The Basin

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi,

Your C&C is much welcome, as usual.

Cheers,

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi,

Your C&C is much welcome, as usual.

Hi Cem,

I really like visits to these gothic stone structures and represents a time of massive gaps in education, wealth, privilege and power in Western Societies. The architecture is so impressive.

This highlighted well worn stone bowl is interesting for the old style and all the ceremony that might have been celebrated there? Is this for ritual like a baptism or just washing? The light to the bowl seems to come from high up and is strong, very different than the light from behind which is softer. As a result of this challenging light distribition, the picture on the left seems to be cut of prematurely.

So did you change the lighting yourself. If so how was it at the start and is there another image taking it further to the left. Given the design of the architecture, I'd love to see much more width.


Asher

 

[John Angulat]

Hi Cem,
Your image title is so deceptive! A mere basin? Surely this is of religeous importance, a hidden nave in some long forgotten abbey?
I, too like the lighting. I imagine a high vaulted ceiling with a lone opening to the sky above.
Was the right side of the image intentionally left dark? If so, it works well as not to detract from the basin.
Well done!

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Cem,

I really like visits to these gothic stone structures and represents a time of massive gaps in education, wealth, privilege and power in Western Societies. The architecture is so impressive.

This highlighted well worn stone bowl is interesting for the old style and all the ceremony that might have been celebrated there? Is this for ritual like a baptism or just washing? The light to the bowl seems to come from high up and is strong, very different than the light from behind which is softer. As a result of this challenging light distribition, the picture on the left seems to be cut of prematurely.

So did you change the lighting yourself. If so how was it at the start and is there another image taking it further to the left. Given the design of the architecture, I'd love to see much more width.


Asher

Hi ASher,

You are right about the lighting aspects. There was a spotlight at the top right hand corner which I have cloned out in PS. The lighting and the contrast have also been heavily modified in PS and I have introduced a slight grain for the film look and vignetting. Technical details: Canon 5D, ISO 1600, 1/6s, f4, EF 24-105 L IS, handheld!

This picture was taken in an ancient chapel in the medieval town of Les-Baux-de-Provence, in Southern France. I have some more pictures from the chapel, but none which shows the area to the left of the basin. I think that the basin was used to contain holy water and for baptizing people.

Since you've specifically asked for it, I'll show the original picture which is a straight conversion from raw, just sharpened and resized for web. There you can see the background lighting and the cloned out spotlight.

So what do you reckon? Do you want to see the other pictures from this chapel as well?

Hi Cem,
Your image title is so deceptive! A mere basin? Surely this is of religeous importance, a hidden nave in some long forgotten abbey?
I, too like the lighting. I imagine a high vaulted ceiling with a lone opening to the sky above.
Was the right side of the image intentionally left dark? If so, it works well as not to detract from the basin.
Well done!

Thanks John, Please see above for some answers .

Cheers,

 

[Asher Kelman]

The distinguished beauty and associations of color which makes certain photos work.

So to Nicolas,

You should look at this great example of where I hold that color is so important. On a compositional level, only the natural color, (that deep brown the earth tone of wood and the Sienna walls), can pull it's weight and add justification against the sudden loss of the left side of the view by the abrupt cutoff from the framing of the shot. So yes, my firend, there are times when color cannot be lost without severe penalties.

© Cem Usklagil "The Stone bowl lit by two kinds of light" in B&W and Original Color Title by ADK.​

This shows that although I really like B&W photography for being able to get past the razzmatazz of artificial color or "pretty postcard scenics" telling us what's important to look at, there's an unrivalled value to natural color in many scenes that I treasure.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Cem,

This is wonderful.

The logic of light is hard to fool! You have brought back the missing magic and the logic of the light. It's so hards to trick and old fool like me about lighting. It is psycholically unsettling, not quite as bad as "water-boarding", for sure, but to me at least, inconsistant lighting distrurbs me and pulls me out of the universe of the picture.

