[blowup]

As I haven't posted a photo in while, I'm putting up something that I have worked on in CS3, recently. First, I downloaded the trial version of Lightroom 2.0, and tested the ability to select multiple photos (5 in this case) and put them immediately into an HDR image in CS3. OK ... it worked. The photos were shot early in the AM, on the East bank of the Schuykill River, in Philadelphia, looking North at the Chestnut St. bridge and the Post Office building, behind it, and the new Cira building (tallest one) behind that. I wanted to capture the reflections in the river, when the sun was low in the sky and the water was (relatively) still. The top photo is the HDR, which I also tweaked a bit in CS3, after the merge. The bottom photo is an unprocessed copy of the single, middle exposure in the group. I like the colors and tonality of the HDR, but I don't think this is an interesting composition. There is too much to look at and no real point of interest to it. Various crops have not helped, in my opinion. Any and all comments are welcome.

[Pavel]

OK Gary let me have a go at it. I have a lot to say on this one.
Concept and composition:First, I think it is very difficult in my view to stir my interest with boxy buildings and plank-like bridges. This is not your fault and I am just saying this to say that in my view you picked youself a very difficult task I think.
The idea with the reflection in still water + midground object and background object is a good idea, showing a decent 3-d effect. However I think that to make it work, you really do need something in the foreground. I like to take photos of water, but I find that to make flat water interesting without a strong foreground is difficult. One can argue that the reflection is your foreground, but it does not seem to work like that and it seems that my brain connects it with the midground.Given the simple lines and blend, there is just not enough happening to keep my eyes interested (sort of like my sense of English food based on a couple of visits). In this case, you may not be able to do that, but if you could, I would get very close to water surface and aim the camera slightly downward. That would give water greater immediacy in your photo.
Camera work: You have tried both the HDR and a single photo - a good idea to compare. You coaxed out of the HDR natural tones and no artefacts that draw attention to the fact that it is an HDR image. At least I saw nothing without specifically searching. Personally, I do not think that this photo is a good candidate for HDR, because there is no detail in the shadow that needs to be opened up to make the photo more interesting and because the lighting is flat and the photo is low on contrast to start with. All that HDR does for you here is that it reveals some bushes under the road and opens up some shadows under the bridge. The downside is a flat photo. I like your mid photo a lot better. Because I am a water addict, I notice the slight ripples. I would consider using longer exposures - that would have cleaned up the ripples.

Post-processing: I like the natural, realistic colours and tones in both photos, but both photos look flat, lack shadows, highlight and contrast and in general - life. In part this is because of the day/time you took the photo I am guessing. Also people would have enliven the photo. Perhaps even cars. These are things you could not control. However there are things you can do:I would cut more into the left part of the histogram than you did. The photo also does not appear sharp. Also some parts of the photo have similar colours/tones/density and they tend to blend together. I find that particularly strongly with the glass building in the background almost blending with a very thin (too thin?) sky.

Overall: I agree with you Gary, that this photo is not very interesting to me. I tried to give you reasons for why I think it is not and also some suggestions on how to get more out of this photo. I think that re-cropping is not going to do much. I think lighting is flat and that is in part to blame. In my view HDR makes matters worse, although some colours are a bit more pleasing in the HDR photo. You may have to go against your instict and increase saturation and contrast (especially local contrast), try to separate the sky from the building and sharpen the photo.

Your nasty friend Pavel

[blowup]

Pavel,
Thanks for taking so much time with this one. I appreciate your effort, and think that you've written a model critique. I like your suggestions about alternate placement of the camera, and exposure duration. When I have the opportunity, I'll experiment with those ideas. Your comments about the light made me think. Normally, I like the early morning light very much, because I find that it brings out colors, and creates shadows and contrasts. But you are right, those things are almost totally missing in this photo. Again, I think that this is the wrong scene.

After having gone through the exercise, I agree with you that this was not a good subject for HDR. I like the points that you've made here, and with regard to Shane's library photo, about the loss of shadows and degradation of contrast in many HDR photos.

Thanks again for taking the time. You've reinforced my conclusion that the main weakness, here, is my composition, and that this particular scene may not be a suitable subject for an interesting photograph.
Gary

[Pavel]

Thanks Gary. P