Corfe Castle - stormy mono!

Rob Barron · 31-01-2007, 22:08

We don't have a huge number of castles down this part of the land but what we do have is pretty spectacular. It would have been even better if the evil-minded thug by the name of Oliver Cromwell hadn't decided to destroy it purely out of spite!

I struggled up the hill next to the castle to get this shot and when I got up there I was rewarded with the heavens opening and tipping it down on me so badly I couldn't get down again as the hill was horrendously muddy and treacherous. I wasn't bothered about me but my camera was not about to endure a tumble down the side of a muddy hill! I sat it out, waited for the surface stuff to drain and then made my way down. Every part of me got covered in mud but my camera remained as clean as a ... clean camera! My wife didn't speak to me all the way home. Not because she was annoyed, she was just laughing too much! Guess which smarty pants kept saying 'I told you it was going to rain!' Hmmm!

Charlotte · 31-01-2007, 22:50

Gosh, that brings new meaning to "every picture tells a story"

So, you had plenty of time to frame up, I see

Corfe Castle is a tricky one to photograph - it's a very harsh ruin. I've taken a few myself, but nothing like this fab aerial shot you managed to capture here

Not going to comment too much on the shot, as I'm not a mono person, but I can see some noise in the sky, + the contrast is very strong with loss of detail in the shadows + highlights. You've captured the stormy clouds beautifully, + the castle seems to be echoing the harsh weather. I like the portrait orientation. I also like the composition, nicely balanced with the placement of the clouds + the FG vegetation. Love the viewpoint.

Nice one

lolyton · 31-01-2007, 22:54

He did a fair few in, so don't feel to bad about it, ol' Oli definately had some kind of complex!
I like it, it reminds me a little of the times i used to drive past it to catch the ferry at Studland!
As it's the critique, may a little off the bottom wouldn't go amiss, and it is very contrasty (maybe a little too much for my tastes). The sky is about right, but the bottom front section of the castle looks almost to be blown out, along with some of the tree trunks.

I still like the image though, the composition is strong (with the removal of a little foreground IMO), although i can't help wanting it back to front for some unbeknown reason....ie. the castle on the right.

skipper954 · 01-02-2007, 02:52

Lovely shot.

I would have tromped about a bit more to a vantage point where the hill in back of the castle is either way high or much lower. I feel that it's present location detracts a bit.

Of course that is easy for me to say. I wasn't covered with mud.

Secondly, I agree that the near part of the castle is blown. In fact, at first I was put off by the intense highlights of the castle, but it sort of grew on me. Finally, perhaps the deep shadows in the fg and bg right could be brought out a bit.

Still in all, a cool shot.

skip

Gary Bagshawe · 01-02-2007, 03:52

Really nice composition etc but on my monitor the highlights seem to be really burnt out, oh and why couldnt you get about another 10 feet higher, step ladders, call yourself a photographer, pah

only joking mate. cracking shot but the highlights do seem a bit blown

RichW · 01-02-2007, 09:12

Really like the composition, the sky is captured beautifully. I do think the stonework of the castle is too bright and could do with toning down a little, it draws the eye to it too much.

Worth the mud and the rain if you ask me, and besides if it gave your significant other a laugh then it was all worthwhile

Rob Barron · 01-02-2007, 11:18

very interesting comments, thanks to all who have responded so far. I will address a couple of points as they are good ones to consider without a doubt.

I think the probs with mono shots on here (I get this problem a lot) is that all our monitors, whilst calibrated for colour, are often very different in terms of contrast. I can say for certain that there are no areas in this picture that are blown highlights, every bit still retains detail. having said that I have this as an A3+ print which of course looks entirely different to a few inches high compressed print on here so I have the advantage of seeing a much higher resolution and greater tonal range. Holding the highlights for monitor viewing is clearly an issue so is something I need to keep working on but it's hard when it looks so different on other monitors.

The amount of FG at the bottom: I have it with both and i might put the other one on here for you to compare with. I hate it with the FG cropped, it loses all its balance. But others might think differently so i'll put it up when I get home and let you see what you think.

ok, gotta get back to work. Thanks again for your comments

cheers,
Rob

**Markulous** · 01-02-2007, 15:19

Well, there are areas @ 255 here, so not a problem of monitors and 624 px @ 200k will not hopelessly compress a mono! Also think the noisy sky needs attention and the FG lacks detail and is a touch oversharpened

Having said that, the comp looks good!

Rob Barron · 01-02-2007, 16:41

Ok, not sure where you are talking about Mark as I have now zoomed in to pixel level and struggled to find two pixels of 255 value next to each other. But never mind, I have had another look at it, smoothed out some of the noise in the sky, cropped it so there is less foreground and burnt the brightest parts of the castle back just slightly to show a touch more detail.