Times when color to a picture is part of its life force. To remove that exsanguinates everything vibrant and from it. It may still be art of form and substance, but the spirit may have sadly departed forever!

© Cem Usklagil "The Stone bowl lit by two kinds of light" Title by ADK.

​

Cem,

The Sienna colors and the patina: These do a lot to make the beautiful atmosphere of the place and makes one forget the hard side of Cathedrals and castles buiilt for the powerful, rich and privileged.

These hues, instead, evoke ideas of parchment and old scholarly texts with gold leaf illustrations of the Christian Bible. These colors and the patina of may generations of monks and supplicants, provide a more human feeling to the place.

An Allegory of Modern Rethinking in the Presence of the light from an electric light bulb and not just heaven's light. The natural earthen hues and the simple logic of the electric light adds important features to make the photograph more natural and hence agreeable. There is also more that can be understood by this configeration aas presented. That light of modernity, of diapassionate science, perhaps, asks us to look at this veneration of mystery and legend and a system of venal payments to support it. So there is , possibly, for the open mind, built in allegory to buttress the picture even further.

Going beyond the factive to what the imagination can bring to the universe presented: When a photograph can go far beyond what "is" to act as a gymnasium for the mind, to me at least, we have entered tthe world of art, well beyond mere Rorschach ("ink blot" test) associations.

To do: I'd get the vertical corrected, and not much more is needed! Bravo. Now, of course, more pictures would be delightful! I'd love to see the left side reconstructed of course. That would be a great retouch challenge for the gifted and ambitious!

Asher

 

[Rod Witten]

Cem,

Our kingdom but for a candle. Quality work on both versions. I think that I favor the color because of the extensive detail and subtle color combinations. I agree with Asher re the lighting issue. Yet, some of the best subject matter this year. Congrats !!

Rod

 

[Asher Kelman]

I've been reading up on the history of this fortruss location. It was a placew from which the strongest dominated the area and a lookout for the French against the Saracen invaders at one time. The castle was highly ornate and decorated, so likely tyhe walls of the chapel, in its haydays, were painted with religious scenes.




Forgotten colour


What was life like in the Château des Baux de Provence ? And what did it contain ? The past cannot always defy the present. Sometimes, it gives away its secrets - in this case, in great detail. The Les Baux de Provence of the past is revealed in an inventory drawn up in 1426, after the death of Alix, the very last Lord of Les Baux. At that time, the castle was magnificently decorated. Tapestries adorned the walls - in the colours of the Les Baux de Provence coat of arms, naturally, but also those of Orange, Toulouse, Valentinois and Apchier. Colours that today’s visitor can hardly imagine. Each room bore a name : the Rose room, the Bishop of Tortose room, etc... The image of the barbaric warrior fades, replaced by that of the courtly knight. Adjoining the castle are, in a row, two long rooms and the dovecote with its small rectangular compartments.


Source.

Asher

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

....To do: I'd get the vertical corrected, and not much more is needed! Bravo. Now, of course, more pictures would be delightful! I'd love to see the left side reconstructed of course. That would be a great retouch challenge for the gifted and ambitious!...

Hi Asher,

Here is a corrected version. I have corrected the optical problems and the verticals using PTLEns. In PS I have played with contrast (local and global) and color slightly to make details pop. Downsized and sharpened for screen output. Now what kind of reconstruction did you have in mind for on the left hand side?

Color corrected, lens corrected, verticals fixed version:

Cem,

Our kingdom but for a candle. Quality work on both versions. I think that I favor the color because of the extensive detail and subtle color combinations. I agree with Asher re the lighting issue. Yet, some of the best subject matter this year. Congrats !!

