Savannah's cotton warehouses

[John Angulat]

This was shot street-side (vs. riverfront) along the rows of restored cotton warehouses in Savannah.
It originally started out as a night time color HDR image.
I wasn't all that pleased with the result, but rather than trashing it I played with a black and white conversion.
I'm still not sure, but I figured I'd get an honest response from the forum!

Thanks for looking,

 

[Asher Kelman]

This was shot street-side (vs. riverfront) along the rows of restored cotton warehouses in Savannah.
It originally started out as a night time color HDR image.
I wasn't all that pleased with the result, but rather than trashing it I played with a black and white conversion.
I'm still not sure, but I figured I'd get an honest response from the forum!

John Angulat: Savannah's cotton warehouses


John,

This is a grand building and lit at night is going to have life. There's a great deal of structure here: windows, columns, railing and vertical poles. Mainly there are 4 tonalities: black (5%), white (5%) Dark Grey shadows, (8%) and middle grey, (~75%). I'd therefore want to maximize the structural sense by correcting for shooting position so that verticals are true and not sloping, (of course, Select ALL-EDIT-TRANSFORM-PERSPECTIVE).

I do like the B&W. I don't need color here. No wish for it at all!

Any other shots too? It would be nice to see some shots from the water side with reflections.

Asher

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

This was shot street-side (vs. riverfront) along the rows of restored cotton warehouses in Savannah.
It originally started out as a night time color HDR image.
I wasn't all that pleased with the result, but rather than trashing it I played with a black and white conversion.
I'm still not sure, but I figured I'd get an honest response from the forum!

Hi John,

As a B&W rendering it works, probably because the contrast is high enough, and (due to the HDR) the shadow detail is higher than one on average would expect.

I do like the B&W. I don't need color here. No wish for it at all!

Ah, but we don't know what we are missing! Sure the B&W rendering is nice, but does the color version have even more to offer, we don't know.

It's interesting that John fell back to B&W rendering because he wasn't entirely happy with the color version. The question is why? Was it the colors of the building, combined with the color of the lighting? Was the HDR tonemapping overdone (I suspect that may be part of it, because the B&W works as well as it does)? It may be worth while to investigate if a different tonemapping would have improved the color version ...

I feel that the composition is cut off at the right, as if we're missing something useful. Possibly it was just someting ugly/distracting that would have totally spoiled the composition. Anyway, it's a nice documentation of the historical buildings, even if it is only B&W (an abstraction of reality).

Cheers,
Bart

 

[fahim mohammed]

John I like the building and your rendering of it in BW. I too would be interested to see the color version.
I have struggled with taking shots from similar angles to show the entire structure. How should one approach it. The rh edge is distracting as it is with a lot of my shots too!

If only the walls could speak..what history and events must have taken place here?

Best.

 

[John Angulat]

John Angulat: Savannah's cotton warehouses


John,

This is a grand building and lit at night is going to have life. There's a great deal of structure here: windows, columns, railing and vertical poles. Mainly there are 4 tonalities: black (5%), white (5%) Dark Grey shadows, (8%) and middle grey, (~75%). I'd therefore want to maximize the structural sense by correcting for shooting position so that verticals are true and not sloping, (of course, Select ALL-EDIT-TRANSFORM-PERSPECTIVE).

I do like the B&W. I don't need color here. No wish for it at all!

Any other shots too? It would be nice to see some shots from the water side with reflections.

Asher

Hi Asher,
Thanks very much for your insight, it's always appreciated.
note: I should alter my signature to add "Thick as a Brick, Dumb as a Fence Post...".
Hence, I'll admit I'm not sure what you mean by "correcting for shooting position so the verticals are true and not sloping".
It would really help if you'd do some of your magic red arrows and point out where I should be looking.
I'll have to do some digging to find some images from the water side. I think there's some around.

 

[John Angulat]

Hi John,

As a B&W rendering it works, probably because the contrast is high enough, and (due to the HDR) the shadow detail is higher than one on average would expect.



Ah, but we don't know what we are missing! Sure the B&W rendering is nice, but does the color version have even more to offer, we don't know.

It's interesting that John fell back to B&W rendering because he wasn't entirely happy with the color version. The question is why? Was it the colors of the building, combined with the color of the lighting? Was the HDR tonemapping overdone (I suspect that may be part of it, because the B&W works as well as it does)? It may be worth while to investigate if a different tonemapping would have improved the color version ...

I feel that the composition is cut off at the right, as if we're missing something useful. Possibly it was just someting ugly/distracting that would have totally spoiled the composition. Anyway, it's a nice documentation of the historical buildings, even if it is only B&W (an abstraction of reality).

Cheers,
Bart

Hi Bart,
How did I know you'd not settle for a simple dismissal of the color version!
I promise to search for it and I will post it.
I honestly do not remember why I disliked the color image. You're probably correct that the tonemapping was overdone. Once the image starts looking "cartoonish" I usually lose interest.
As for the right side of the image, alas, there is nothing more. Where I shot the image was the only viable vantage point and I was lucky to squeeze in everything with the lens I had at the time.
Thanks so much for taking the time to critique, it is very much appreciated.

 

[John Angulat]

John I like the building and your rendering of it in BW. I too would be interested to see the color version.

Ok, ok, ok! (I say smiling)...between Asher, Bart and now you I guess I have no choice but to post a color version.
In all seriousness, thanks for looking and commenting. It's much appreciated.

 

[Asher Kelman]

John Angulat: Savannah's cotton warehouses original
[/CENTER]

John,

This is a grand building and lit at night is going to have life. There's a great deal of structure here: windows, columns, railing and vertical poles. Mainly there are 4 tonalities: black (5%), white (5%) Dark Grey shadows, (8%) and middle grey, (~75%). I'd therefore want to maximize the structural sense by correcting for shooting position so that verticals are true and not sloping, (of course, Select ALL-EDIT-TRANSFORM-PERSPECTIVE).

John Angulat: Savannah's Cotton Warehouses Original with vertical guides

John Angulat: Savannah's Cotton Warehouses Original verticals corrected in Photoshop 7​

I happened to use Photoshop 7 on my wife's iMac in the cosy kitchen, but you could use PS 4 if you wish or CS4, it makes no difference.

Asher

 

[John Angulat]

Got it! Thanks!
Truth be told I did correct, but my eyes must be crooked!

 

[Steve Robinson]

I think your B&W conversion fits very well with the subject. As far as the crooked eye syndrome goes, you're not the only one afflicted by it! ;~)

 

[John Angulat]

Thanks Steve!
Sadly, I inherhited the crooked eye from my dad.
The man never could hang a picture straight and after many years of tolerance, my mom forbade him to attempt draperies, rods and what-not!
I would watch him step back, fiddle with, nudge, move and do all in his power to get it "straight".
Smiling with accomplishment he'd proudly walk away - invariably someone would eventually re-straighten the item.
Oh well, thank goodnes for guides, rulers and crop lines, eh?

 

[Asher Kelman]

Thanks Steve!
Sadly, I inherhited the crooked eye from my dad.
The man never could hang a picture straight and after many years of tolerance, my mom forbade him to attempt draperies, rods and what-not!
I would watch him step back, fiddle with, nudge, move and do all in his power to get it "straight".
Smiling with accomplishment he'd proudly walk away - invariably someone would eventually re-straighten the item.
Oh well, thank goodnes for guides, rulers and crop lines, eh?

Well, John

I'm the one that goes in a room and notices all the crooked pictures. In socials it's the crooked people who appear as celebrated angels and they are untouchable, so it's just easier to straighten pictures!

Asher