Staircase

[Manfred M]

I just loved the abstract patterns that I could find in the staircases at the visitor's centre at the Santory Hakushu Distillery. It is located in the beautiful Southern Alps region of Japan.

[Mike Buckley]

Nice use of the negative vignette. I wouldn't have thought of applying it to this scene but it works well.

[John 2]

Nice composition Manfred. I like architectural shapes when they work and this one does. Any more detail in the lamp highlight in the RAW version?

[Manfred M]

Nice composition Manfred. I like architectural shapes when they work and this one does. Any more detail in the lamp highlight in the RAW version?

There are some very small areas that have been blown out in the raw file. I blew things out a bit more in post so I got the light patterns from the fixture so show up the way they do. I guess I could go back and play with it some more and restore the light fixture's details some more.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[Wandjina]

Another wonderful photo, Manfred ... the area around that light does seem to be "blown out."
... and maybe I would like to have seen someone (lady in a long red dress) leaning against the left hand handrail just below where that lintel meets the wall. It's just a thought

[bnnrcn]

Hi Manfred I like the image and I really need the lightbox to appreciate it fully

[IzzieK]

Well...a first for me -- that this image is more nicer than the flickr 's small one...I didn't log on so I cannot see a bigger view...but I am wondering, why is it that the light by the side of the stairs have patterns like that? Is it a design or something?

[Manfred M]

Well...a first for me -- that this image is more nicer than the flickr 's small one...I didn't log on so I cannot see a bigger view...but I am wondering, why is it that the light by the side of the stairs have patterns like that? Is it a design or something?

The light fixture had concentric horizontal rings on it, so the gaps in where the light came out of the fixture created this star effect. I purposely blew out the light around the top fixture to create the bring spot, you can clearly see them in the two fixtures at the bottom right.

[DigitalScape]

I think this image would look very nice as a B&W image.

[Manfred M]

I think this image would look very nice as a B&W image.

Probably, but I generally think long and hard before going to B&W. I don't like throwing away all that colour data unless there is a solid compositional reason for doing so. An image that is already quite monochromatic usually loses more than it gains.

I tend to make the B&W versus colour call at the time I take the shot, and virtually never change my mind later. Most of my B&W conversions are done for two reasons; (1) Simplify the image (i.e. the scene is too busy in colour) or (2) I want to give the shot more of a "period look".

Regardless, here is a B&W conversion and still like the colour version better. I have no issues with B&W as that is all I shot when I first got into serious photography and frankly my experience there means I can visualize how a shot would look in B&W, before I take it.