Help me pick!

baby and crumble

Ok, there's a exhibition going on inTCD that all members are invited to submit for, and while it may be silly, I kinda want to stick something in for it. For the experience if nothing else...

SO to that end, I have 4 shots that i think (in my innocence!) would not be all that embarassing to submit... if you had to choose one, which would it be?

1)


2)


3)


4)


of course, they might all be rubbish, so please tell me that too!!!

Paulw

For me, image 3, but image 4 comes close too.

Best of luck.

shawnee

Image3

Hugh_C

2

leche solara

3 definitely

pixbyjohn

Image 3 for me too

katiemaloe

I like the first one best- there is more to look at and it has lots of atmosphere

AnimalRights

Image 3.

baby and crumble

Cool, thanks for the feedback guys! looks like it'll be three... I personally have as oft spot for no 2, don't know why... so you never know... Keep 'em coming though, opinions always welcome!!!!

Zo

.Longshanks.

No.3 for me

PCPhoto

all of the above !

each have something that I like - cant seperate them,

3.... I would crop in a bit tighter to the child - its still a very good shot - just my preference is less space on the side

KarmaGarda

I'm not sure what everyone is seeing in #3 over the rest. #1 and #2 are the best in my eyes.

For me, if you did a more high contrast B&W on #1 it might be the best. In fact, I'd like to see 2 as a higher contrast B&W too.

But as they stand, it's either #1 or #2 for me.

Masada

number 2.:)

Although i tihnk i would prefer it in warm colour tones/ sepia etc

humberklog

No.2 too, although I'd crop the top line down a little further so as the window pane was intersecting with the top border and that would do away with the annoying corner of dark and whites eaves and would leave the railings on the right going to infinity.


Don't get 3's popularity at all and to further that, I really don't see it hanging in a TCD student exhibition.

Masada

humberklog wrote: »

Don't get 2's popularity at all and to further that I really don't see it hanging in a TCD student exhibition.

Do you mean number 3?

If so i agree.
I think the horizon is too umm, 50/50 looking and the kid seems a bit random and motionless in there.

humberklog

Masada wrote: »

Do you mean number 3?

If so i agree.
I think the horizon is too umm, 50/50 looking and the kid seems a bit random and motionless in there.

Yep, thanks...I go pick it as best and then cast it aside like an old rag doll. all in one post:pac:.

Ghost Train

no 2 I think, no 1 I like too

baby and crumble

ooooOOOOoh, a bit of dissention in the ranks, eh?

Originally posted by karmaGarda:
For me, if you did a more high contrast B&W on #1 it might be the best. In fact, I'd like to see 2 as a higher contrast B&W too.

Sorry to be dim, but when you say 'high contrast' do you mean picking out the hilights a bit more?

I'll also play around with cropping on number 2 and see what happens... My editing software is basic picassa at the mo, so nothing too fancy to be able to do... but I kinda want to get the hang of the basics before I go getting all fancy pants... especially since I only had the camera like, 6 weeks before it got stolen! Luckily though my Dad is giving me his old canon 10d since he upgraded to the eos1d!!!

Well, that was all random asides from the original post, apologies! it's late and I have a PhD chapter to write before morning... and yet I'm here on boards... hmmm...

KarmaGarda

zoegh wrote: »

Sorry to be dim, but when you say 'high contrast' do you mean picking out the hilights a bit more?

Yeah, pretty much punching the darks and lights a bit so that there's less grey and more contrast. For example, take the 2 images posted:

#1 - Simple desaturation:




#2 - High contrast boost:



I've exagerated the high contrast version a little bit to give you the idea.

On a side note, she has nice legs eh!

dazftw

2

baby and crumble

I do agree, nice legs indeed!

Ok, so I've had a go with the contrast thing and a crop of the windows shot... Better?

KarmaGarda

That's a winner for me now. Let's see what Humberklog says, but I think the crop and boost is wicked.

dinneenp

2 or 3 for me
1 is very interesting image but the background crowd are too sharp/in focus.
if they were very blurred it'd be great.

2 is nice patterns

3 is nice, the kid is very dark though, due to lightening etc but i think I'd go with it.

4- good but I don't like the clockface of Big Ben- too much of a big glow.

Pa

Cosmo K

Three!

pullandbang

I'd go with no. 4 IF you could salvage one of the most important points of interest - Big Ben's face. If not, forget it.

Other than that it's no. 2 for me.

baby and crumble

Originally posted by KarmaGarda:
That's a winner for me now. Let's see what Humberklog says, but I think the crop and boost is wicked.

YAY! Thanks, I totally see what you mean about it now, it does look a good deal better.

Originally posted by pullandbang:
I'd go with no. 4 IF you could salvage one of the most important points of interest - Big Ben's face. If not, forget it.

