Rizwan Choudhry
May 2025 - Eiffel Tower at Sunrise
Original
About the Image(s)
Description: ISO 100, f20, 1/50sec. Shot with Tamron 15-30mm lens on a
Nikon D800. Captured just after sunrise from the Seine River Bridge. I
liked the jet trails in the sky. The small aperture was chosen to
create a sunstar effect. Converted to black and white in Lightroom to
emphasize the graphic contrast between the jet trails and sky.
Adjusted exposure, enhanced contrast, and corrected perspective. This
image is not doing well at either Monochrome or PTD, in competitions,
I wonder why? Any feedback would be appreciated.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
5 comments posted
I have no idea what judges ponder. I can only provide my reactions. The photo is too busy for me. The items in the immediate foreground are distracting to me. If these elements were not there the image would hang a bit better to me. Where do you want the viewer to look? You process the image to direct the viewer. I am not a judge and like your photo a as pleasant memory. Posted: 05/04/2025 13:53:49
Rizwan,
The Eiffel tower itself is soft (out of focus) - at least on my screen and your focus point seems to be on the letters on BU on the road. I note you are at f/20, but even then the depth of field will not keep everything in focus, if you focus on something too close. It is also too busy, without a place for the eye to rest. Maybe if you had moved right (onto the pavement), you could have used the road and row of vegetable pots as a leading line and at the same time got the sun peeping from the edge of the tower, resulting in a more attractive composition.
Processing wise - the tones are subdued and look a bit flat. Generally Monochrome images need more contrast and more tones. I find using a plug in like Nik Silvereffex or BW Muse Pro helps me get the effect I want quickly when coverting to monochrome.
Regards
Som Posted: 05/05/2025 12:20:55
The Eiffel tower itself is soft (out of focus) - at least on my screen and your focus point seems to be on the letters on BU on the road. I note you are at f/20, but even then the depth of field will not keep everything in focus, if you focus on something too close. It is also too busy, without a place for the eye to rest. Maybe if you had moved right (onto the pavement), you could have used the road and row of vegetable pots as a leading line and at the same time got the sun peeping from the edge of the tower, resulting in a more attractive composition.
Processing wise - the tones are subdued and look a bit flat. Generally Monochrome images need more contrast and more tones. I find using a plug in like Nik Silvereffex or BW Muse Pro helps me get the effect I want quickly when coverting to monochrome.
Regards
Som Posted: 05/05/2025 12:20:55
Thank you for your detailed and constructive feedback. I really appreciate it! You're absolutely right about the focus point; in hindsight, I see how focusing closer to the foreground left the Eiffel Tower softer than intended, even at f20. Your suggestion to reposition myself to use the road and pots as a leading line is brilliant, that definitely would've created a stronger focal point and cleaner composition.
I also agree about the processing. The tones do feel a bit flat. I have heard great things about Nik Silver Efex and BW Muse Pro, so I will give those a try to enhance the depth and tonal variety.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your insights, it's incredibly helpful for improving my work. Posted: 05/10/2025 03:56:48
I also agree about the processing. The tones do feel a bit flat. I have heard great things about Nik Silver Efex and BW Muse Pro, so I will give those a try to enhance the depth and tonal variety.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your insights, it's incredibly helpful for improving my work. Posted: 05/10/2025 03:56:48
Hi Rizwan I agree with comments by the others. As always it is so hard to give a different perspective to places that are photographed by so many. In that sense I like your creative idea. However, as mentioned by others in the execution you could make a few changes to make sure the eyes go to the main focus of the image.In particular I found the BU sign and the post on the right a bit distracting. Posted: 05/20/2025 09:42:59
Some composition ideas for this busy scene or similar:
-getting close to the plants in the stands to cover or block out what you don't want in the scene and bring focus to the background subject
-shooting at ground level in between the two rows of the plant stands, on the left side of this one, and angling up toward the sky and tower to focus on the trails
-same as above but shoot alongside the bridge wall on the right
I like the sunstar effect, that was a good idea. You could also shoot that through the tower detailing if you shoot from the right side of the bridge.
I personally always try to rid of poles in my photos either by changing composition or post processing, unless they add to the photo somehow, but I do think they hurt your photo in this case. Posted: 05/22/2025 13:25:01
-getting close to the plants in the stands to cover or block out what you don't want in the scene and bring focus to the background subject
-shooting at ground level in between the two rows of the plant stands, on the left side of this one, and angling up toward the sky and tower to focus on the trails
-same as above but shoot alongside the bridge wall on the right
I like the sunstar effect, that was a good idea. You could also shoot that through the tower detailing if you shoot from the right side of the bridge.
I personally always try to rid of poles in my photos either by changing composition or post processing, unless they add to the photo somehow, but I do think they hurt your photo in this case. Posted: 05/22/2025 13:25:01