Brenda Fishbaugh, QPSA  


St. Mark's Square at dawn by Brenda Fishbaugh, QPSA

November 2019 - St. Mark's Square at dawn

November 2019 - Brenda Fishbaugh, QPSA

Original

About the Image(s)

Canon 6D Mark IV, Tamron 24-300, tripod and cable release

ISO 100 f/14 28mm 41.0 seconds

Before our Viking Ocean cruise, we spent a couple of days in Venice. My cousin and I got up so early and found our way through the maze of Venetian streets to St. Mark's Square to photograph St. Mark's Tower through an arch.

I'm not sure I nailed it. Thoughts on improving it? You'll note the original is very similar. I did straighten the arch and remove trash can, light on top of arch, trash in plaza and some other minor changes.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
20 comments posted




Stephen Levitas   Stephen Levitas
(Group 32)
What a clever shot. At first, I thought you had captured a full moon. Then I saw the rod connecting to the globe. This is quite Magritte-esque.   Posted: 11/01/2019 15:58:44
Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Thanks, Stephen! Do you like my version without a light posted below?   Posted: 11/29/2019 14:29:11
Stephen Levitas   Stephen Levitas
(Group 32)
Hi Brenda, your shot without the globe is fine, but once having seen the original, ambiguous shot, I much prefer it because it is so much fun.   Posted: 11/29/2019 19:41:53



 
I really like this photo. I like how you straightened the arch sides. Great job.   Posted: 11/01/2019 19:08:11
Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
I appreciate it, Alan!   Posted: 11/29/2019 14:29:31



Sunil Mehta   Sunil Mehta
I also thought that it is the moon, good image, post-process is also good, try removing that light and see how that look or replace with the moon (just for fun) or convert in BW. Also, try cropping out the bottom portion, the image will look more balanced.   Posted: 11/03/2019 00:28:15
Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Sunil, I took out the light below. Do you like it? I'm not sure why taking out the floor would make it look balanced? Can you show me a quick version of what you have in mind? Thanks so much!   Posted: 11/29/2019 14:30:51
Sunil Mehta   Sunil Mehta
Brenda,

Attached cropped image: Main subject of your photo is a Tower and an arch of front structure, larger floor area takes away a straight viewing line to slightly lower angled viewing and to me it is a bit distracting.
Also, regarding removing light, is very easy and just a two or three clicks in Photoshop, what I do is.
Step 1: Using Lasso tool select the required area.
Step 2: in "Edit" command, select "Fill" and use "Content-Aware" and other setting as shown in attached screen shot.
  Posted: 11/29/2019 22:21:14
Comment Image
Sunil Mehta   Sunil Mehta
  Posted: 11/29/2019 22:22:07
Comment Image



Terry Walters   Terry Walters
Super image and what Sunil said, either remove the light or make it a moon. I'm happy with the amount of floor showing, but if you do crop then leave the complete diamonds.   Posted: 11/03/2019 05:30:04
Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Thanks, Terry! Do you like the version below with the lamp removed?   Posted: 11/29/2019 14:31:28
Terry Walters   Terry Walters
yes, the distraction of the lamp is so much more evident now its gone.   Posted: 11/30/2019 12:43:44



 
Interesting image, and well done. I might pretty much echo what Sunil had said.

Other than those, I feel the fake moon is too close to the tower...LOL. So, if I can only pick one option from Sunil's proposals, I might choose to remove the light. And by removing the light, I will then keep the ground, as the tiles become a part of what I want to show the viewers. (With the light, I could crop out some tiles, as what Sunil had said)

I really like the mood of the picture highlighted by the long exposure...Cannot wait to see more pictures from your trip like this. Cheers.
  Posted: 11/04/2019 09:49:43
Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Richard, I took out the light below, is this what you envisioned? Would you explain about cropping the floor and why that would improve the photo? I'm not sure I understand how that would make it more balanced? Thanks for your expertise! Also, how in the world did you shrink the tower? That's a useful technique!   Posted: 11/29/2019 14:32:58



 
Fantastic eye Brenda. The sky is beautiful and the clarity of the ornate building is impressive.

I love the faux moon but do wish, as Richard observed, there was a little more space between it and the tower. I wonder if moving to the right would have helped but then the tower would not be framed in the arch.

One idea as a real cheat would be to shrink the tower a little so that the moon fits alongside the triangle tower roof. It would be a fake for sure but might work. Here's a quick edit to show you what I have in mind.

  Posted: 11/04/2019 19:44:33
Comment Image
 
Hi Jason, it is a brilliant change. I live it...   Posted: 11/04/2019 22:19:07
 
like*   Posted: 11/05/2019 07:41:28



 
nice framing and capture brenda , to be honest i find this light distractive the view beauty , so i try to remove it   Posted: 11/07/2019 11:54:15
Comment Image
Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Wow, it took a lot to remove it and not mess up the tower, great job, Abdo! Does my version below look realistic? I am not sure my clouds look right.   Posted: 11/29/2019 14:35:06



Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Thanks, everyone! I removed the light, which was difficult since it was so close to the tower, and then filled in some clouds...is it believable? I don't know how Abdo did it so easily in his example!

I tried and tried to use an ai file from Adobe Stock and convert to PNG and drop in a stock art moon, but I could not make it work and could not find a useful You Tube video--everything wanted me to use Illustrator or similar program. Any guidance?

Thanks for all the discussion!

  Posted: 11/29/2019 14:28:02
Comment Image