7 replies to this topic

[Merco_61]

First a message from this week's file submitter, Jerry_.

This is a capture taken last December, showing in the foreground part of the Christmas fair in Luxembourg city.

While there is a small valley next, separating the upper from the lower city, you have next on the capture the main building of one of Luxembourg's oldest banks, as well part of the lower city and the surroundings.

 

More information about Luxembourg city can be found here 

Luxembourg City - Wikipedia

Enjoy processing this capture.

 

Dropbox file:

Dropbox - 610_9909.NEF - Simplify your life

 

And then the rules:

The exercise is weekly, a new thread with a new raw (preferably) or jpg fine file for each week.

The exercise officially runs until midnight between sunday and monday pst (UTC-8). Even after the official deadline, the exercise is still open for new interpretations.

This is a round-robin exercise, the order of submitting the week’s raw file is based on an alphabetical list of applicants’ user names. If the next submitter on the list is unable to post at his/her turn he/she may ask the thread master to be moved down the list no later than friday morning. Late applications will be added at the bottom of the list.

We will revise this when every applicant has had a go, and perhaps change this model.

 

The submitter for the week must make the file along with any specific text for the post available to the thread master during the weekend preceding the challenge week. The thread master will then copy the file to a Dropbox location for the challenge and make the starting post for the week.

 

The exercise is open to all members, not only the file submitters.

 

Images provided, as well as the images resulting from the exercise remain the sole property of the photographer who took them. Those participating in the editing exercise may not use or display the photo outside the exercise thread.

 

It is allowed to make derivative interpretations on other participants’ work (a collaborative approach). If you base your take on someone else’s work, you must indicate what you started from.

 

The owner of the photo comments on the work done, highlighting what he liked best (both the interpretation itself and the technique used to get there) after the original week is over.

 

As this exercise is a tool for learning and inspiration, multiple entries are not only ok, but encouraged if a participant gets a new idea for how to present or interpret the photo, including artistic interpretations.

 

Participants must share how they have achieved their take on the photo.

 

 

Participants are explicitly not limited as to what software is used for the exercise.

[Bart]

A great opportunity for me to see a Christmas fair, Jerry.

A fine long exposure shot.

 

I set out to try to keep the night feel and bring the brightest parts in check.

Started in DxO Optics with applying the camera-lens module. In the spirit of keeping the night look, I disabled the correction for vignette.

Auto perspective correction. The crop on the ferris wheel is pretty tight so, I had to give up a part of that wheel. 

Spot weighted lighting correction and these further settings and a crop:

 

 

Result:

 

 

 

Instead of continuing with this result, I started from fresh in Capture 1.

Tried out a different crop and went with these settings:

 

 

Result:

 

 

 

I thought a b&w would be giving up too much with loss of the colours but decided to have a look anyway so, I made a clone and converted to b&w in C1:

 

 

Result:

 

 

Apart from the difference in crop, I think I prefer the result I got in DxO Optics. I didn't attempt to get the same result twice though, which would be another kind of exercise.

I do think the b&w from C1 works pretty well.

 

Thanks, Jerry for letting me visit a Christmas fair in a virtual way.

I tend to stay away from this kind of events as I find them a bit too crowded. Not to mention the traffic in getting there   

[deano]

Good shot Jerry, quite festive.

 

I took pretty much the same tact at Bart in trying to keep the night feel and control the bright lights a bit.  All edits made in LR5.  I cut back on the blue tint a bit, lightened some of the shadows, particularly in the building in the background and enhanced the colors a bit.  I felt the ferris wheel overpowered the scene so I enhanced it's colors making it more dominant.  Converted my final edit to B/W in Topaz

 

i have added a new version later this afternoon, I clicked on the "Direct Positive" button in LR5, deep color concentration.

Attached Thumbnails

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[Bart]

Zenfolio is down. My images won't be showing for a while.

[Merco_61]

Basic edits in Capture NX-D.

Picture control changed to [LS] Landscape from [SD) Standard.

LoCA removal activated, even if there is little CA as-is.

Distortion control activated.

Exposure lowered 1/2 step

 

 

Over to PS for some further editing

Cloned out the two bright spots in the sky.

Added an Ektacolor 100 UC emulation with CEP.

 

 

Thanks for letting us play with this.

[Red83152]

Because I had the luxury of seeing posts made by other participants, I decided to find a middle of the road between B&W and crisp saturation.  So I went for a muted look by converting the photo to 'mostly' B&W by sliding the Vibrance slider in the Basic panel of the Lightroom Develop module all the way to the left..this left the photo with just a few of the original colors and muted those that were left behind.  I then added a gradient filter to darken the sky and a radial filter on the left to highlight the buildings on that side.

 

 

[Tim Fitz]

Wonderful photo
Thanks for letting us play with it
Tim Fitz

[Jerry_]

Thanks to all for these very inspiring and interesting interpretations that you have given to this capture.

Bart, very nice work on the colour versions. I also do prefer the first result.
The Christmas fair in Luxembourg city is not so large, perhaps also because it is taking place in three different spots across the city, where you can walk from one to another. So while I agree that all these markets are crowded, it is not that difficult to get there by finding a parking place.

Dean, you have nicely lightened the spots, emphasizing the places of interest in the capture. Thanks.

Peter, very discrete and perfectly done to give it the good contrast on the details.

Red, your processing was a bit of a (positive) surprise to me, as I mainly considered that the capture became its atmosphere by the coloured foreground. You succeeded to give a different direction that I thought it could go, but I definitely like your result.

So here comes my interpretation (done with Aperture)

"Cleaning" the sky
Removing the crane on the right hand level of the horizon
Decreasing the light spots next to the crane, to keep more focus on the foreground and the building
Considered a more panoramic cropping, but didn't finally do
Adjusted the overall settings as follows




Rsulting in





Those who had a closer look and zoom in, will have seen that the bridge which is right hand, was protected as there was ongoing work which lasted for about three years (with a provisional bridge constructed just next to it (behind, as seen from this spot)).
This Week-End the bridge was again opened for public use.

Thanks again to all who gave this capture such interesting interpretations.