rocky pagoda

[shiruikage]

hello. been awhile since i last posted one for critique. pls help me improve my shots.

this is the first time i'm converting a color shot into B&W. been reading up abit on how to using cs3. so, i am looking on feed back on the subject matter's compatibility for B&W shots. oh, yeah, any feedback on composition is most welcomed. here's a bit background on the object. it's a small room on top of a rocky hill(?) or projection(?) or outcrop(?) deep within the forbidden city in beijing. i saw how the rocks and the building looks nice together and i'm trying to get a shot showing them both up close, and had to practically hug the face of the rock to get this.

taken using my old casio exilim on auto, so i cant really remember wats the settings like. sorry.

 

[nigel84]

Firstly the skies look way over exposed to me. To the fact that the roof of the pagoda seems to be clipped off in the whites. Next is the BnW conversion. Personally i would not want to even convert it. It is nice with colours, the contrast of the pagoda would be remarkable as well. Bringing both the rocks and the pagoda out nicely. However now that it has been converted to BnW, everything on the pic, looks so flat. Shadows i believe could have been bought out more and highlights brought down lower.

 

[shiruikage]

hmm...i donno actually how to bring the highlights down...and when u say flat, what do u mean? yeah, the sky is overexposed...

here's the original photo. in jpeg, hence the difficulty is doing something?

 

[night86mare]

everything aside, the picture fails in composition,

there is way too much clutter in the picture, and while on the bright side the conversion to b&w helps it out a little since the colors are murky due to overexposure in the sky in the first place.. it still does not work.

work on composition first, before caring about b&w.

 

[shiruikage]

everything aside, the picture fails in composition,

there is way too much clutter in the picture, and while on the bright side the conversion to b&w helps it out a little since the colors are murky due to overexposure in the sky in the first place.. it still does not work.

work on composition first, before caring about b&w.

yes...about the composition, do u have a tip as to how to improve my composition ar? reading about it in books is very different in rl leh. any tip is appreciated. thanx for the honest feedback.

 

[night86mare]

yes...about the composition, do u have a tip as to how to improve my composition ar? reading about it in books is very different in rl leh. any tip is appreciated. thanx for the honest feedback.

keep looking at good pictures. that helped me , i think.

 

[glam-our]

hmm i guess i can comment a bit regarding photoshop.
there's more to just adding a layer of filter to the picture. you can adjust the contrast and brightness of the picture as well. As suggested by nigel84, there's a fair bit to improve in the potrait. however, with a good job done in ps, your picture can still look good. haha perhaps i can try and help you edit.

Keep going! [:

 

[night86mare]

As suggested by nigel84, there's a fair bit to improve in the potrait. however, with a good job done in ps, your picture can still look good.

i am not going to beat around the bush, fact is fact, from my point of view, no amount of PS is going to make this picture good, with this framing and composition.

but you're welcome to try.

as to why i post this, i do not intend to put your PS skills down, but if there is no composition, then what the ts needs to know is that PS should never be used as a crutch. you can make it less bad, but you are never going to make it good per se.

 

[shiruikage]

i never intend for ps to make my photos many notches better...abit better maybe, but alot? definitely not. as nightmare said, i'm need better composition, which in my case now is practically...negative 100! lol. composition tips very very welcomed! :sweat: