DPC contrast and lightness requirements -is it me?

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

04/04/2007 10:18:00 AM · #1

My wife told me this shot (Still challenge) was too dark, and I realize it is dark, but it's supposed to be. There is unusually thick fog on the lake and it's dusk. If it were brighter or more contrasty, it wouldn't suit my purpose. Several commentors shared my wife's opinion, which is fine, and I thank them.

So, I'm wondering if maybe it's just boring, or maybe it just doesn't fit the DPC wow-factor requirement???

Is it generally not acceptable to make dark, non-contrasty photos? I'm wondering because I do usually see lighter photos in buildings & homes. When I did this I was thinking more about a painting we had on the wall while I was a child, details were barely recognizeable, I think it was a foggy night in Venice.

(Feel free to take a crack at different PP on it.)

Cheers & thanks!

littlegett

Canon EOS-20D

04/04/2007 10:26:05 AM · #2

Yes there is... Just take a look at any number of my 'darker' images that did not go over to well.

It seems, The voters want 'BRIGHT' images they can admire from thumbnail and not have to dig into to find what the image is.

It is hard for someone with my style to make these 'brightly' desired images. So I just keep trucking, disappointed, frustrated and well... Im still here huh? So don't know if I like the punishment or what.. but yeah, If its too dark its a no go.

Edit to add

Just looked, 5.6 and tons of comments... you are just being silly.

Message edited by author 2007-04-04 10:27:44.

glad2badad

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic

04/04/2007 10:31:17 AM · #3

Originally posted by littlegett:

... It seems, The voters want 'BRIGHT' images they can admire from thumbnail and not have to dig into to find what the image is. ...

You can't vote from thumbnails, unless you mean voters may cherrypick and only open up images by selecting the thumbnail, placing their vote, then using the browser back button to get back to thumbnails and do it all over again? What a lot of extra steps...I don't think many do that IMO. :)

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

04/04/2007 10:33:33 AM · #4

Its a little boring, Slippy. Maybe if there was some highlights somewhere to help move the eye around...

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

04/04/2007 11:00:53 AM · #5

Hmmm, flat it is.

SDW

Canon EOS-60D

04/04/2007 12:53:25 PM · #6

Just a little highlight adjustment in cs2. But what do I know - you are way better than I am. Though I would post anyway. :)

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/04/2007 01:04:29 PM · #7

Originally posted by swhiddon:

Just a little highlight adjustment in cs2. But what do I know - you are way better than I am. Though I would post anyway. :)

Don't be silly (even though you don't know a duck from a goose). ;-) Hey, I'll bet that would've been more popular in scoring. Thanks for posting.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

04/04/2007 01:07:28 PM · #8

Originally posted by glad2badad:

Originally posted by littlegett:
... It seems, The voters want 'BRIGHT' images they can admire from thumbnail and not have to dig into to find what the image is. ...

You can't vote from thumbnails, unless you mean voters may cherrypick and only open up images by selecting the thumbnail, placing their vote, then using the browser back button to get back to thumbnails and do it all over again? What a lot of extra steps...I don't think many do that IMO. :)

I've seen several people state in the forums that they do exactly that.

As a way of improving the "brightness and contrast" in a flat image, try using the Unsharp Mask filter with a very small amount setting and a large diameter setting; you might use the following as a starting point:

AMT: 15%
DIA: 60 pixels
Threshold: 0

It seems to work especially well on landscapes, and I find that it sometimes adds enough sharpness (without any halos) that I don't even bother with using the filter with more "traditional" settings. Be careful of blowing out highlights in clouds, but otherwise I find it a safe and effective method (FDA approval pending).

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Nikon

04/04/2007 01:09:57 PM · #9

That sounds cool, I'll have to try it out, thanks Mr. E.

Greetmir

Nikon D60

04/04/2007 01:24:26 PM · #10

I have to agree with your wife and others that said it was too dark and or flat.

I bumped up the exposure to EV +1.5 and added just a TOUCH of an s curve and like it a LOT better. Of course, that may have not been your target, but I would have scored this version higher than your darker one.

Of course, as you see by my new signature ... I sometimes have trouble getting computers to do what I want them to.

OK ... put it in the body of the message instead ... thought that in my signature it would drive ppl nuts ... heh :)

Message edited by author 2007-04-04 13:40:50.

hankk

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical DF for Canon

04/04/2007 01:37:23 PM · #11

If you want moody, barely recognizable details, how about this?

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/04/2007 01:38:30 PM · #12

I like and submit a lot of dark images, but they almost never score well around here (neither do my other photos, though) -- the only dark photos which seem to do well here are tightly-cropped portraits.

I messed with your photo too, but I tried to keep the dark moodiness. As others have stated, for the typical DPC voter there needs to be some point of interest, and the light tower seems the obvious choice. I tried to give it a feeling of glowing dimly from the inside, without overpowering the surrounding gloom; I think I ended up actually darkening the sky, while sharpening the silhouette.

I applied one rather extreme RGB Curve (see screenshot), and then used the USM filter twice with the following settings: Amt 12%/Dia 48 pixels/TH = 0

Original:

Screenshot of RGB Curve:

Final:

Note that I saved the final at maximum JPEG quality, so it is rather larger (about 250kb) than would be allowed for an entry; it might look a little worse with more compression.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II

04/04/2007 01:50:23 PM · #13

I like it GeneralE. It was Basic editing, so I couldn't do the hankk idea, but I do like it for the fisherman as the subject. I didn't want a single, main subject, I was attempting to have the eye land first on the light, travel down the lighthouse, across to the fisherman, and down his pole into the lake. (Lake Ontario, by the way, pretty near my house.)

Muppet

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

04/04/2007 01:53:13 PM · #14

darkness is sometimes a subject unto itself, and it dissapoints me that some voters will mark you down for using this subject. it makes life on dpc hard for us low key photogs -_-' on the other hand, if you are fine with your image, then that is all that counts! just remember that art is controversial, and people can be narrow minded :)

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/04/2007 02:05:49 PM · #15

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

Yeah, there's a nice overal diagonal to the composition. Nice resource to have nearby too : )

hankk