An improvement or not? I am genuinely finding all the feedback really helpful here so thank you. I don't do a huge amount of mono stuff these days so you're comments are helping me get a feel for what is working and what isn't. For what it's worth, I personally think this second attempt is an improvement but you may not so please feel free to say either way.

Cheers,
Rob

skipper954 · 01-02-2007, 16:47

Hey Rob

I like the burn of the castle, but now the sky looks too "smooth"

Also, I prefer the original FG. I think that was an important part of the image that led the eye to the castle. And it's shadow balanced the light of the castle.

skip

**Markulous** · 01-02-2007, 16:49

Way better, IMHO! I might be tempted to crop out some of the sky - down to a square aspect. Realise you'd be losing some interesting cloud but think the image would benefit!

Think the FG might work with more outline detail and less sharpening - a little too heavy in the original, Skip!

Charlotte · 01-02-2007, 16:56

Better exposure in this one, Rob, but I much prefer the original crop - this one has lost a lot of impact by cropping out FG + sky. You got rid of the noise in the sky nicely.

Summary: This exposure + original crop, + I think that'll be all she wrote

**Dabhand16** · 01-02-2007, 19:19

Having the same monitor as Rob, although maybe not the same calibration, the first one gets my vote. The highlights are not blown (just) and I like the slightly noisy sky. In contrast, the castle is not noisy, and this makes the image a bit unbalanced for me. I'd like to see a version with a little noise all over, rather than the no noise as in your second post. This image is balanced in this respect, but I like the grittyness and atmosphere that noise can add to an image, especially with this sort of subject.

Having re-read this, I hope it makes sense.

I agree with the comment about the background skyline, but I guess that was something that could not be avoided.

31-01-2007, 22:08	#1 (permalink)
Rob Barron Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Poole, Dorset Posts: 5,200	Corfe Castle - stormy mono! We don't have a huge number of castles down this part of the land but what we do have is pretty spectacular. It would have been even better if the evil-minded thug by the name of Oliver Cromwell hadn't decided to destroy it purely out of spite! I struggled up the hill next to the castle to get this shot and when I got up there I was rewarded with the heavens opening and tipping it down on me so badly I couldn't get down again as the hill was horrendously muddy and treacherous. I wasn't bothered about me but my camera was not about to endure a tumble down the side of a muddy hill! I sat it out, waited for the surface stuff to drain and then made my way down. Every part of me got covered in mud but my camera remained as clean as a ... clean camera! My wife didn't speak to me all the way home. Not because she was annoyed, she was just laughing too much! Guess which smarty pants kept saying 'I told you it was going to rain!' Hmmm! __________________ Rob Barron robbarron@aol.com If you look down on other people, don't expect them to look up to you!

31-01-2007, 22:50	#2 (permalink)
Charlotte Loves the place Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Romsey, Hampshire Posts: 5,795	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Gosh, that brings new meaning to "every picture tells a story" So, you had plenty of time to frame up, I see Corfe Castle is a tricky one to photograph - it's a very harsh ruin. I've taken a few myself, but nothing like this fab aerial shot you managed to capture here Not going to comment too much on the shot, as I'm not a mono person, but I can see some noise in the sky, + the contrast is very strong with loss of detail in the shadows + highlights. You've captured the stormy clouds beautifully, + the castle seems to be echoing the harsh weather. I like the portrait orientation. I also like the composition, nicely balanced with the placement of the clouds + the FG vegetation. Love the viewpoint. Nice one __________________ Work Smarter, Not Harder

31-01-2007, 22:54	#3 (permalink)
lolyton Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Granada, Spain Posts: 803	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! He did a fair few in, so don't feel to bad about it, ol' Oli definately had some kind of complex! I like it, it reminds me a little of the times i used to drive past it to catch the ferry at Studland! As it's the critique, may a little off the bottom wouldn't go amiss, and it is very contrasty (maybe a little too much for my tastes). The sky is about right, but the bottom front section of the castle looks almost to be blown out, along with some of the tree trunks. I still like the image though, the composition is strong (with the removal of a little foreground IMO), although i can't help wanting it back to front for some unbeknown reason....ie. the castle on the right.