Unfortunately not really doable, I didn't shoot in RAW. I've tried a few things, but really none of them work... Thanks for the comment though!!

Nisio

humberklog wrote: »

Don't get 3's popularity at all and to further that, I really don't see it hanging in a TCD student exhibition.

I'm behind a desk all day, it's sunny out I want to be that kid!

I'd go for the picture 1, I think it has the most interesting subject of the group

Bodhan

I think 1 is the coolest, but would be nicer like this, just a rough blur on the BG

Ghost Train

zoegh wrote: »

I do agree, nice legs indeed!

Ok, so I've had a go with the contrast thing and a crop of the windows shot... Better?

I prefer the contrast of the original I think, would have just cropped a bit off the top like humberklog suggested, to keep the wide perspective

Valentia

The old No. 2 with the new contrast. The roof is too dominant in the new version. IMVHO.

thorbarry

its gotta 3 for me, deffo

baby and crumble

originally posted by Bodhan:
I think 1 is the coolest, but would be nicer like this, just a rough blur on the BG

Can I ask how you achieved this? It's very cool...

Bodhan

zoegh wrote: »

Can I ask how you achieved this? It's very cool...

Take any picture into Photoshop, use the lasso tool to section an area then go to Filter-Blur-Lens Blur.
It will only blur whats in the lasso, what I did was just rough. Glad you liked it

Trojan911

3 or 4 for me.

Flip a coin for me, heads for 3 or tails for 4. I like them both equally.

humberklog

KarmaGarda wrote: »

That's a winner for me now. Let's see what Humberklog says, but I think the crop and boost is wicked.

Yeah I think it's better too but in doing the crop it's after adding a rather unnatural twist to the pic and it bends out in the bottom right.
I had invisioned something a bit more like this...
Note: Zoegh sorry for playing around with your pic but I just had a little go last night to see if what I was saying would work and also to try out manipulating a digi pic on picasa...jayzuz digital is great but it's so, so, different for playing around with. I still don't think I fully got what I'd invisaged but it gives the jist...and once agian, digital's wierd!!

baby and crumble

@Humber- I think that's a bit TOO contrasty for me, it jarrs my eye a little, but I get what you're saying. Thanks! I take it you are a film buff, yeah? And I have no probs with anyone playing around, it's amazing to see what other people can do in PP, that I'm just starting to play around with.

I think I have decided to submit 1 & 2, and see what happens. I got myself a copy of Gimp and have been playing around with the blurring and contrast, and I'm pretty happy with the results. Now it just remains to be seen if it gets in! Thanks all for the wesome replies and help. It's MUCH appreciated. :):)

tullie

Bodhan wrote: »

Take any picture into Photoshop, use the lasso tool to section an area then go to Filter-Blur-Lens Blur.
It will only blur whats in the lasso, what I did was just rough. Glad you liked it

cool effect but when you zoom in you can see the lines where the lasso tool didn't blur around the dancers bodies' is it possible to get this effect but neater?

Bodhan

Yea, you need to over lap the edge of the dancers bodies. Once you have done a fair job with the lasso then right click whats selected and choose feather. Set it to about 10-15 and that will smooth out the selection.
Here's another one done on zoegh's picture (I hope you don't mind Zoegh your pictures lend themselves to a little blurring. I also messed about with the curves on the dancer.

See Photoshop doesn't have to intrude on the subject too much

baby and crumble

originally posted by Bodhan:
Here's another one done on zoegh's picture (I hope you don't mind Zoegh your pictures lend themselves to a little blurring. I also messed about with the curves on the dancer.

Not at all, that looks very cool. Should I be insulted that my photos 'lend themselves to blurring' though? On a related point, I need to get my head around DOF...

Bodhan

No insult, the more in focus things are the more they can be processed. It depends on what you want to get from a photo. I'm not long started at DSLR's so I'm only learning depth of field and all that. But I'm "shopping" photo's for years.
I love the people in action shots you took.

baby and crumble

Cheers, man!

humberklog

zoegh wrote: »

@Humber- I think that's a bit TOO contrasty for me, it jarrs my eye a little, but I get what you're saying. Thanks! I take it you are a film buff, yeah? And I have no probs with anyone playing around, it's amazing to see what other people can do in PP, that I'm just starting to play around with.

I think I have decided to submit 1 & 2, and see what happens. I got myself a copy of Gimp and have been playing around with the blurring and contrast, and I'm pretty happy with the results. Now it just remains to be seen if it gets in! Thanks all for the wesome replies and help. It's MUCH appreciated. :):)

Yeah it is far too contrasty for me too...
No, not a film buff at all just don't have a digital camera.