Stirling Castle

fionaB · 04-11-2006, 22:41

spent the morning at Stirling Castle, thought i would share some of the memories!

Fiona

skipper954 · 05-11-2006, 01:27

Hi Fi

When we were in Scotland, and touring around, and staying in Edinburgh for the Festival, we must have driven past Stirling Castle 20 times, and actually went there too.

There is a street 2 blocks away from where I live called Stirling Road (spelled the same way). Wonder if it was named after a relative?

BTW......good shots.....I like your black and whites

skip

danpen · 05-11-2006, 06:09

Fiona,

Some nice shots there

I love the brooding nature of number one, for me it'd be better with a touch more detail in the statue, I don't think it's got an interesting enough profile for a sillouhette. You could try doing that with a bit of fill flash but I'm not sure that a hand held or on camera flash could light something that size evenly from that distance. You could have used a longer exposure but that would have lost the dramatic sky. You could add a curve in photoshop to tweak the darker areas of the image. I hope you don't mind but I had a go at that. Given the chance I might have moved the statue a bit to the left in the composition so he was looking into the shot but all this is personal opinion and you may not agree.

I really like two and three, the mono conversion has been done well and is very effective, two is especially is good with the different tones you managed to keep in the trees.

Four is a good idea, again I'd like to se a bit more detail in the foreground, a tiny bit of fill flash to bring out the bird's eyes perhaps?

Five's a lovely sharp shot, I'm a bit put off by the verticals in the middle section of the building but the light's really nice, especially with another one of those brooding skies over the top.

All in all, some good shots here.

fionaB · 05-11-2006, 07:40

many thanx.....
Skip the road is more than likely named after a person rather than anything to do with the place.......David Stirling perhaps..the founder of the SAS?

Like what you have done to the statue Dan, course i dont mind...... tried it myself but it didint look quite right. Unfortunately it was very busy at the castle and the places i could take the shot from were limited without having someone with a camera getting in the way!

again many thanx , comments always appreciated!

Fi

***Steve*** · 05-11-2006, 10:50

danpan's version of the statue picture is better as the statue now looks like the focal point where as in your version the statue is too dark and was fighting with the bright sky for attention.

Your sepia shot with the graveyard in the foreground is great but the one that really stands out for me is the last, the exposure is spot on, the detail retained is great, the shadow and highlights have been balanced perfectly and above all the dof and focus throughout is perfect. Its a great shot

fionaB · 05-11-2006, 17:25

many thanx Steve. I think that is probably the favourite of most folks that have seen it.

Fiona

Keith Tate · 05-11-2006, 17:59

Nice set of shots fionaB, I like the lightened version of the statue, very nicely done.

fionaB · 05-11-2006, 21:56

i have taken onboard a comment that was put on my mono courtyard pic in the gallery............ can u spot the difference between the original and this one..........

**Dabhand16** · 05-11-2006, 22:18

I could see him in the first one too.

fionaB · 05-11-2006, 22:22

ok now u have me worried cos he wasnt in the first one! lolol

**Dabhand16** · 05-11-2006, 22:27

Maybe not, but I'm nearly finished my second bottle of wine, so I can see a lot of things now that I could not see earlier!

fionaB · 05-11-2006, 22:30

LOLOLOL and im onyl still on my first bottle.............. and being very careful not to spill it on the keyboard......

**Dabhand16** · 05-11-2006, 22:34

Cheers

Rob Barron · 05-11-2006, 23:32

I agree with pretty much everything people have said Fi, a cracking set of shots. The only one I don't like (sorry) is the 4th one with the out of focus bird on the ...errr....whatever it is. First one is better with the faux fill-in flash to give us the statue details. But the other three are excellent, like them a lot.

No, the 'ghsot' piper or whatever he is doesn't do anything for me. It makes the picture seem silly when the building without that bit is a dark brooding place with a well composed and well focused shot.

Without a doubt the best is the courtyard. Would like to have seen the converging verticals adjusted so I have had a little play. I took out the converging verticals by doing a Perspective Crop. it does mean I had to lose parts of the sidewalls but it does bring the rest of it straight up. funnily enough, it wasn't so much the walls that were irritating me as the topiary plant in the FG left that was 'falling over'! I also added a touch of negative S curve. That means I did an S curve but took it below the centre line so as not to lighten any of the sky as it would have burnt out and I didn't want it to. I added a touch of saturation to create stronger colours.

I then had a look to see what a mono would look like: didn't like it much so tried a hand-tinted sepia (as opposed to a filter sepia, ie using Colour Balance to the mono and adding yellow and red in a roughly 30/70% mix) and felt happier with the result so am showing you both of those here. See what you think of them, just a bit of a play really, no way lessening your set which is excellent :o)

Cheers,
Rob

skipper954 · 06-11-2006, 00:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dabhand16

but I'm nearly finished my second bottle of wine,

Ahhhh....a man after my own heart. I knew that I liked you

skip

04-11-2006, 22:41	#1 (permalink)
fionaB Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 5,454	Stirling Castle spent the morning at Stirling Castle, thought i would share some of the memories! Fiona

05-11-2006, 01:27	#2 (permalink)
skipper954 Feet under the table Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Southeast Florida USA Posts: 1,721	Re: Stirling Castle Hi Fi When we were in Scotland, and touring around, and staying in Edinburgh for the Festival, we must have driven past Stirling Castle 20 times, and actually went there too. There is a street 2 blocks away from where I live called Stirling Road (spelled the same way). Wonder if it was named after a relative? BTW......good shots.....I like your black and whites skip

