17 replies to this topic

[Colin-M]

I'm slowly catching up with some photos I took whilst in India at the end of 2012.
How's this for starters? C&C welcome



This was part of the temple complex in Hampi. Nearly every pillar and column in the buildings has some sort of carving on it - you can just make out some here.

This area in Karnataka contains the ruins of a city that goes back to around 1500.
At it's peak it had a population of almost a million and covered an area of several miles.
A traveller from Europe who visited it at the time said it compared favourably to Rome, in many aspects.

If you're interested I will try to post some more examples in the week ahead.

Edited by Colin-M, 21 January 2013 - 22:57 .

[Andrew]

Nicely done, good balance of lights&shadows.

[Colin-M]

Thanks Andrew.
With a lot of these temples, there was high contrast. I tried some multiple exposures to try & blend the results but without a tripod this wasn't very successfull.

In the shot above, I used Capture NX contriol points to bring up the detail on the nearest pillars.

[Longhiker]

A nice photo that is even better with the placement of the figure in the distance. This must be a very interesting place to visit.

[Shac]

+1 - agree totally with longhiker - the person in red is the clincher

[Colin-M]

Thanks Longhiker & Shac, she'd be flattered to hear you say this

Anyone I travell with is usually some way in the distance by the time I've decided on composition, exposed etc.....

[armando_m]

Yes please, I'll love to see more

This one is great, and it wouldn't be the same without the lady in the distance

[wildoat]

You'd think they would have plastered the walls, lol.

Seriously, I like very much though the figure in the distance does make a huge difference and
actually makes the photo as far as I'm concerned.

Would be a treat to see some more

Tony

[Anthony]

Nice picture without the lady, super picture with her.

[Colin-M]

Thanks Armando, Tony & Anthony.
I should have some more ready soon.

[Mike G]

Colin, I keep coming back to this one, part of me says the figure should be bigger and another part says no leave it alone!

The red clothes certainly clinch it, to satisfy a nosy old git who is she?

[Colin-M]

I also like the carvings on the nearest pillars, so Dont want to crop and guess she can't be any bigger....without a bigger monitor??

to satisfy a nosy old git who is she?

My guide for the trip.

[Mike G]

Thankyou Colin.

[the_traveler]

OK, I usually try not to be complimentary because it ruins my image as an irascible bastard but I really, really, really like this.

In my opinion, it is just a tiny bit of post-processing away from being an all time portfolio image.
What I see as tiny issues are: the bright areas between the columns that draw my eye and the brightness of the ceiling and farthest wall that draws some attention from the woman.

I can only hope I get one or two close to this fine a shot on my next trip.

[scottnilsson]

Mesmerizing - look forward to more from the journey: much thanks.

(If I had done PP, I might have softened the foreground a bit - but it would have been a mistake).

Edited by scottnilsson, 31 January 2013 - 16:01 .

[Colin-M]

Thanks Scott & Lew

... the bright areas between the columns that draw my eye and the brightness of the ceiling and farthest wall that draws some attention from the woman.

Keep being irascible Lew
Meanwhile I'll have a think about the ceiling & farthest wall.

However the bright spot between RH pillars is beyond my PP skills. When I've tried to dial down areas like this (e.g. Using colour control points in NX2) I end up with an unnatural grey. I'd appreciate any guidance people can offer in doing this.

.. I might have softened the foreground a bit...

Interestingly, I spent a lot of time bumping up the contrast & detail on the carvings of the nearest pillars! Some of the comments in this thread have helped me consider other aspects of this shot that maybe I initially did on gut instinct rather than careful design.

[scottnilsson]

Might be interesting to review a slate of renderings... from this - to a full-jacket-HDR, to a more subtle rendering... the whole spectrum (here, or in the privacy of your edit-cave, with a carafe of libation - or a quart of coffee).

I wholly agree with Lew: it is well-worth your time - and creativity.

"Merde!"

[Colin-M]

Sure Scott, I think you're right.

Trouble is, I'm also trying to work my way through a whole load of other images taken from the same 3 week trip. Difficult to know whether to stop and really concentrate on a single one, or do a higher level skim to make a shortlist of ones I want to come back to.

As you can see I'm just too impatient and have already posted some more!

Edited by Colin-M, 03 February 2013 - 07:48 .