The Glory That Was Rome * Traveller by Canon DSLR Challenge

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Feb 11 2006	Traveller

The Glory That Was Rome * Traveller

Canon EOS 350D ,Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS

other sizes: small medium original auto

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Canon DSLR Challenge		20-Feb-2006 19:11
Well, initially, the moon looked like a small flashlight beam at the end of a darkish hall...when I used the separately shot moon, it looked like a perfectly formed tiny moon at the end of a darkish hall....lol. Also, the moon can be blindingly bright and stark white...so you know it is a moon of course, but while the image is a well captured moon, it is still not the moon you may want or need. In this instance, the moon had to be toned down so that the moon's craters and visible features appeared to be seen through whispy clouds and the color had to at lest compliment the redish color of the columns, (which btw, had to be toned down a little also, but in channels). I simply used the smudge tool, the brush being the same size as the moon itself, at 37%, and I think that I gave it 3 or 4 clicks, then added a little skin color tone to the moon, and sharpened separately. The positioning of the moon had to be where the original moon was anyhow...in fact, I don't think I even removed the original, I just over laid it. I wanted some Drama, and that I got, and a sense that a person was looking up...either at that time, wondering if the works of man could stand against the natural world, or, a latter day traveller marveling at what remained from a collapsed Culture. Either intepretation works and is dependent on what the Viewer brings to the image...which is as it should be. Best Wishes, Traveller

Canon DSLR Challenge		20-Feb-2006 15:28
Traveller, congrats - the way you described you envisioned your image and the steps needed to capture. That shows an evolution in the maturity of your art - Ansel would be proud :). So you inititially tried it with 2 different exposures of the same scene shot from a tripod . . . why did it look crappy? Cindy

Canon DSLR Challenge		20-Feb-2006 06:56
Yes, Cindy, it is a composite, though the moon was shot in the Challenge period. There were clouds there, wisping across the sky and a very, very bright moon with the fairy's ring that you see in the sky. However, I obviously could not keep the exposure correct for both the columns and the moon. So I shot the moon separate with the same focal length. But it looked....crappy. The previous day I shot the moon rising through the Golden Gate at 200mm...but it was far too large for this image. Worse, it was really a great moon...and looked out of place. So I tried various sizes to see what would work or be effective from a transparent background layer, having moved the moon, using the elliptical tool, (magic wand didn't work), over from the GGB image. The problem was blurring and coloring the moon just enough to tone it down...then I noticed a black ring around it that had to be erased. The moon was the toughest part of this image, taking well over an hour to produce. Generally, it probably isn't wise to describe how an image was arrived at before the voting, but I am quite proud of this because this is what I saw in my mind's eye as I drove from the Sunset District of San Francisco, the beach and not the bay side, down through the Presido over to the Palace of Fine Arts. I had the title already, I knew that there was a full moon up in the sky, I knew where I was going to shoot as I hauled out the tripod, even though I had not been to the location in well over ten years. The image was done in my mind...and that's what is cool about this...I think. The clouds were just a lucky break. Still, I had to wait for them to be a certain texture for the shot and, after all, we make our own luck, don't we? In effect, I used most of the tools and training that I received here from Lonnit, Olaf, Jim, the Michael's, Puff & Soo and other people that have been generous with me for the 10 or so months that I have been participating. All my failed attempts are here too, but perfected. And that's good....because it really is a lovely picture. Best Wishes, Traveller

Canon DSLR Challenge		20-Feb-2006 01:45
Very strong image. I assume it is a composite? Care to share your technique for this one? Cindy

Canon DSLR Challenge		19-Feb-2006 23:38
Nice perspective in the shot and the title adds another layer! Tim

Guest		16-Feb-2006 05:19
Well, Traveller, this is sublimely elegant. While I have photographed a number of times at the Palace, the only good shots I have are of the swans (which could be anywhere in my shots). The architecture seems to escape me. You made perfect use of Saturday's lovely moon. Kudos. -Michael

Canon DSLR Challenge		15-Feb-2006 04:41
Thanks, Sharon, yes, this is the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco...I have like 70 shots of it, (both at night & during the day), and can only post one, (sob)...lol. Working in a 16bit tiff strips my EXIF data, but I'll enter it soon. As for the crop, I think that I need the space on the left, so I'll just clone it out. I was myself surprised to see it there inching its way in. Best Wishes, Traveller

elips		15-Feb-2006 04:25
What fun, Traveller! Was this taken in San Francisco? Don't forget to add the date. You might try it with about a half inch cropped off the left side to get rid of that other column that is trying to nose it's way into the shot. I like this a lot, it is almost as if the moon is starting to settle down onto the tops of the columns, an appropriate way to display it's glorious self! Really good work! ~Sharon