St Peter's Church, Heysham

[Martyn]

No fancy conversion software for this one. I adjusted the exposure of a single raw image to give me bracketed shots. I loaded the images into Gimp as layers then applied layer masks to each one. With a brush I "painted out" the dark areas to reveal what I wanted in the final image.

 

 

 

 

[Korky]

At the risk of you driving down from Morecambe and bricking our windows, I'm going to be a bit critical about this one.

 

I find the photograph far too busy and my eye is jumping around the image with nowhere to come to rest. For me, all the elements of the image seem to clash instead of coming together as a soothing whole.

 

The foreground, the gravestones, the church and the tree branches are all competing for my attention with none of them actually managing to get it.

 

Perhaps if the image had just concentrated on the church, placed on a third and framed by a single tree and its branches it would have been more of a success.

 

Sorry to be negative on this one, Martyn, but I hope my criticism has been constructive.

 

Korky

[Martyn]

Don't be sorry Korky, it's a valid opinion and it is constructive, thanks for taking the time to point these things out.

 

PS, don't sleep near the windows tonight, I'm on my way!       

 

 

 

[bugmeister]

I think 'busy' is the right description and it's disguising what you were trying to do.

 

Ignoring the composition, you have managed to bring out a great deal of detail in the dark areas whilst keeping the bright patches under control so the processing exercise is working .

 

Just the tree on the left looks a bit strange at the top as if it's suddenly turned grey.

[Martyn]

I think one of the problems of sitting at a computer and working on an image is that your eyes get acclimatised to the image and you can't see the errors. That tree on the left doesn't look good does it!

 

 

 

 

 

[Note to self..... Gonna need more bricks]     

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bugmeister]

I think one of the problems of sitting at a computer and working on an image is that your eyes get acclimatised to the image and you can't see the errors.

I know the feeling, I was about to upload a portrait and suddenly realised there's a very bad fuzz where I removed some background with the brush set wrongly.

[ChrisLumix]

I like the composition - and I like too the efforts to balance the HDR across the picture. 

 

If I were to have one small quibble : perhaps the foreground is a bit TOO green? Maybe it's that that's distracting the eye. If you still have the version with all the layers in, I wonder what be the effect of desaturating the foregreen a little?

[Martyn]

Well I've cropped it. ..................I started this post a couple of hours ago but someone came around and I've forgotten what I was going to say. So yeah, I've cropped it!

 

 

[NannyFerret]

That's better, Martyn. It's easier on the eye, and the tree looks very effective with it's branches hanging over the church.

[bugmeister]

I like that cropped version

[annie]

yep cropped version for me too.

 

that looks a lovely churchyard, over looking the sea as well.....very pretty.

[colinb]

Martyn I have to agree with Korky's post about your original, I do think the crop works better but the composition is still a little cluttered.

 

I think there is a picture here and if this place was local to me I would certainly think about going back later in the year when all the greenery has dropped and a bit more colour in the sky.

[Martyn]

Martyn I have to agree with Korky's post about your original, I do think the crop works better but the composition is still a little cluttered.

 

I think there is a picture here and if this place was local to me I would certainly think about going back later in the year when all the greenery has dropped and a bit more colour in the sky.

 

My thoughts exactly Colin, it's just down the road from me so I will be back. "Watch this space" as they say!

[ChrisLumix]

I hope you don't mind Martyn, but I've had a go at your image. I dialled down most of the greens, darkened highlights, and did a mild crop. What do you think?

 

(I'm quite ready to delete this if you don't approve of me messing with your picture).

 

[Martyn]

I don't disapprove at all, in fact I'm delighted that you think it's worth rescuing. I'd much rather have a couple of constructive criticisms than dozens of well dones! (Please don't stop posting the well dones)

 

One of the problems with photographing something like this is that the subject is so popular it's been done to death. I'm trying to find new angles and views that I can't find in Google search. The thought crossed my mind last night that it may be a good idea to get a boat and try a few shots from the sea.

 

Just around the corner from this church are the ruins of St Patrick's chapel. It stands on a rocky outcrop and there are so few angles that most photos look the same. I've taken loads of pictures, but there is nothing to separate them from any other good picture of the same place. As Colin said above, I think I need to be mindful of the seasons and watch the weather and the light and try to catch a different mood.

 

 

[Leon]

well done.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

only joking, I like your cropped one Martyn, I think (it hurts when i do that) it would have been more effective if the church was in focus and the tree not??  that would have lead your eye straight to it.

[Kobione]

Loved looking at these Martyn, no techno comment, but you'll see why, if you view my latest post.

[THELONGMAN]

My preference is your cropped version, the church has now become the star and the trees have framed it nicely, good picture Martyn,

 

Geoff