Gaining a meaning - step by step?

[LaFoto]

There is a photo that I would like to show you (you will see four versions of one and the same), and I am wondering if my (limited!) post procession works are helping it any towards this picture gaining a meaning or some sort of expression.

Since I'll be showing you the out-of-camera-original first (which is no good) and three post treatment steps afterwards, it is no use giving you the technical data of the original, for I deem that weak, anyway.

My question is: is the picture worth at all being worked on? Am I treating this one right? Or would you treat it any differently?

Have a look:

Out-of-the-camera-original:

First treatment (with HP Image Zone, the software that came with my scanner :roll: )

I would normally stay with this and not treat it any further, but I thought that with this one I might try a b+w conversion:

And then I felt that cropping it tighter might help it any, what do you think?

Any thoughts?

(My soul's delicate - it hates being shredded :blushing: )

 

[Force of Nature]

im not so sure that this image can work the way it is, which seems to be the view you have already reached. It is very very hazy, but I guess someone with awesome photoshop skills could perhaps rescue it in some way as I do very much like the composition of this shot and the angle you have got but there doesnt seem to be much in the way of detail. maybe it needs contrast im not sure.

 

[LaFoto]

Thank you, Force of Nature.
I would really like to hear some more opinions.

 

[fightheheathens]

well, i really like the shot. the lone person exiting the train with the people walking away in the backround. i like the way the person is looking at you though you cant see his face, however, i think the blown out sky is detracting from the image the most. its also a little hazy. So IMO the best one is the b&w and as far as photo shop goes i dont know anything

 

[mistakendavis]

dont crop

 

[bluesaphyer]

I like this photo, it makes me wonder what kind of trip/adventure the man has just come home from. It sorta reminds me of a movie when you see the main character walk off into the distance.

The black and white, uncropped version is the best, IMO But it seems a tad dark, I think the man blends in too much with the train. I don't know if playing with the contrast on this would help that or not.

Julie

 

[Verbal]

Personally I thought the crop helped the picture immensley. It accentuates the white line on the man's right shoulder/head, and defines him as the focus on the shot.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

You must remember that a photo only really has in it what you put in at the start.
If you didn't know what you were trying to say or do at the beginning it's largely a waste of time trying to put it in at a later stage.

 

[craig]

I like the original. You captured a good mood!!! I would add a tad of contrast and take out some yellow.

Working on a photo can be fun. Personally I try and keep the edit of my shots down to one minute or less.

 

[LaFoto]

I can tell what I was going at at the time of taking this photo.
It is one of my own, rare, very tentative attempts of getting something like "street photography" done (although this here is the platform of a railway station), involving (unknown to me) people in everyday situations. When the commuter train from Hamburg arrived and the doors opened automatically, suddenly all those who wanted to disembark in this town came out of the train. That was my chance, I thought, only was the sun (already quite low at 20 past 4 in the afternoon) RIGHT against me.

I tried all the same, and out of all the photos that do suffer a lot from the into-the-light situation, this still spoke to me most because of the defined outline the clothes of this man got by the backlight. Plus I feel safe enough to post this up here BECAUSE he cannot be recognised.

My question is: with so many aspects against me (had to be very quick, sun against me, quite some haze in the air), is this attempt of mine salvagable or not at all? And am I going in the right direction with what I have already done?

I now say OTE about the photo.
There are a good many PS whizzes around here who might understand what I was trying to achieve and can come up with something helpful?

 

[craig]

You are in the right direction. Train stains are tough to shoot. The lighting is super contrasty. I would keep the photo and then go back and reshoot.

 

[LaFoto]

OK, that`s a deal. And our weather can't stay as sunny and bright and "blinding" forever... it has been like that for some 10 or 12 days in a row now! This Golden October spell will be broken eventually. I might then get people quickly pushing open their umbrellas upon disembarking .

 

[craig]

That is the attitude that will make for good photos!!!

 

[Marctwo]

I obviously haven't done much to this image but you may find the technique quite useful for this type of thing.

You'll need a curves adjustment layer and a new layer with a gradient fill on it. Something like this:

Select areas and use the gradient fill tool for this.

Set the blending mode of the grad layer to overlay and play around with the opacity along with the curves adjustment layer.

 

[LaFoto]

Oh, erm... that would require Photoshop on my computer?
No such thing here, I'm afraid.... But thanks for applying it for me here. Much appreciated.