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Thread: Laid in waiting

  1. #1
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Laid in waiting

    Hi all,

    Walking past this restaurant beside the Thames in Eton, I was struck by the sunlit tables, all laid ready, but without diners (it was 07:59 in the morning though!).

    Laid in waiting
    Canon S100 at 5.2mm: 24mm (FFE) (but cropped), 1/320s, f/4, iso80, EC -1 (20120325_0462_ed1)
    Hit Kbd F11 and click image to see at 1,236px × 1,000px

    It was shot through their window, I had to be careful to exclude the sunlit building behind me from reflecting in the glass, but I still had to clone a little out.

    I'm just not sure I really pulled it off, is there enough obvious subject here to hold your attention?
    Conversely, is it just too 'busy'?
    I'm not sure about the title either, but it seemed appropriate to my warped mind at the time.

    This is a P52 'reject' because it doesn't fit the main theme I have planned for Week 14, hence a separate thread to explore your feelings about it. I was obviously subconciously pleased with it as a capture though, because it was the first one I chose to develop/PP and it's a departure from my normal fayre.

    My thanks for viewing and (hopefully) commenting.

    Cheers,

  2. #2

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    Re: Laid in waiting

    I don't think it looks too busy at all, in fact I quite like the way it repeats. The tables almost form an S curve, even.

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    Daisy Mae's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Hi Dave.

    I really like it's clean calm elegance and the lead through lines. I can imagine time lapse pictures of it during the day as it fills up with people and noise but for now it is poised on the brink of its day and there is a real sense of expectation and pride.

    Contact them and ask how much they will pay you to feature it in their advertising

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    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Quote Originally Posted by blakemcguire View Post
    I don't think it looks too busy at all, in fact I quite like the way it repeats. The tables almost form an S curve, even.
    Thanks Blake,

    Yes they do, don't they.

  5. #5
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Quote Originally Posted by Daisy Mae View Post
    I really like it's clean calm elegance and the lead through lines. I can imagine time lapse pictures of it during the day as it fills up with people and noise but for now it is poised on the brink of its day and there is a real sense of expectation and pride.
    Thanks Sharon, it is quite convenient that standing outside puts your head at the same height it would be if inside sitting at a table inside, plus they have one near the window

    Quote Originally Posted by Daisy Mae View Post
    Contact them and ask how much they will pay you to feature it in their advertising
    Hah, I expect they'd like it more with some customers and staff in, and all the sets of french doors open onto their balcony and showing more of the river (which is just visible through railings outside on the right).

    Cheers,

  6. #6
    dje's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    I think you've pulled it off very well indeed Dave. Are you sure this was shot through a window ?? You would never know just looking at it.

    I like the lighting and the sense of depth in this image.

    Dave

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    Re: Laid in waiting

    You guys expecting anything less from Dave?

    The top most window in the right corner could do with a bit of re-work though. The brightness maybe or the contrast? Not good at this but it does distract me somewhat.

  8. #8

    Re: Laid in waiting

    Beautiful. I love the way the light played through the windows on the glasses, tables and columns, even making it back to the table on the far left. It make for such a clean shot.

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    Re: Laid in waiting

    It is very nice; a posh place for posh people.

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    Re: Laid in waiting

    It makes me feel as if I'm there, waiting to serve the elegant people who will come in the door. Don't know why I picture myself as a server, possibly the pride in the setting? It's a beautiful picture, full of expectation.

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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Hi

    The shot flows really nicely with the arches, light and wine glasses leading you into the restaurant. You would never tell this was taken through a window, it looks like you are sitting at the lead table.

    Well done on a great picture, and nice to see something different but of such a high quality. It looks like a professional has taken it and like something out of a magazine.

    Thanks, Rebecca

  12. #12
    MrB's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Dave,

    After all the comments so far, I hope you won't mind if I mention two points, both of which might come under the category of 'A matter of personal taste'.

    Firstly, the dynamic range of the scene must have been very wide, extending from the bright sunlight reflected by the white tablecloths and napkins to the dark furniture, etc., in the room. I presume you have exposed so as not to blow the highlights (EC -1), so the camera has made the rest of the scene darker. But, with so much sun streaming in, it is reasonable to suggest that the eyes would see the room a little brighter, so for me, lifting the shadows slightly would improve the image. Secondly, as the lighting was provided by the early morning low sun, for me the image would be even better with a slightly warmer white balance.

    Final thoughts - if anyone (particularly anyone inside) saw you taking this shot, I wonder what they would have been thinking of you, with your camera close up to the window?! However, this was indeed a brilliant idea, and it has resulted in a great composition with an amazing depth of field at f4 from the S100's small sensor. It might be described as a busy image, but so what - for me the restaurant is the subject and it is the wealth of shapes and details that makes it so interesting.

    Philip

  13. #13
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Quote Originally Posted by dje View Post
    I think you've pulled it off very well indeed Dave. Are you sure this was shot through a window ?? You would never know just looking at it.

    I like the lighting and the sense of depth in this image.

    Dave
    Hi Dave,

    Yes, I'm sure, although I agree, it has 'scrubbed up' quite well

    I have almost taken this shot before passing the window, but this day, as you recognise, the lighting was just right.

