot. I guess my question here is: is the darkness complimentary or too overwhelming?
Also, unlike the last few photos I've submitted, I think this one looks better in black and white. I'll include both for comparison.
Nice. I see the b&w version didn't make it through the recent upgrades so I did my own and I agree - I like it better. I've stood on that dock. A beautiful part of the world.
Thanks, as always, for the comments everyone. :-) Stefan: no channel mixing in this photograph, though that's something I'm beginning to experiment with. My PS learning curve resembles the topography of a prairie.
Hi Becky, I've been 'inactive' for a while now, so - sorry I'm late to the party! :) For years I shot slide film exclusively and found that the limited latitude was made up for by the rich saturation and crisp contrast, which I thought fit my style anyway. In a shot like this, with subtle tonal values and muted colors, these 'shortcomings' are definitely more noticeable (I don't recall the range being quite that limited with Kodachrome 64, though!) I, for one, like the color version of this shot better! I think the blues and yellows add a lot to the mood of the scene. I also like the way the photo goes from dark to light, suggesting a transition from night to day, with the barge moving from one to the other... The composition is really nice, with the pier jutting out so boldly, then making a sharp right to hug the horizon line. A nicely seen shot!
I prefer the B/W and especially since you've done a good job converting it. Did you pick out the red channel? The two detractions I see is the big dark area on the left, I'd rather crop it out. The other thing that creates a little bit of dissonance in my viewing is that the rail very nearly lines up with the horizon. You photo conveys a mood of isolation very well.
I, too, like the B&W image better... the darkness doesn't seem so powerful as black and white for some reason. Great composition with the rail of the dock leading our eyes into the image... and the detail is great as well. Not much to add to this, other than the fact that when you are using slide film and have both dark places and really bright places it's sometimes best to bracket the exposure, taking one by metering off the darkness to get detail, one normal range, and one metering off the bright area. One of these (or a mix of them in PS!) will be what you're looking for. Cheers
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{K:15402} 1/9/2004