Rod

Hi Rod,

Thanks but I am not sure whether I deserve your or Asher's praises since I myself was quite torn on this picture. To start with, I've asked myself whether I liked it or nor. It was a positive answer in the end but I was not convinced fully. Then I wanted to give a mysterious B&W look to it which has resulted in the first picture. Now that I've slept on it and I re-look at the color & B&W versions next to each other, I too tend to come full circle back to the color version.

Your help in thinking things through is much appreciated, that is why OPF is such a valuable resource to all .

Cheers,

 

[John Angulat]

Hi Cem,
I also think the color version is better!
As for Asher's challenge...I think he's daring you to remove the shadow of the basin on it's left side?

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Cem,
I also think the color version is better!
As for Asher's challenge...I think he's daring you to remove the shadow of the basin on it's left side?

Hi John,

I too suspect that is what Asher wants to explore. So I gave it a go. So how does this one compare?

Shadows on the floor removed, omni light added, spotlight cloned out, pedestal shadows softened, the hue and saturation of the door adjusted to attract less attention, slight vignet added centered on the basin:

PS: I do not think that this looks natural without the shadows, BTW.

Cheers,

 

[John Angulat]

Wow! I always find it amazing what one (who's adept) can do with PS!
After CS/CS2/CS3..and now CS4 I still struggle with rudimentary enhancements.
I think Asher will be impressed, although...he's a tough one to please!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Wow! I always find it amazing what one (who's adept) can do with PS!
After CS/CS2/CS3..and now CS4 I still struggle with rudimentary enhancements.
I think Asher will be impressed, although...he's a tough one to please!

Cem,

The improvements in the picture are remarkable. Kudos. I've been searching for pictures of the entire room and even looked into visitng to take the pictures myself! That's a very good location and near Barcelona and Bordeaux. To think of it, Amsterdsam is not that distant either!

In the second version, of course I'm impressed by the technical prowess in removing the shadows. That, however was not necessary at least so drasticly. I generally think it's a good idea to only use a portion of such impresssive alterations. I leave the picture, do something else and then try to use the least of that "enhancement". That way the image will not look unnatural.

My challenge to folks here was way harder. I was thinking of completing the room with all the arches~!

Asher

 

[John Angulat]

"My challenge to folks here was way harder. I was thinking of completing the room with all the arches~!

Asher "

(laughing, in a resigned sort of way)...I should have known a challenge from you wouldn't be easy!!!!!

 

[Rachel Foster]

This made think of the baths at the ruins of Pompei.

Beautiful.

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

Cem,

The improvements in the picture are remarkable. Kudos. I've been searching for pictures of the entire room and even looked into visitng to take the pictures myself! That's a very good location and near Barcelona and Bordeaux. To think of it, Amsterdsam is not that distant either!

In the second version, of course I'm impressed by the technical prowess in removing the shadows. That, however was not necessary at least so drasticly. I generally think it's a good idea to only use a portion of such impresssive alterations. I leave the picture, do something else and then try to use the least of that "enhancement". That way the image will not look unnatural.

My challenge to folks here was way harder. I was thinking of completing the room with all the arches~!

Asher

Hi Asher,

It is a fantastic place to visit I can assure you. The nearest large city is Montpellier, which is one of my favourite places to be. Also, one can visit Arles and Avignon within an hour's driving.

Coming back to your full challenge, I respectfully choose not to accept it. Firstly, it is extremely hard to do without going into the realm of 3D modelling and compositing. But that would not keep me from having a go at this fantastic challenge in order to hone my PS and 3D skills.

More importantly, I was there and I've made a conscious choice of not photographing the left hand side. There is a similar wall there and from the perspective of where this photo is taken, only the portion around the corner to the left (facing the photographer) would be visible and the arches would not be complete. If one wants to see the full glory of the arches, then one would have to photograph the basin centrally and frontal. It'd then be another picture alltogether. I think that the composition that way wasn't interesting enough to attract my attention at that time, so much so that I'd have certainly taken a picture otherwise.

So now the final question is, what to do with this one; bin it or keep it?


Cheers,