Question About Shadows & Your Opinion of Photo

One4UAll · #1 12-18-2007, 04:06 PM

Hi All,

I'm wondering whether to take the shadows out of this image. First, it's going to be a lot of work for me. (I think.) It may be sufficient to take out the diagonal shadow that the bulb throws on the house's exterior.

The shadowing of the bulb probably should be taken out, altho the shadowing of the lower part of the bulb could be ok to give the bulb modeling. I suppose the shadow in the lower right corner should be taken out, as well.

The underside of the red eaves could be lightened, I think. I suppose if I had to do it over again, I'd have used a reflector to reduce or eliminate the shadows. I wasn't very observant at the time. I was too focused on the colors, the weathered surface of the home, and the home's context.

I've already done a lot of retouching on the bushes, alone. I guess there's a delicate balance between an original scene & the one you envision. In other words, I don't want to wipe out the authenticity to achieve an artistic (artificial) effect, especially if I don't need to.

So, first, what do you think of the photo? Does it say anything to you, or must I value it for my own personal reasons? (I would like to market it & so other opinions count.)

Second, in light of what I've already told you about the shadows, what would be your approach?

Damo77 · #2 12-18-2007, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by One4UAll

I've already done a lot of retouching on the bushes, alone.

Really? Surely you'd lighten something up before retouching it. Retouching a dark area then lightening it later is pretty risky.

I don't mind the shadows, perhaps a tiny bit of shadow/highlight filter would help. Not too much, though.

I think the whole thing needs saturating. (Unless you've posted an Adobe RGB file...)

One4UAll · #3 12-18-2007, 07:19 PM

I really didn't plan to lighten the bushes, but your advice re: lightening before retouching is well taken. Using shadow/highlight is a good idea & I might try that. As to saturation, I did post an Adobe RGB file. As it is, the red grillwork is out of gamut for my inkjet printer, but a test print printed ok. Thanks for your response.

DannyRaphael · #4 12-18-2007, 08:28 PM

I'd leave the shadows in too... To me they add interest.

-----

Something to chew on...

How about a BW interpretation to put emphasis on textures and shadow/highlight interactions.

Dave.Cox · #5 12-18-2007, 10:08 PM

I would leave the shadows. Without them, the photo will look flat, and unreal.

As far as the background bushes go, I think that brightening them up, and color adjusting them adds some depth to the scene.

grannysdc · #6 12-19-2007, 03:01 AM

I think sometimes we get to close to our work.. step back and look at the whole picture... turn it upside down and leave for a few minuets. then go back and see if there is anything that stands out as being strange..

If you don't want it to look artsy or artificial then you should leave it as natural as you saw it.. There was a reason you took the picture an it was probably a combination of the shadows, colors, texture and a sundry of other things that made you think this would be a worthwhile project.. in essence an old persons advise would be to just keep it simple and aesthetically pleasing..

Are you doing the whole house as a picture or breaking it into several pieces of texture and color?

The shadow/highlight settings will do almost all the things you asked above..

One4UAll · #7 12-19-2007, 10:26 AM

Danny - I like your B/W interpretation & will make a B/W file.

Dave.Cox - I like your rendition. Point re: brightening bushes adding depth well-taken, altho I don't think I'll brighten as much. But, it does create space between house & bushes.

Granny - That's good advice re: stepping back, turning upside down. Took this photo with a Rollei 30 yrs. ago. Rollei's ground glass reverses the image left to right, forcing careful composition. I know what you're saying. I cropped the sq. image. Maybe ought to reconsider that crop. I didn't do the whole farmhouse, just the main (not the front) door.

All - The shadows stay in. Lightening the shadows, as Granny shows, reduces the drama, as Danny & Dave pointed out. And, I guess it was this contrast that drew me to the scene, as well as a desire to capture one element of a home, artistically.

Dave.Cox · #8 12-19-2007, 05:45 PM

The really cool thing about art is, there is no right or wrong answer. You play with it fiddle with it, and even get other opinions, but in the end it is your picture, and the correct answer is to do it the way you like it. I'm glad we could give you some ideas.

One4UAll · #9 12-20-2007, 10:08 AM

Taking the advice of all of you, I came up with this final version. I think it balances the "real" with the "ideal." I lightened up the bushes and burned in the trunks to reduce their brightness.

That diagonal shadow below the bulb still bothered me, so I took it out with lots of cloning. I don't think it affects the authenticity that much.

I decided to leave the shadow at lower right in because it balances the top & bottom & provides a kind of frame. And, yes, Granny, I did a 180 on the image before deciding to leave that shadow in.

The original: http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/att...9&d=1198019155

One4UAll · #10 12-20-2007, 10:36 AM

I did some color correction. Trying to remember the farmhouse color 30 yrs. ago is difficult, but the original was too red. I reduced the red, and added some yellow. Still unsure, I left the computer as Granny suggested, came back, & the color looked as nearly as I can remember, but it was not the same as when I did the correction. I had to step away to be confirmed. The eye & brain need reorientation, I think.

Denyerec · #11 12-20-2007, 02:04 PM

Next time pack a fill flash?

One4UAll · #12 12-20-2007, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denyerec

Next time pack a fill flash?

And yet, and yet....

des151 · #13 12-23-2007, 09:40 AM

One4UAll,
I like the shadows, they give the photo some depth. Maybe just lighten them to see a some detail. I also like the shadow of the light bulb. I also own a Rolleiflex TLR, great camera. I haven't used it in years but I still won't part with it.
Ray

One4UAll · #14 12-23-2007, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by des151

One4UAll,
I like the shadows, they give the photo some depth. Maybe just lighten them to see a some detail. I also like the shadow of the light bulb. I also own a Rolleiflex TLR, great camera. I haven't used it in years but I still won't part with it.
Ray

I spent some time going back & forth between your rendition (a good one, btw) & my last rendition. Trying to make up my mind. I'm opting for my last rendition because there's just enough detail in the shadows while making a good contrast, not only between the bulb & background, but on the bulb, itself. I've learned a lot from this thread.

Thanks for providing me with an option. I bought my Rollei 50 yrs. ago, & like you, I won't part with it. You can match, but not beat, that Zeiss glass.