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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 102 - Red >> C102 - Eligible > 8th
Red Doors - White Hall *
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02-MAR-2006 CJ in CA

8th
Red Doors - White Hall *

Canon EOS 350D ,Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
1/50s f/8.0 at 28.0mm iso200 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time02-Mar-2006 11:28:55
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length28 mm
Exposure Time1/50 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent200
Exposure Bias
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (1)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto
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ctfchallenge13-Mar-2006 16:25
Thanks amm and Armin! I was also drawn to this because of those red pipes. It surprised me that someone painted them red as usually people like to disguise pipes by painting them the same as the ceiling :-) CJ
aam1234 13-Mar-2006 15:22
Paul has a good point which I forgot to mention in my 1st comment. The pipes are an important element of this photo, they lead the eyes to the front.
arminb12-Mar-2006 20:37
Doors to hell? Not for me, it's too colorful for hell...I hope :o)
ctfchallenge11-Mar-2006 17:28
You're not far off Paul! This is a hall in the DeWitt Center which was originally constructed between 1943 and 1945 as a military medical hospital, known as DeWitt General Hospital. Following World War II, ownership of the DeWitt Center was transferred to the State of California for use as a mental hospital and is now owned by the county for local offices. Of course, it wasn't painted like this when a hospital! :-) CJ
Paul 11-Mar-2006 07:18
Excellent. Not just the doors but the red pipes too. The doors to hell. I hope this isn't a hospital, i wouldn't want to be the one in the stretcher wheeled down this corridor to the operating theatre.
CJ in CA10-Mar-2006 01:12
Thanks Rod and aam! I think I'll leave this "as is". :-) CJ
aam1234 09-Mar-2006 18:32
The BHs on the left didn't bother me in the original, as a matter of fact I prefer the BHs because they take away the distracting elements seen through the windows. But prefer this one overall because the colors of the front wall & door are lighter and more vivid, which grab the eyes more.
Rod 09-Mar-2006 06:15
There's nothing anal about a blown highlight diverting attention away from the focal point. Now Carole has brightened the focal point the blown highlights are not so much of an issue. Well done Carole.
ctfchallenge08-Mar-2006 11:36
Version 5. I agree that the yellow cast came out when trying to get more detail in the white bricks so I redid it again and really, this is more what it actually looked like with the bright morning sun coming in the windows. I may try yet another version later :-) CJ
ctfchallenge08-Mar-2006 03:43
Howdy! what I dont find appealing about this version is the addition of the yellow hues to the white walls. It appeared clean and slick in the first version. Some selective editing can help. If you choose to increase the saturation , dont apply it to the whole photo just for the Reds and Blues.
-Techo
ctfchallenge08-Mar-2006 03:42
I like this picture but I agree with techo. I was friendlier with the previous version. I think people can be a little too anal about blown highlights. However, the happy medium that techo posted seems to join the best of the two of them. This darker one just seems less friendly.

-Rentasmo
Brent 07-Mar-2006 20:10
I like it, even the thumbnail draws you in.
CJ in CA07-Mar-2006 03:35
Techo, it looks like it's hard to have both as in your shot with the brighter whites, I think some sharpness and saturation is lost. Sigh! :-) CJ
ctfchallenge07-Mar-2006 02:19
Howdy. I must be the one of the few that like the older version better. I liked the stark white against the red and blue in that version but do like the red and blue saturation in this one.

Here's my edited version of the photo, hope you don't mind
http://techoep.50webs.com/CTF/redaerobicroomdoor2_by_cj.htm

-Techo
ctfchallenge06-Mar-2006 20:31
Thanks for seeing that! Rather than trying to fix the posted picture, I had gone back to the original and neglected to crop it properly. I always seem to tilt the camera a little when taking pictures! LOL CJ
ctfchallenge06-Mar-2006 20:07
Yes, improved (though the first shot is leveled :-) /Oved
Guest 06-Mar-2006 17:12
Love the focal point of this. I think it could use a bit of rotation as it is slightly tipped to the left. Although it's kind of fun to sit here and cock my head to the side like my dog does when I talk to her LOL :)
CJ in CA06-Mar-2006 15:43
Thanks for the feedback Paty, Mary Anne and Rod! :-) CJ
ctfchallenge06-Mar-2006 01:50
This photo caught my eye right away. Paty
ctfchallenge06-Mar-2006 01:46
I like it better now, too.
--Mary Anne
Rod 05-Mar-2006 08:54
This looks a lot better Carole as the blown windows are tamed now & the focal point can reach the eyes without effort. Very well done:-)
CJ in CA05-Mar-2006 06:00
I redid this a bit to try to bring out the doors and the blue wall a little more while trying not to oversharpen or completely blow out the whites. Here's a link to the previous version.
http://www.pbase.com/cj_in_ca/image/56765611
It's a little difficult to adjust as I'm viewing this on an LCD screen so I'll have to rely on everyone's input. Thanks for the comments :-) CJ
ctfchallenge05-Mar-2006 02:39
The thumbnail looked really great..hate to admit..was a little disappointed when I opened. Maybe playing with the contrast will help.
- RK
ctfchallenge04-Mar-2006 22:05
I agree with Alexeig--I think. Actually, I think I'd up the contrast a bit to see if it makes the doors and the blue bricks stand out more.
--Mary Anne
alexeig04-Mar-2006 20:16
I like the contrast between the cool colors in the center and bright surroundings. It strengthens the feeling of attraction to the door which the strong diagonals provide. I think that details (or lack thereof) on the left windows are very inconsequential
CJ in CA04-Mar-2006 15:23
Thanks Rod - I'll be there today and try your method of metering :-) CJ
Rod 04-Mar-2006 13:13
This would make a great shot Carole. With these sorts of shots you're better off exposing on the brightest part of the scene & then you can bring the rest up in processing. I normally point me camera at the brightest part & then lock the exposure, recompose & shoot. Plus getting a few shots in between. You can get away with the right side windows as they look OK, its just the left side that's blown.
Well worth another visit well done.
CJ in CA04-Mar-2006 06:59
PS: Thanks for the comments Jano! And yes, the sun is coming in from the left. If I try a different time of day or an overcast day, I may be able to get a more detailed picture. :-) CJ
CJ in CA04-Mar-2006 06:39
I took about 6 pictures of this with different settings already and this is the one that showed the most detail, but I'll try a reshoot next week and maybe by changing the aperture and exposure a little again I can see if it makes the bricks stand out better without making the doors too dark. The lighting is very tricky here - this may be as good as it gets :-) CJ
janewigginsphotography04-Mar-2006 05:17
This is really dramatic CJ with the strong lines and especially the panes of the windows all leading to the red door. The left windows are overexposed although I can see the outline of the bricks of the wall...while the right windows are perfect but there is a loss of the texture of the bricks on the right. The sunlight must be coming in from the left? This is a great pic and worth a redo if you can manage it - sometime when the sun is not coming in from either side - or expose on the left. I really like this so that's why I am making the suggestions. This is a great pic. jano