Study Group 26

Brian Duchin

January Title - Castle Archway

Photographer's Notes - Back to Norway for this month's image shot at the Akershus Fortress in Oslo.  Photo converted to black and white in Lightroom.  I opened Photoshop Elements and imported both the original color and black and white images.  I used a layer mask to paint the child back in color.  Minor adjustments made in Elements.

COMMENTS:
 

Bob Benson	Don't know how much planning went into this image, but it sure seems you gave this a lot of thought. I like the placement of the girl and the use of one color (red) which draws you into the image even more. You might look at an even brighter red to see if it is more effective, unless it looks over done. Increasing the contrast a little for the tile may make it "sparkle". Perhaps darkening the foreground or cloning out the bottom manhole may or may not help. Very effective use of monochrome and composition.
Paul Allen	Reaction:  I love the emotional impact of this shot, and though I’m not a fan of spot color, that little red coat is actually very helpful to this shot, and I like it!  The overall composition is terrific.   Suggestions:  To my eye (and it could be about the resolution and the size of the image), I wonder if a slight contrast boost would help?  It feels slightly muddy, and I keep thinking the highlights on the stone pavers could benefit from a little more contrast.  I might also have brightened that red just a little bit.  If it’s going to stand out, I’d probably make it stand out a little more.
Youmans Hsiong	You know the best use of b/w conversion for this stone street road and arch gateway.  The road surface rounded step stones shed and light variety best described. The image showed history for this place, the red colored cloth girl in the center  brings us to the present time.  This one shot image you took is at right time without over exposure to far sky and scene.
Brian Duchin
Belinda Keller	My first thought: ‘sweet’. It is wonderfully composed; contrasts and fantastic details are revealed in monotone. Good choice, I think. I, personally, do not think this would make an impact in color. I like the composition through the archway leading the eye to the tree and water beyond. Of course, the child’s red coat and minimally colored clothing is immediately eye-catching, but I also like that you got the child mid-stride, as if skipping along. I might experiment with the manhole covers and grating. They tend to lead the eye and add architectural interest which is fine, but I might see how things look without one or more of them. To me, not having them might draw the eye more immediately to the child, as well as to the shaft of light in the lower right foreground. More contrast and emphasis on it, as it crosses the child’s path, might lend more impact.
Jose Maria Cartas	I was also in Oslo (July 2009) and we visited the Akershus Fortress. It is a very interesting structure, with a lot of photographic motives. I like everything you did in this image. The composition is flawless, with the arch framing the background and the cobblestones leading your eyes into the picture. I don't mind the tree taking a large part of the picture, since it doesn't fully block the background. I assume you happened to find the child walking there. Anyway, spontaneous or planned, it is something that brings the picture several notches higher. I also like your treatment of the image, with everything black and white and just the child in color. I should try something like that.
Ed Gulesserian	It’s an intriguing image and the selective color makes the scene more intimate and dynamic.  The frame within the frame and the lines in the composition are very effective.   A bit less foreground might give more emphasis to the girl and the arch.  (Maybe your intention was for the viewer to be a more detached observer.) There’s probably some good potential texture in the stonework but I don’t know if it could be more visible from this distance.  My only other suggestion is to experiment with adjustments to create a little stronger sense of depth by layering alternate zones of lighter and darker tones.  Viewers can see the depth but layering might make them “feel” it a bit more.  For example, you might darken and/or add contrast to the immediate foreground, the house on the near shore, and the trees on the far bank.  Separate from the layering issue, I might experiment with darkening the sky and the water a bit. The sky looks a little hot to me.

Member Bio

Brian Duchin - biography Brian lives in Texas where he works for the state government.  His job requires traveling into rural east Texas and his camera is always with him.  He has participated in guided photo seminars into several national parks and loves the golden hour of early morning light. Brian uses a Pentax K10D digital camera, graduated neutral density filters, a Dimage film/slide scanner, Lightroom and Photoshop Elements 4 with hidden power tools added.