01-02-2007, 02:52	#4 (permalink)
skipper954 Feet under the table Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Southeast Florida USA Posts: 1,721	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Lovely shot. I would have tromped about a bit more to a vantage point where the hill in back of the castle is either way high or much lower. I feel that it's present location detracts a bit. Of course that is easy for me to say. I wasn't covered with mud. Secondly, I agree that the near part of the castle is blown. In fact, at first I was put off by the intense highlights of the castle, but it sort of grew on me. Finally, perhaps the deep shadows in the fg and bg right could be brought out a bit. Still in all, a cool shot. skip

01-02-2007, 03:52	#5 (permalink)
Gary Bagshawe Rep Point Winner 07 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sheffield UK Posts: 2,232	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Really nice composition etc but on my monitor the highlights seem to be really burnt out, oh and why couldnt you get about another 10 feet higher, step ladders, call yourself a photographer, pah only joking mate. cracking shot but the highlights do seem a bit blown

01-02-2007, 09:12	#6 (permalink)
RichW Getting Comfy Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Stoke on Trent Posts: 170	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Really like the composition, the sky is captured beautifully. I do think the stonework of the castle is too bright and could do with toning down a little, it draws the eye to it too much. Worth the mud and the rain if you ask me, and besides if it gave your significant other a laugh then it was all worthwhile

01-02-2007, 11:18	#7 (permalink)
Rob Barron Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Poole, Dorset Posts: 5,200	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! very interesting comments, thanks to all who have responded so far. I will address a couple of points as they are good ones to consider without a doubt. I think the probs with mono shots on here (I get this problem a lot) is that all our monitors, whilst calibrated for colour, are often very different in terms of contrast. I can say for certain that there are no areas in this picture that are blown highlights, every bit still retains detail. having said that I have this as an A3+ print which of course looks entirely different to a few inches high compressed print on here so I have the advantage of seeing a much higher resolution and greater tonal range. Holding the highlights for monitor viewing is clearly an issue so is something I need to keep working on but it's hard when it looks so different on other monitors. The amount of FG at the bottom: I have it with both and i might put the other one on here for you to compare with. I hate it with the FG cropped, it loses all its balance. But others might think differently so i'll put it up when I get home and let you see what you think. ok, gotta get back to work. Thanks again for your comments cheers, Rob

01-02-2007, 15:19	#8 (permalink)
Markulous Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Peak District Posts: 9,691	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Well, there are areas @ 255 here, so not a problem of monitors and 624 px @ 200k will not hopelessly compress a mono! Also think the noisy sky needs attention and the FG lacks detail and is a touch oversharpened Having said that, the comp looks good!

01-02-2007, 16:41	#9 (permalink)
Rob Barron Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Poole, Dorset Posts: 5,200	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Ok, not sure where you are talking about Mark as I have now zoomed in to pixel level and struggled to find two pixels of 255 value next to each other. But never mind, I have had another look at it, smoothed out some of the noise in the sky, cropped it so there is less foreground and burnt the brightest parts of the castle back just slightly to show a touch more detail. An improvement or not? I am genuinely finding all the feedback really helpful here so thank you. I don't do a huge amount of mono stuff these days so you're comments are helping me get a feel for what is working and what isn't. For what it's worth, I personally think this second attempt is an improvement but you may not so please feel free to say either way. Cheers, Rob

01-02-2007, 16:47	#10 (permalink)
skipper954 Feet under the table Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Southeast Florida USA Posts: 1,721	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Hey Rob I like the burn of the castle, but now the sky looks too "smooth" Also, I prefer the original FG. I think that was an important part of the image that led the eye to the castle. And it's shadow balanced the light of the castle. skip Last edited by skipper954 : 01-02-2007 at 18:45.

01-02-2007, 16:49	#11 (permalink)
Markulous Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Peak District Posts: 9,691	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Way better, IMHO! I might be tempted to crop out some of the sky - down to a square aspect. Realise you'd be losing some interesting cloud but think the image would benefit! Think the FG might work with more outline detail and less sharpening - a little too heavy in the original, Skip!

01-02-2007, 16:56	#12 (permalink)
Charlotte Loves the place Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Romsey, Hampshire Posts: 5,795	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Better exposure in this one, Rob, but I much prefer the original crop - this one has lost a lot of impact by cropping out FG + sky. You got rid of the noise in the sky nicely. Summary: This exposure + original crop, + I think that'll be all she wrote

01-02-2007, 19:19	#13 (permalink)
Dabhand16 Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Dunstable Bedfordshire UK Posts: 8,988	Re: Corfe Castle - stormy mono! Having the same monitor as Rob, although maybe not the same calibration, the first one gets my vote. The highlights are not blown (just) and I like the slightly noisy sky. In contrast, the castle is not noisy, and this makes the image a bit unbalanced for me. I'd like to see a version with a little noise all over, rather than the no noise as in your second post. This image is balanced in this respect, but I like the grittyness and atmosphere that noise can add to an image, especially with this sort of subject. Having re-read this, I hope it makes sense. I agree with the comment about the background skyline, but I guess that was something that could not be avoided. __________________ Graham

01-02-2007, 20:11	#14 (permalink)
Charlotte Loves the place Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Romsey, Hampshire Posts: 5,795