<<< o >>>vivienne westwood 9 comments + add yours
chromasia.com

As you can see from the original image, linked below, this was one of those shots that seemed to have some potential – the bright sign, the unusual mannequins, and so on – but the straight shot just didn't work out. The light was flat, the colours were dull, and the reflections were overly distracting. With a bit of work though, including the selective desaturation (which isn't a technique I'm normally all that keen on), I ended up with something that more closely matched what I had in mind when I first spotted the scene.

The original is here:

.../archives/vivienne_westwood.php

On a totally different matter: I'm heading back to Bulgaria today, and will probably be just about to land at Sofia as this entry goes live. I'm not looking forward to the trip – not least because I'll have spent most of last night at Manchester airport waiting to check in – but am really looking forward to seeing Libby and the kids. I've been away for over two weeks now, which is just a bit too long.

And finally: I'll be spending some time next week shooting portraits of our youngest daughter, so watch out for those at some point from around Wednesday onwards.

captured
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
cropped?
2.37pm on 1/3/10
Canon 5D Mark II
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
150mm
f/2.8
1/250
aperture priority
+1/3
evaluative
100
no
RAW
ACR
minor transformation
 
3x2 + travel [Dubai, UAE]
comment by Frank de Jol at 11:13 AM (GMT) on 13 March, 2010

Great work.

comment by laanba at 02:00 PM (GMT) on 13 March, 2010

Thank you so much for adding the original photo. It really helps me see what you see on the street. I am also not a fan of selective color but it really works here.

comment by Tolga at 11:27 PM (GMT) on 13 March, 2010

Photograpy, like all art really, is a process..
This post is a good illustration as to why.
Thanks.

comment by Dan Kaufman at 01:08 AM (GMT) on 14 March, 2010

Excellent image. I agree re selective desaturation, but, clearly as we see here, when it works it works well. The shot has a noir feeling which for me is why I feel the desaturation PP works so well here.

comment by Ken Kaminesky at 03:48 AM (GMT) on 14 March, 2010

This is a fun shot David it was nice to see the progression from the original and I really enjoyed the photos from Dubai as well, I'd love to get a chance to shoot there one day.

Cheers,

Ken

comment by Brooks at 07:48 AM (GMT) on 14 March, 2010

Really love where you took this one. I, too, rarely use BW with a splash of color. In fact, I think this post is the only time I've ever really used it http://brookspotteiger.com/photoblog/index.php?showimage=86
an somewhat in the same fashion, I might add.

comment by djn1 at 08:38 AM (GMT) on 14 March, 2010

Thanks everyone.

comment by djib at 10:18 AM (GMT) on 15 March, 2010

I love how the red sign stands out. Lovely composition.

comment by Heidi at 11:18 AM (GMT) on 21 March, 2010

This is an excellent image David!