Classic Car

I took this at a car show recently - this was a beautiful classic car that was in mint condition. I used On One Glow in LR and then Topaz Adjust Low Key to darken it a bit.:S3:

Lovely! But a bit empty in the LL. Cropping from the L would fix that and get the headlight out of the center. The engine detail in the UL is nice but not enough to justify the empty space below it and the centering of the light.

Thanks for commenting, Diane. I'm kind of fond of the pipes in the UL:S3: I'm sure more people will share your view but there are times when I don't mind having something centered. I also agree with your take on the emptiness in the LL. Here's a repost with a little off of the left (enough to save the pipe:S3:)

Better -- even adding a subtle gradient in the LL would help. I assume there is no more on the right to include, to move the headlight further. This would have been one to shoot from a little more to the right, to get the light more off center and still include the pipes.

I agree that centering an object is not always bad. I often would choose crops for bird images here that place the bird more in the center. But here the heaviness of the grill weights the image on the right side with not enough to balance it on the left, for me.

I'm being picky, though, because it is a striking image. I really like the high-key treatment.

Would love to see the whole car...Like the image, prefer leaving the pipes in (its a guy thing), like the shsrpness

It's a tough call on the cropping. I like them both. The headlight really didn't strike me as centered -- possibly because my eye goes to the front of it, which is very nicely placed in the frame.

I like the primary diagonal produced by the lines on the hood, the shadows, the chrome strip around the engine opening, and the light. It's nicely opposed by the secondary diagonals associated with the front of the car. The color/glow is wonderful.