05-11-2006, 06:09	#3 (permalink)
danpen Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 875	Re: Stirling Castle Fiona, Some nice shots there I love the brooding nature of number one, for me it'd be better with a touch more detail in the statue, I don't think it's got an interesting enough profile for a sillouhette. You could try doing that with a bit of fill flash but I'm not sure that a hand held or on camera flash could light something that size evenly from that distance. You could have used a longer exposure but that would have lost the dramatic sky. You could add a curve in photoshop to tweak the darker areas of the image. I hope you don't mind but I had a go at that. Given the chance I might have moved the statue a bit to the left in the composition so he was looking into the shot but all this is personal opinion and you may not agree. I really like two and three, the mono conversion has been done well and is very effective, two is especially is good with the different tones you managed to keep in the trees. Four is a good idea, again I'd like to se a bit more detail in the foreground, a tiny bit of fill flash to bring out the bird's eyes perhaps? Five's a lovely sharp shot, I'm a bit put off by the verticals in the middle section of the building but the light's really nice, especially with another one of those brooding skies over the top. All in all, some good shots here. __________________ A mad keen photographer needs to get out into the world and work and make mistakes. - Sam Abell My Photos

05-11-2006, 07:40	#4 (permalink)
fionaB Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 5,454	Re: Stirling Castle many thanx..... Skip the road is more than likely named after a person rather than anything to do with the place.......David Stirling perhaps..the founder of the SAS? Like what you have done to the statue Dan, course i dont mind...... tried it myself but it didint look quite right. Unfortunately it was very busy at the castle and the places i could take the shot from were limited without having someone with a camera getting in the way! again many thanx , comments always appreciated! Fi

05-11-2006, 10:50	#5 (permalink)
*Steve* Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: An Englishman living in Germany Posts: 16,158	Re: Stirling Castle danpan's version of the statue picture is better as the statue now looks like the focal point where as in your version the statue is too dark and was fighting with the bright sky for attention. Your sepia shot with the graveyard in the foreground is great but the one that really stands out for me is the last, the exposure is spot on, the detail retained is great, the shadow and highlights have been balanced perfectly and above all the dof and focus throughout is perfect. Its a great shot

05-11-2006, 17:25	#6 (permalink)
fionaB Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 5,454	Re: Stirling Castle many thanx Steve. I think that is probably the favourite of most folks that have seen it. Fiona

05-11-2006, 17:59	#7 (permalink)
Keith Tate Quite Chatty Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East TN. Posts: 83	Re: Stirling Castle Nice set of shots fionaB, I like the lightened version of the statue, very nicely done.

05-11-2006, 21:56	#8 (permalink)
fionaB Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 5,454	Re: Stirling Castle i have taken onboard a comment that was put on my mono courtyard pic in the gallery............ can u spot the difference between the original and this one..........

05-11-2006, 22:18	#9 (permalink)
Dabhand16 Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Dunstable Bedfordshire UK Posts: 9,001	Re: Stirling Castle I could see him in the first one too.

05-11-2006, 22:22	#10 (permalink)
fionaB Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 5,454	Re: Stirling Castle ok now u have me worried cos he wasnt in the first one! lolol

05-11-2006, 22:27	#11 (permalink)
Dabhand16 Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Dunstable Bedfordshire UK Posts: 9,001	Re: Stirling Castle Maybe not, but I'm nearly finished my second bottle of wine, so I can see a lot of things now that I could not see earlier!

05-11-2006, 22:30	#12 (permalink)
fionaB Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 5,454	Re: Stirling Castle LOLOLOL and im onyl still on my first bottle.............. and being very careful not to spill it on the keyboard......

05-11-2006, 22:34	#13 (permalink)
Dabhand16 Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Dunstable Bedfordshire UK Posts: 9,001	Re: Stirling Castle Cheers

05-11-2006, 23:32	#14 (permalink)
Rob Barron Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Poole, Dorset Posts: 5,204	Re: Stirling Castle I agree with pretty much everything people have said Fi, a cracking set of shots. The only one I don't like (sorry) is the 4th one with the out of focus bird on the ...errr....whatever it is. First one is better with the faux fill-in flash to give us the statue details. But the other three are excellent, like them a lot. No, the 'ghsot' piper or whatever he is doesn't do anything for me. It makes the picture seem silly when the building without that bit is a dark brooding place with a well composed and well focused shot. Without a doubt the best is the courtyard. Would like to have seen the converging verticals adjusted so I have had a little play. I took out the converging verticals by doing a Perspective Crop. it does mean I had to lose parts of the sidewalls but it does bring the rest of it straight up. funnily enough, it wasn't so much the walls that were irritating me as the topiary plant in the FG left that was 'falling over'! I also added a touch of negative S curve. That means I did an S curve but took it below the centre line so as not to lighten any of the sky as it would have burnt out and I didn't want it to. I added a touch of saturation to create stronger colours. I then had a look to see what a mono would look like: didn't like it much so tried a hand-tinted sepia (as opposed to a filter sepia, ie using Colour Balance to the mono and adding yellow and red in a roughly 30/70% mix) and felt happier with the result so am showing you both of those here. See what you think of them, just a bit of a play really, no way lessening your set which is excellent :o) Cheers, Rob __________________ Rob Barron robbarron@aol.com If you look down on other people, don't expect them to look up to you!