"Old and New"

Hi All,

My photo club has issued the assignment "Oud en Nieuw" this month.
"Oud en Nieuw" means "New Year's Eve" in Dutch. However, the literal translation is "Old and New". So I took the following picture:

Old Cloister Barracks (Kloosterkazerne) in Breda (NL) renovated to become a Casino next to the ultra-modern Chass Theater.



There will be some more images posted to the specific gallery on smugmug later.

So please feel free to supply any critique and/or comments. TIA

Cheers,

Cem

EXIF:
Canon 400D
EF 10-22mm 3.5-4.5 USM
1/45s at f/13
ISO 200
RAW
Focal lenght: 10mm

Well, several comments...

Interesting structure(s). My comments may fall into the category of "personal preference" rather than technical commentary, but here goes:

1. The half B&W half color concept is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure it works in this instance. I get the point, old and new, but the sky in particular looks kind of odd half B&W and half color. Maybe try the concept with the full sky in color and see what happens. I assume the older half of the building is red brick, I wonder whether the color version might be a little more interesting.

2. The subject appears too far off in the distance to suit my taste. The paved plaza (in the foreground) just isn't that interesting for the amount of the frame it consumes. Maybe some people on the plaza might help. But my real complaint is much of the detail in both buildings (new and old) is lost because it's so far away.

3. I wonder if some different angles might help too. Some closer shots of the transition point between the older and newer structures might drive home the point of old/new better. An angle of the side of the older structure looking back at the new addition might also be interesting.

Hope that helps.

Tom

Cem,

First I like what you have chosen to photograph and the result is totally impressive. This is a picture one wants to revisit. It's remarkable but unsettling.

Unlike Tom, I must admit I didn't recognize that the older building and cobblestones were rendered in B&W! I was just surprised at how one had used a wide angle lens (which BTW impresses me in its quality, but I cannot use it on my cameras) and then presented such a strong vertical component as the cobbles stones.

I would think that this picture in RAW would make an excellent challenge here as it has beauty, complexity and real difficulty to finalize.

I bet this image would result in a whole suprising array of interpetations.

The potential for further expression here is great. Of course, this invasion of your own creative choices is entirely not necessary.

However, as it, is the picture confronts me and is not something to be ignored. I will be returning to look at your picture again and again since it attracts me and distrubs me at the same time.

I'm also somewhat jealous that I have not had the opportunity to visit the site myself.

Asher

Hello Cem: I rarely offer photo comments on Web sites. But your image prompts me to break pattern for a moment.

First, I like the subject. The architect that designed that structure on the right must have had quite a sense of humor. It looks like a poster for a 1950's sci-fi movie like, "The Blob That Ate the School".

Like Tom, I'm not at all confident that the partial b&w really works. It looks just a bit too gimmicky. I would try conveying the message by simply photographing the scene at different times of day and under different lighting conditions.

I think you'll also need to make a compositional decision. The building bisect the frame and offer no opinion concerning which is more important; the sky or the pavement. Personally, at the moment of this picture the sky would have provided a more interesting pattern than thee pavement. But perhaps at another time it would be opposite. But in any case I suggest not bisecting the frame with your intended primary subject. You've unintentionally created two more visually compelling subjects in this case.

Another impressive view is a vertical which just has the old and the sky.

This is a very interesting subject!

Asher

An amateur hobbyist's reaction

Cem Usakligil said:

My photo club has issued the assignment "Oud en Nieuw" this month.
"Oud en Nieuw" means "New Year's Eve" in Dutch. However, the literal translation is "Old and New".

Click to expand...

Cem, unlike Tom and Ken, I happen to like the long perspective provided by the plaza pavement.

My eye quickly traveled up it to your subject, and the millisecond's delay in focusing on the buildings resulted in a sharp intake of breath, at the contrast between old and new.

But, like the others, I *think* I'd prefer the entire image in color. Don't know for sure, though, until I've seen such a rendition for comparison.

My sense of drama always likes a sky full of gray clouds, however. So, could you shoot the pair again sometime, on a threatening day?

Mary

See, that's the wonder of photography! So many different eyes connected to different brains that operate slightly differently.

Just a follow-up thought that struck me while eating lunch. How much of this scene do you -really- need to show to make the point? Could you, for example, just show that glaring interface between the two buildings and call it a day? I'd sure walk up to it with a wide lens and try it.

Ken Tanaka said:

Just a follow-up thought that struck me while eating lunch. How much of this scene do you -really- need to show to make the point? Could you, for example, just show that glaring interface between the two buildings and call it a day? I'd sure walk up to it with a wide lens and try it.

Click to expand...

To me, it would also be an interesting subject for a narrow horizontal panoramic impression (but then I'm a pano junkie).

Bart

Bart_van_der_Wolf said:

To me, it would also be an interesting subject for a narrow horizontal panoramic impression (but then I'm a pano junkie).

Click to expand...

Yes. Pano junkie here, also. Good thought, Bart.

