Kurt Reinhard  

White Tower under the clouds by Kurt Reinhard

July 2024 - White Tower under the clouds

July 2024 - Kurt Reinhard

Original

About the Image(s)

I took this picture using my Nikon Z5. F/7.1, 1/640 second, ISO 100, 52mm, at 5:58 PM on June 23, 2024. I took this shot near the Mississippi river in Minneapolis. I used a CPL (Circular Polarized Lens) filter on the lens of the camera. I thought I would try the filter to improve contrast on bright sunny days. The sun does not go down here until about 9:00 PM, so there was plenty of sunshine. I was struggling to get good contrast in this condition using the options on the camera and thought I would try a simpler approach. The only editing I did in Photo Shop Express was to crop, straighten, and a slight dehaze. So, I think the filter worked well. The photo is just east of downtown Minneapolis, so the tower is isolated from the rest of downtown. I believe the building is a newer condominium. I removed the fence because it looks terrible, and I thought leaving only half of the stone arch bridge would be a distraction. I have shots with less clouds, but I thought the large clouds crossing over an isolated tower gave the photo a bit of a foreboding feel."

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

Angela Bonner   Angela Bonner
I do not think I would like to live at the top of that tower although the view must be great!!!
Glad you cropped in enough to get rid of the fence and other distracting elements. Lovely lot of detail in the clouds.
I felt the base was a bit too dark and I had a play. I cropped in quite a bit on the left side to put the tower on the thirds. Using levels I moved the mid tone slider to lift the shadows a bit at the base.
See what you think?   Posted: 07/09/2024 14:46:19
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Kurt Reinhard
Thanks Angela. I attached an updated version. I was focused (pardon the pun) on the tower and clouds when I was editing and missed how dark the other buildings are. So I lifted the shadows and lightened the sky a bit. I cropped a little less than you did on the left to leave a few more clouds.   Posted: 07/10/2024 00:36:30
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Rose Norman   Rose Norman
Kurt, I liked the second version more as it gives more detail in the base and grounds it. The clouds add a lot of interest. Your crop is good. When I look at the images you submitted for us, you had a smaller building on the left. I did not mind that as it gave a triangle effect for the two buildings. Both are good.   Posted: 07/10/2024 19:48:37
Randall Gusdorf   Randall Gusdorf
Kurt, you really got it to pop. Nice colors and you brought out the clouds. It feels a bit tight at the bottom. I like the framing of the building on the thirds line.   Posted: 07/16/2024 18:48:04
Janet McLaughlin   Janet McLaughlin
I like your second version best, but both have their merits. I guess it depends on what you're trying to convey. I like the building on the left in the first picture as it adds perspective, but the second picture really concentrates on the building being the only one that high! I do like the clouds…they add interest to the sky and the sky color is lovely!   Posted: 07/17/2024 00:42:59
Jo-Ann Rolle   Jo-Ann Rolle
Kurt, I like what you have done in the second version. The focus is on the sky and tall building -- that is the story you appear to be telling here.

In either the original or the revised version you could experiment with bluring the other buildings in the composition for more impact and focus on the main subject in the image.

Great job and great storytelling!   Posted: 07/29/2024 15:15:11