Critique Welcomed Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas

[Rense Haveman]

... or how to give names which cannot be remembered....

Galway, 2014. My first attempt to HDR, I would like to know what you think. Overdone? Not good enough? All things you can come up with!


Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas by Rense Haveman, on Flickr

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I'm not sure, Rense, in comparison to your other images. Those people who like HDR might get more out of it than me. But to me, the stained glass looks added in from another photo. And I'm detecting a strange experience just looking at it, as if the whole image, every area of it, is vying for my attention at the same time. So, it makes me a little uncomfortable. But, on the positive side, I can imagine many people liking it.

Well, you did ask!

 

[Rense Haveman]

Thanks a lot, Rob! Probably a lack of focusing point...? Nothing special to see? And I see what you mean with the glasses!
Got several from the same church without HDR. Will look if they are better!

 

[Martin Carlin]

I will start of by saying Im not a lover of HDR, I think you have done quite a good Job with the HDR process Rense its not too in your face. The image does seem to Lack a POI and agree with Rob on the window areas they lack shadow and contrast. Looks a lovely church. Your HDR processing is good and not overly done which is a good thing.

 

[John Holland]

I agree with Martin on the HDR processing. I like HDR processed image only if they have a natural look to it; this image falls into that category. I see Rob's point on the stain glass windows, that might be fixed with a bit of masking from one of the darker exposures.

 

[John Allen]

I saw this yesterday, but wanted to think about it before commenting. The hdr looks fine, to my eyes, although I agree about the windows. However, if you look at the larger image on flicker, a lot of the problem with the windows is CA. You could fix the chromatic aberration in Lightroom and, while you were at it, you might see if you can get rid of some of the distortion that is most evident by the lean in the columns closest to the camera. One last thought, I wonder if a more interesting POI might have been achieved if a lower pov might have helped.

Despite everything I've said, this is still a good picture of an interesting, but obviously difficult subject.

 

[Rense Haveman]

Thanks a lot John! I can fix some of those things, but the lower PoV is not retrospectively repairable...
You might have seen the non-HDR version which was taken closer to the end of hall? In the end I think that is a better shot!

 

[Rense Haveman]

This one:


Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas by Rense Haveman, on Flickr

 

[Rense Haveman]

Martin, John, thank you both for your comments!

 

[Pete Askew]

On the edge for me, Rense, but then I'm not keen on HDR, it steals the atmosphere.

 

[Rense Haveman]

On the edge for me, Rense, but then I'm not keen on HDR, it steals the atmosphere.

I think that is exactly what I dislike, but I've never expressed it in such words. It steals the atmosphere....

 

[Ivar Dahl-Larsen]

Steals atmosphere is an elegant way of saying it, when it is appropriate. Now HDR came about in order to blend it in a natural way so as to not blow out the high lights and to not darken the dark too much and to keep the midtones right. As you all know HDR is a great tool done right. Few do just that and many overdo it, therefore many also dislike it. So do I, because I am not good at handling it right just yet. But Rense you are, I must say, on the right track so please go on. Practising makes good as they all say. In your first one, it is a little too light on my monitor. ( Now that is a problem we all have sharing images on the net. Our monitors ). The last one is much better on my monitor, but could still be a little darker in the lighter parts. All this as I know you know, can easily be done here. I keep in mind your other images from a church recently, which were quite a bit better than these two here. I personally appreciate your way of questioning us here, and we should probably seek guidance in the lot here more often, when we are in doubt.