This image was taken last February above downtown Milwaukee. A judge in a competition said she wished the bank sign wasn't there because it draws the viewer's eye too much. I agree but without it, it wouldn't be an accurate representation of the city.
I looked back at the originals, and I apparently used two different exposures to create the final image (I always stack the images in Lightroom when I process multiple images so I can tell which images I used). I have another image where I used Lightroom's Denoise feature, which creates a separate DNG file, and then I did a final perspective correction. The "original" included here is one of the two exposures I used in the exposure blend. You can see the exposure blend helped to remove the glow from the Associate Bank sign and make it look sharper.
3 comments posted
Richard Stauber
Very nice city photo, nice time for the shoot - lights are on but still enough natural light to see the sky and surroundings. I think my eye was first drawn to the green lights, the sign not so much. Posted: 12/05/2024 02:03:02
Lou McLove
Hello Drema, I think that this is a beautiful evening shot and you took it at just the right time with the light in the sky and the building lights on. To me, the colors really make the image, they are so vibrant. The bank sign is distracting but it doesn't seem that there is much you can do about it. Your blended image really looks good. Posted: 12/07/2024 23:53:01
Pete Scifres
Both the capture and post are great. Yes, the sign is a pain. Maybe you could have masked off the letters and lowered their brightness? To my eye the top of the tower is too close to the top frame, but that aside a lovely image. Posted: 12/12/2024 17:07:52
