Sunset in Piazza San Marco

[Cheryl Slechta]

I was leaving Piazza San Marco one early evening as the sun was setting and I took this shot from inside one of the arches. I converted in Nik SEP and used a Coffee filter for tinting at a reduced amount. I'm still only half way through with my images from my last trip and I'm planning on going to NYC May 21 so I'm scrambling to get them done. I'm hoping I come home with lots of shots from the city.:S3:

[Dennis Bishop]

Good eye! This is a great combination of framing and added interest because of both the lack of symmetry and the differences in lighting. The offset in heights of the columns gives very effective visual tension. The image is appealing as a whole and in terms of the details on the two columns. I like the coffee tint, too. Very nicely done.

[Diane Miller]

Very nice! I love the atmospheric perspective here!

But I see a noticeable curvature, especially in the column on the right. Did you do a lens correction on this before it was sent to PS? (If you do it in LR/ACR it will apply correctly to the image as a whole even if you have a crop in place, as it is non-destructive. If you do it in PS after a crop it will not be correct.)

[Dennis Bishop]

Those columns are intriguing because of their similarities and, yet, some striking differences. I read that curvature as part of an arch connecting the two.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Diane, I went back and looked at the original. I knew I had cropped the image from the bottom to eliminate people and to highlight the framing of the distant building. I did a basic lens profile correction in LR (I always do it there) but from what I've read since I got the Olympus 4/3 the lens correction is built into their software - there isn't a lens to choose from in LR. I always click on Auto Lens Correction but it doesn't change the image. If there is a clear distortion I will go to Manual and tweak it there. On this image I believe the one structure on the right is an archway. I would have been inclined to leave the curve anyway because I find the line pleasing for the composition. With old structures I tend to leave them alone - not all are "true to the world" and I don't try to make them all straight. I'm not talking about lens distortion but the natural process of aging (and gravity).
I'm not very scientifically hard-wired so if you have any thoughts on mirrorless four thirds profiles let me know. I've followed numerous threads online since I got the Olympus but they all say the same thing about the profiles being built into the RAW image.

[Diane Miller]

Yes, old structures are always a bit wonky -- part of their charm!

I haven't followed the 4/3 world at all, but I'd wonder whether their lens profiles are built into the raw images or just in-camera JPEGs. I'd be delighted to hear they do affect the raw image! So much in-camera stuff is limited to JPEGs, and you can't always find that info.

The Manual (and other) lens corrections in LR are wonderful and should cover just about any issue, if needed.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Diane, they are built into their RAW files. And I love LR:S3:

[Diane Miller]

OK -- wonderful!! Cameras are getting quite amazing.

[Nancy Bell]

This mood feels perfectly ancient, gritty and European! Really like the framing by the different style columns and the quite hazy view of the elaborate shaped building in contrast. Lots of subtle details and shapes to draw in the eye.

[Mitch Carucci]

A great composition, and the toneality gives this image a classic feel.

[Wendy Kates]

I love the composition, and the evocative mood that the image creates.