City Skyline


Kopred

Member
Jul 25, 2010
173
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16
DSC_0214.jpg


1. In which area is critique or feedback to be given?
The exposure.

2. What were you hoping to achieve with this image?
Hoping to get the correct lighting and sharpness.

3. Under what circumstance was the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)
The picture was taken in the night around 9pm.

4. Thread-starter's personal thoughts about the image.
Over-expose on those wording. How to make those light wording on the building nicely expose, so that i can see the word clearly? Night shoot set to F8 - F11? Please kindly advise. Thanks!
 

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the sun has long set and the sky (and hence the overall scene) is dark. This presents a problem because the lights are MUCH brighter.

One way I can think of to mitigate this issue is to take exactly the same composition (tripod is vital) with the lights nicely exposed, then try to combine in PP.
It would be preferable to photograph during twilight (just during and after sunset), when there is some brightness in the sky.

Other than that, your buildings are tilted inwards...
 

it probably depends on what camera/lens (mainly the lens) you are using, as well as the timing


http://www.flickr.com/photos/aricisme/5131157494/

this was back in 2006 (so much has changed haha). in this photo i used a D50 and the kit (18-55). if you have a compact then the quality is likely to be worse.

however, the time really makes the difference imo, as i shot the pic just after sunset (blue hour) so the sky was still relatively bright and hence the lights were not blown. of course you can also see that the buildings are darker in my pic so that would have meant that the lights are darker.

as for the buildings tilting inwards, that's the keystone effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_effect) and its quite inevitable unless you shot from higher up or used a tilt-shift lens. it is correctable in photoshop though
 

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DSC_0214.jpg


1. In which area is critique or feedback to be given?
The exposure.

2. What were you hoping to achieve with this image?
Hoping to get the correct lighting and sharpness.

3. Under what circumstance was the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)
The picture was taken in the night around 9pm.

4. Thread-starter's personal thoughts about the image.
Over-expose on those wording. How to make those light wording on the building nicely expose, so that i can see the word clearly? Night shoot set to F8 - F11? Please kindly advise. Thanks!

This is a difficult scene to take especially in the evening. You don't get good ambient light all the time. The key is to find a timing where the contrast between the ambient light and artificial light is quite minimal. Tha way, you can prevent ending up with blue sky and dark buildings or overdone night lights with dark sky. In practice, you might not even have that kind of condition all the time. So you might have to go back there a few more times to get it right. I'd prefer to take the photo early in the morning because your chances of getting better ambient light is greater.

As for the keystone effect, you have a lot of space on top you can use to correct it since you used a wide angle lens. When you get the camera set up perfectly parallel to the buildings, the tilting effect will be corrected but that would also means your horizon will be somewhere across the middle of the frame. I'd go for a 16 x 9 crop then.
 

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the sun has long set and the sky (and hence the overall scene) is dark. This presents a problem because the lights are MUCH brighter.

One way I can think of to mitigate this issue is to take exactly the same composition (tripod is vital) with the lights nicely exposed, then try to combine in PP.
It would be preferable to photograph during twilight (just during and after sunset), when there is some brightness in the sky.

Other than that, your buildings are tilted inwards...

So i guess, in order to get the right lighting on the wording is the 'Magic hr'?
No other choice or setting?
 

probably he tilted his camera upwards

Oh yes.. Camera was actually set with tripod at somewhere near the F1 gallery.
Yes, camera is tilted upward. Any better way to solve this issue?
No way to be on level term with the building right? Unless you go up to somewhere up in the mid-building?
 

it probably depends on what camera/lens (mainly the lens) you are using, as well as the timing


http://www.flickr.com/photos/aricisme/5131157494/

this was back in 2006 (so much has changed haha). in this photo i used a D50 and the kit (18-55). if you have a compact then the quality is likely to be worse.

however, the time really makes the difference imo, as i shot the pic just after sunset (blue hour) so the sky was still relatively bright and hence the lights were not blown. of course you can also see that the buildings are darker in my pic so that would have meant that the lights are darker.

as for the buildings tilting inwards, that's the keystone effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_effect) and its quite inevitable unless you shot from higher up or used a tilt-shift lens. it is correctable in photoshop though

Correctable in photoshop? May i know which function? ;)
 

Gosh Kit!! This shot is fabulous.
Looking at my own photo again:confused:
hehehe Kit has the knowledge and the patience, and the most important thing... the ability to command the weather at his will ( ;) )


anyway like he said, dawn is ideal if you want the sunlight to be cast on the buildings, to give them nice tones (highlights, midtones, shadow areas). At dusk (sunset), the sun is BEHIND the buildings, so you tend to have them in shadow only.
 

Oh yes.. Camera was actually set with tripod at somewhere near the F1 gallery.
Yes, camera is tilted upward. Any better way to solve this issue?
No way to be on level term with the building right? Unless you go up to somewhere up in the mid-building?
If your lens' angle of view is wide enough, you can have the lens horizontal (thus greatly reducing the perspective distortion) yet still including the buildings.

You can use a hotshoe-mounted spirit level
spiritlevel2axis_large03.jpg

to level your camera.
 

If your lens' angle of view is wide enough, you can have the lens horizontal (thus greatly reducing the perspective distortion) yet still including the buildings.

You can use a hotshoe-mounted spirit level
spiritlevel2axis_large03.jpg

to level your camera.

1st time i see this gadget. Very interesting.
Will check it out. Thanks a bunch!
 

Thanks for the tips.
Greatly appreciate it! Cheers!!
I think it shouldn't be under lens distort leh... Coz if you tilt the camera upwards, this is not lens distortion but perspective distortion.

Lens distortion is a characteristic of the lens itself. For example, if a lens has barrel distortion, even if you align it perfectly perpendicular to your object (vertically and horizontally), the centers still 'bulge out' like a fat beer barrel. This type of distortion is corrected by 'lens correction'.
But perspective distortion is another animal all together :)
 

nice :thumbsup: if you dont mind, may i know your setting, did you use any filter? thanks!

I don't think he used any filter for this shot. As he has mentioned, getting the ambient light right is the key to getting such nice photo. For the smooth water surface, it is becos isn't any activity in the bay yet plus little or no wind.
 

yeah they're actually 2 different things, but under photoshop its put together. you can correct both with photoshop under 'lens correction'. you'll see a whole lot of things that you can correct :)

to correct your keystone, just change the 'vertical perspective' slider

I think it shouldn't be under lens distort leh... Coz if you tilt the camera upwards, this is not lens distortion but perspective distortion.

Lens distortion is a characteristic of the lens itself. For example, if a lens has barrel distortion, even if you align it perfectly perpendicular to your object (vertically and horizontally), the centers still 'bulge out' like a fat beer barrel. This type of distortion is corrected by 'lens correction'.
But perspective distortion is another animal all together :)