[NT73]

It is a very large square/oblong. It felt like a kilometre from one end to the other. Just found out it is 880 metres long and 500 metres wide.

One end.

Looking across.

Nearer the flags.


Gate of Heavenly Peace. Under portrait of Chairman Mao


Into the Forbidden City. A succession of very large walled courtyards with palaces and temples abounding


A waterway inside


Sunday best


Cauldron. Rubbing it for luck?


Pillars were of dragons or birds or clouds.

[Irma]

I like very much this place NT, specially your picture of the waterway... Very nice detail in the reflection and your composition works fine.

It looks like a sunny day, and you got a very nice exposure in your pictures. How did you meter the light?

I have problems with my pictures because sometimes I get chromatic aberration? and I have colorful lines the buildings where the contrast in harder. I really don't know if it might be the presets in my camera. I just reduced the contrast to 0, and I am planning to reduce also the sharpness as I have it in 6!!

Your pictures all look very clean with beautiful light and colors...

[NT73]

Thanks Irma.
I take most photo's with A/V and use either 1/3 or 2/3 exposure compensation.
Depending on the light, I try to meter between the sky and the mid dark areas so that I don't get sky blow out, and then recompose the image.
I only get CA with very high contrast pictures, so I try to avoid those.
The light in this series was between 0900 and 1300 and although slightly hazy (Beijing fog) it was sunny and warm.
Some of these would benefit from a little PP to bring detail out in the shadows, (which is there in the original full size version) but I have so many. I am trying to put a selection together on my webpage via jalbum but keep messing it up.
Until I get a faster PC I don't think I will go down the RAW road.
I do a few now and again but without buying expensive PP programmes (lightroom, adobe cr3) it is not feasible for me.