    Cheers,

  14. #14
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Quote Originally Posted by Bobobird View Post
    You guys expecting anything less from Dave?

    The top most window in the right corner could do with a bit of re-work though. The brightness maybe or the contrast? Not good at this but it does distract me somewhat.
    Hi Bobo,

    You're too kind.

    I did give that window a click or two with the burn tool, maybe one more was needed?

    The uncropped shot has absolute proof it was through a window (and not even level )

    Laid in waiting

    Also shows how much I cropped down to get the composition shown with far less of the windows on right and without the barrel distortion around the edges, although CS5 corrected most of that.

    I knew at 24mm, if the camera wasn't level, I'd have problems with perspective, I think you can see I did a pretty good job at that. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen how much reflection of building site there was across that top arch. I tried cloning over it, but it just wasn't good enough, so I had to crop more off the top than intended, which brought the image to a place where it was pointing up a bit and so I did have to perspective correct afterall - in addition to rotating it.

    Thanks,
    Last edited by Dave Humphries; 26th May 2012 at 09:12 AM.

  15. #15
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Quote Originally Posted by Carl in Louisiana View Post
    Beautiful. I love the way the light played through the windows on the glasses, tables and columns, even making it back to the table on the far left. It make for such a clean shot.
    Thanks Carl,

    Quote Originally Posted by arith
    It is very nice; a posh place for posh people.
    That explains why I've never eaten there Steve

    Quote Originally Posted by happy2bme
    It makes me feel as if I'm there, waiting to serve the elegant people who will come in the door. Don't know why I picture myself as a server, possibly the pride in the setting? It's a beautiful picture, full of expectation.
    Yes - the 'expectation' of the laid, but empty, restaurant/hotell dining room is something I have wanted to capture for a while.

    Another one I want to get sometime is that feeling of "hotel breakfast" you get when you're going to work on a weekday (and life for thousands is going on all around), and yet spied through the window are the "hotel breakfast people", lifted from their normal personal humdrum into the 'extra-ordinary' life of hotel life for a day or two. Know what I mean?

    Quote Originally Posted by beckyhumphries
    The shot flows really nicely with the arches, light and wine glasses leading you into the restaurant. You would never tell this was taken through a window, it looks like you are sitting at the lead table.

    Well done on a great picture, and nice to see something different but of such a high quality. It looks like a professional has taken it and like something out of a magazine.
    Thanks, you can see the capture above in Bobo's reply.

    Amazing what can be done with a RAW capable P&S
    (and playing to its strengths)

    I only took the one shot of the scene too.
    I guess I could re-shoot, but feel I'd get little improvement on this, perhaps shot an inch or so higher to get the full foreground place setting would help.

    Thank you all for the comments,
    Last edited by Dave Humphries; 26th May 2012 at 09:14 AM.

  16. #16
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Hi Philip,

    Quote Originally Posted by MrB View Post
    After all the comments so far, I hope you won't mind if I mention two points, both of which might come under the category of 'A matter of personal taste'.
    Not at all

    Quote Originally Posted by MrB View Post
    I presume you have exposed so as not to blow the highlights (EC -1)
    Yep - well actually a balance; the windows blew, but I knew that didn't matter - no sky detail outside I wanted. Additionally, speculars on glasses and some small areas of the table cloth and napkin also blew.

    Quote Originally Posted by MrB View Post
    Firstly, the dynamic range of the scene must have been very wide, extending from the bright sunlight reflected by the white tablecloths and napkins to the dark furniture, etc., in the room.
    Yes, although because shot through the window, it falsely leveled off the lower end of the range of tones somewhat higher than ideal and hiding dark interior details that were in shadow.

    Quote Originally Posted by MrB View Post
    ~ so the camera has made the rest of the scene darker. But, with so much sun streaming in, it is reasonable to suggest that the eyes would see the room a little brighter, so for me, lifting the shadows slightly would improve the image. Secondly, as the lighting was provided by the early morning low sun, for me the image would be even better with a slightly warmer white balance.
    I did try lightening the mid-tones, this was as far as I could go - it began to look rather odd, with no detail below a certain brightness threshold. I hope I stopped in just the right place.

    Quote Originally Posted by MrB View Post
    Secondly, as the lighting was provided by the early morning low sun, for me the image would be even better with a slightly warmer white balance.
    Possibly - in ACR; I did sample on several areas of the image to view different balances before deciding; e.g. sunlit napkin/tablecloth and same in shadow, plus presets, I felt this balance looked best, but as you say, this is verging on personal taste. Looking back at ACR now, I 'Custom' set this (by sampling something we'd expect to be white) at 4550K and +31 tint.

    Thanks for making me go back and re-assess decisions, it has been instructive.

    See also my reply to Bobo above, it has the capture in, which may explain a few more issues I faced.

    Cheers,
    Last edited by Dave Humphries; 26th May 2012 at 09:11 AM.

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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Dave - this I looks to me like the "House on the Bridge".

  18. #18
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    Quote Originally Posted by ChrisH View Post
    Dave - this I looks to me like the "House on the Bridge".
    Yes, I was struggling to remember the name, but I think you're correct

  19. #19
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    Re: Laid in waiting

    We had our wedding reception there 35 years ago next Friday week.

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