Lady Liberty Revisited

This Tuesday, I went to Honor’s Night (members present their printed photos to be judged) at Bay Area Photo Club.  I did not present anything—mainly because I did not expect to be going because of Cole’s baseball games which none were scheduled due to spring break—however, I like to see what others are doing and I try to learn from what I see.

Bill Baker presented a black and white image of a castle in Spain.  The judges said that the print would be more successful if it had an established black and white point and more contrast.  I agreed with this assessment but still felt that it needed something else.  To me the castle need to separate from the sky.  But how?

I believe that the eye is naturally drawn to details within a photograph.  So, today I present two prints of Lady Liberty—one, as shot and the other and a second with added clarity, sharpness and contrast within the statue.  Does the second photo make Lady Liberty more significant?

Enjoy. 

Camera settings:  Nikon D3, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5~5.6 at 300mm, ISO 200, f/11 and with shutter speeds 1/500^th of second.

Post Processing:  

Lightroom 4—set white and black points, added clarity and vibrance to second photo.