Critique of Picture, Please

[ufauxreal]

A good friend will be retiring from the ministry in a few weeks. I have taken a picture of his church, tweaked it with the 'sketch' technique, and plan to print & frame it as a gift to him. I would love for you to critique it before I take it to the lab to be printed. Is it too dark, light, too sketchy... not sketchy enough. Is it straight. Anything else?

Also, I hope to get it printed on some 'arty' paper... anyone have any suggestions as to what would look good?

Here's the picture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/beadnik/ChurchforWeb.jpg

Thanks so much!

Joan

[Tina_B]

Joan
I think it looks great as you have it. What a wonderful and thoughtful gift.
Tina_B

[kayser]

I think I remember you posting about doing this (or else someone else had the same idea!) It looks great! You might consider cloning out that stop sign.

He's going to LOVE it!

[mom to 4]

Beautiful!!! That would make some lovely note cards!!!!! VERY NICE!

[Cmcburnett]

Joan, I love the picture. You did a great job. As far as what photo paper to use I'm sure someone will be along shortly to help you out on that question. There are several threads on the forum regarding what types of paper to use with different photos and printers. So hopefully someone will respond shortly.

[jojo99]

Joan, I think the picture is great and will be a beautiful gift :)
I hadn't actually noticed the stop sign until Kay mentioned it but it would certainly be improved by it's removal.
Well done!
Jo-Jo

[Maria]

Hi Joan,

I think the photo is really great. The effects are just fine the way they are. Like Kay, I was going to suggest removing the stop sign; however, instead of cloning it out, I think I would crop the right side of your photo just enough to leave out the sign. By doing that, I think it might frame the subject of the photo even more.

Really nice work!

Maria

[nolanc]

Its great!:D I like the effect very much,
The only thing that jumped out at me is it need some clouds, perhaps a sky replacement? What do you think?
And its a great gift idea:D

[JulieM]

I really like the sketch a lot and think the recipient will love it! I cropped out the stop sign as Maria suggested and straightened it a bit. And gave it a bit of a perspective tweak. Also couldn't resist applying the Orton effect. Not sure it helps but here it is...

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1Uo4SgigBmRBwrlE3wOsJwHP8eWsP0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1Uo4SgigBmRBwrlE3wOsJwHP8eWsP0)

[kimi_boo]

I thought crop also. :)

Bump up your saturation and your contrast a hair. I think you will like the effect.

[Edmund]

Joan, Great image. IMHO- If I were to give something like ths image for a gift I would get around 20 or so different variations of the picture. You didn't tell us what camera you were using and what lens you have available to use. I definitely would get a wide angle shot of that church(get closer) which would isolate the main subject from the trees in front and the building on the left side of the church and of course the stop sign. Depending on the direction of the light I would use a polarizer and really jazz up the sky. Maybe a sunrise /early light or the light at around sunset would be more dramatic, soft and appealing. There doesn't appear to be much contrast in the original and by taking the picture with better light you will increase this quite a bit. These are only suggestions but digital film is free.
Best of luck on your project,
Eddie

[ufauxreal]

Thanks so much for all your comments... they are all very helpful. I tried playing with the saturation and lighting a bit and came up with this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/beadnik/ChurchARevforWeb.jpg . Better?

You would not believe what all I have already cloned out. There was a big dumpster sitting in the driveway by the white house on the left side. There were almost a dozen electric wires in the sky. On the right, where the church ends, there is a white house... I just planted some foliage to hide it. I selectively darkened the sidewalks in a few places.

I am undecided about the stop sign. This is an urban church, and I feel the stop sign sort of reflects that. I have some shots of the church from different angles, that do not include the trees, but I really like the way the trees frame the picture.

Joan

[kayser]

Joan- I went back and forth about cropping, but I thought the trees might be part of his "memory" of the church. That's so funny about how much you cropped out, and here we are telling you to worry about a measly stop sign. :) It really does look nice, and he'll love it!

[Shari]

Joan, I love your idea of the gift. When I first saw the sketch I thought it was great but needed a touch of straightening. Julie did that and to me it makes a difference. You should leave the stop sign in because probably most of you stop at that stop sign each time you go to church and it is just part of the setting. I think a simple black frame with cream matte would look great. Have you checked Ikea? They have a frame that just fits having an image enlarged to tabloid size. But please check out any sizing before you order just to be sure.
Shari

[ufauxreal]

I think a simple black frame with cream matte would look great. Have you checked Ikea? They have a frame that just fits having an image enlarged to tabloid size.
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I keep forgetting about Ikea... not sure how I can because that huge blue and yellow sign hits me everytime I get on the interstate! What is 'tabloid size'?

I just sent the image off to be printed in 4X6, just to see how it will look, and to take with me to the photolab to have the enlargement done. All this is very new to me, but it's fun!

Joan

[Wendy]

Hi Joan ...

I think that you have done a great job on the photo and I am sure that everyone will love it :)

Wendy

[kroberts]

Joan,

You've created a wonderful gift!:)

[Maria]

Hi Joan,

I like the final product! Since you bumped up the saturation and contrast and added the blue sky, I really don't notice the stop sign as much.

Really nice! When my mom moved from her home of 20 years, a friend gave her a hand sketch of the front of my mom's house. The techniques you have used in your photo look very much the same. My mother has cherished that picture all these years and it always brings back great memories for her. I'm sure your gift will do the same for your friend.

Maria

[Shari]

Hi Joan,
The size frame I use has an opening for the photo of 11 1/2 x 15 1/4. I think the frame is $12.99 with white/cream matte. I Think document size of printing is 11 x 17. If you get the photo size at Ikea for 8 1/2 x 11 you have to get a small 1/4" matte to make the printed photo fit. If you just go to a laser digital output store you can have the prints done for $1.00 - $2.00 and just try and see what effect you like. I also like the Ikea frame with a 5 x 5" opening and for those I just print my own on a large sheet of photo paper. Whatever you end up with I am sure it will be lovely and much appreciated.
Shari

[Johnny the Hat]

Great shot. I dont think I need to mentionthe stop sign but I would get rid of it.

[ufauxreal]

It's done! Thanks so much to all of you for your help! I'm pleased with the way it came out. In the end, I decided to put it in a square frame.... so the stop sign is gone! Here's a picture of it in it's frame:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/beadnik/ChurchFramed.jpg
The actual picture doesn't look as washed out...

This is the a shot of the actual picture... I re-did it because, while the saturated image was good from a photographic point of view, it darkened the look of the church too much. This one is much more representative of how the church actually looks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/beadnik/NewChurchB8X8Web.jpg

Joan

[jojo99]

Joan, the finished picture looks terrific :)
I'm sure it will be a much loved and treasured gift.
Well done!
Jo-Jo

[cats4jan]

What a beautiful gift - the square frame worked perfectly.