'The steps leading to Politics' - HDR

[PaulKami]

1) in what area is critique to be sought?
My 1st attempt on HDR, I hope I could be advised on the composition, as well as HDR itself.

2) What one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
A better understanding of HDR and the composition that create such photos

3) Under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)
It was taken @ Fort Canning during noon, with rain clouds behind the building, it rained not long after that.

4) what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture
I composed this while paying my attention to the building, the steps that lead to it and the rain clouds behind. I was hoping to capture the building, but not without blowing out the clouds, and having the clouds in detail would make the building rather dark.

I feel that HDR could bring out both details, and after some minor touchup @ PS, I think I may have overdone on some parts and not done properly on another parts. But then, from this critiques, I hope to get a better understanding of HDR.

PS: is there a lack of dynamic in colour?

 

[Kit]

There's defnitely some signs of over-cooked HDR, especially in the sky.

Composition - From the title, it seemed that you decided that the building inthe background and the steps will be the main subjects. However, the way you took the photo actually diminish the relationship between the two. Its showing something else, as if you were a "bystander" merely documenting the two instead of creating a relationship between them with your photo. The drain on the right is most distracting and unnecessary.

You'd probably be better off looking for a composition while standing on the steps, looking towards the building.

 

[PaulKami]

There's defnitely some signs of over-cooked HDR, especially in the sky.

Composition - From the title, it seemed that you decided that the building inthe background and the steps will be the main subjects. However, the way you took the photo actually diminish the relationship between the two. Its showing something else, as if you were a "bystander" merely documenting the two instead of creating a relationship between them with your photo. The drain on the right is most distracting and unnecessary.

You'd probably be better off looking for a composition while standing on the steps, looking towards the building.

Ah I see... thanks for the advise I'll think it through to emphasize on how to take such that I could establish a relationship with the stairs and the building.

I'm curious however, on the sky itself. For me, I definitely done it to bring out the sky, and frankly, it caught attention rather a little more than the building and stairs (drains aside, that one is definitely a mistake :sweat.

I'd also like to ask regarding the colour, did I overdone it? It wasn't that green on the original photo, and the building wasn't really that brownish in the first place. That brings me to the question, "Is HDR suppose to bring out 'what you see from your eyes', or 'get every possible dynamics from long and short exposure'?"

 

[clioboy]

there is a better angle from the left hand side of the photo..if u want to match yr title to yr shot..

distracting drain..add nothing to the shot..

and the building is not suitable..steps leading to politics starts from grassroots level.

 

[coolthought]

other than things already mentioned. For me, during pp, it should help to enhance the main subject and the overall "look" of the photo.

leaving composition and subject title aside, imho, this photo look quite decent if you haven't "overcooked" the sky as mentioned. Other smaller details that you might like to take care of, is the keystone distortion, etc.

one last thing, cropping away the drain on the right may help, since this is another leading line that seems to lead to nowhere in particular.

 

[PaulKami]

Thanks for the advise guys

That makes me curious how it'd look like if I've taken it from another angle from the left...

And the term keystone distortion is new to me, even though I've seen it all the time. I guess it's because I taken this photograph from the lower part of the slope (it's a slope there). Is the distortion desired, or a redundancy in this kind of photos?