Although, in my limited experience, panos display much better as prints than on the monitor screen.

Mary

Dear All,

To be honest, I am positively overwhelmed by the feedback provided by you, thanks a lot .
In due time, I'll get back with some direct answers on your particular C&C.

Re. the cropping, I obviously have tried all kinds of crops on this picture such as: less foreground, less sky, pano, etc. I don't know why I chose this particular one, which is uncropped. The cropped versions were also just as good.

Re. the B&W-colour gimmickry, I am a bit unhappy I did that right now although it seemed to be a good idea at that time. So here is the original uncropped colour version:



Asher has mentioned the possibility of making this image available in RAW as a challenge should you want to have a go at it (ie. develop and edit it in a variety of compositons and crops, let your creativity loose, etc). I'd be absolutely delighted if you'd be interested in doing that.

Cheers,

Cem

Just let us know who wants the RAW file and we'll send it to you. Add © Cem Usakligil 2007 to an edge and embed it in the EXIF to if you know how to.

License is given only to edit and repost here. Use any RAW processor just say what you did. Do any cropping and what ever other changes as you choose as if when you see the image on your computer screen you are seeing it for the very first time and then make your best most impressive image and provide the title.

Post at 800 pixels wide. Keep the original and layers at 16 BIT and in PSD form in case CEM needs it or OPF wants to publish it. In accordance with OPF policy, in return for sharing you donate and grant all artistic contributions you make to the original photographer.

Good luck!

Asher

Well, I guess I should start this off. I thought I'd start with no heavy cropping just deal with tonalities. I developed from the RAW in Adobe RAW making versions for hte sky, buildings and cobblestones separately.

As you can see, I simplified by darkening the modern building so that its geometry counterbalances the patterns put for that purpose in the stones.

The sky is now more prominent and serves to firmly grasp all the elements together.



Now this version is just one possible way of expressing whhat is inherent in Cem's RAW image.

What would you do? PM me for your copy of the file!

Asher

Thanks again Cem for being so sporting!

Old and Newer

Hi Cem,

Here is my rendition of your photo. First I tweaked it in Lightroom then, I imported into CS3 and gave it some more tweaking to what I was feeling from your photo. And Last gave it a little crop to bring you in a little closer.

Anyway, I hope you like this version.

Enjoy,

-Brian-



© Cem Usakligil 2007

Hi Cem!

Just like Asher, at first I didn't realize there was a BW treatment. When I did, I thought that it would be jolly good if you left the sky as is and only BW-ed the pavement and the building.

However, after viewing the color original I could not decide which one I like more

In any case, I like the huge empty paved space, it seems to me that you did put your WA to a good use here.

HTH

Brian Lowe said:

Hi Cem,

Here is my rendition of your photo. First I tweaked it in Lightroom then, I imported into CS3 and gave it some more tweaking to what I was feeling from your photo. And Last gave it a little crop to bring you in a little closer.

Anyway, I hope you like this version.

Enjoy,

-Brian-



© Cem Usakligil 2007

Click to expand...

Hi Brian.

Your interpretation is perhaps the most balanced esthetically in that the hues belong to the picture. The blue of the sky is a brother to the hue in the modern structure. The sand colored elements in that building , continued in the foreground cobblestones to the right, but incompletely framed here, is now delighfully recapitulated in the foreground of the older building. The latter, I rendered dark, like the cobblestones in old Antwerp.

Here I think there's a coherehence brought about mainly by choice of colors and this is a difference to my own interpretation which was particularly dependant on tonality. Thanks Brian for your original contribution.

Remember, we are not saying how this RAW file of Cem's work should be processed, rather excercising a series of options by harnessing the different sensibilities of each photographer who is privilileged to express themselves and who, themselves, are open to being critiiqued.

A warning: if you post for critique, use these versionings for fun and as an excercise in a joint creative exploration, not to rank your own work, which we cannot do.

Asher

P.S. Since your colors are a unique palette, could you explain your workflow.

Hi All,

Firstly, let me start by thanking you all for taking your time with this image, I appreciate it very, very much .

I have refrained from replying to your kind efforts for two reasons:
1) I have not had the time to spend much time on the board during the last few days, and
2) I didn;'t want to get in the way of your creativity by commenting too early on this ongoing process.

Rest assured, I did like the versions posted by Asher and Brian a lot. Asher wrote to Brian: "Your interpretation is perhaps the most balanced esthetically in that the hues belong to the picture". I totally agree, it is rather ingenious that Brian could discover those hues that belong there. Indeed Brian, tell us how you did it please.

Cheers,

Very well done image, Cem. All the elements in that image from the bricks on the ground to the clouds bring your eye right to the subject. Nice work.

Hi Cem,

Did you enter the comp? With which image? how did you do? What were the other folk's images like?

Best wishes,

Ray

Hi Ray,

It wasn't a competition, just a periodical assignment from my photo club.
The photo was received very well in general. Some people thought that it would be better if it was colour only, but I was prepared for that reaction anyway ;-).

Cheers,