Friday, May 20, 2011

Reviewing the rejects

click photo to enlarge
Every now and then I look through my folders of RAW files and give further consideration to those photographs that didn't make it into the blog the first time around. About 85% of the shots that I post come from a first selection. However, the remaining 15% are images that for some reason or other I rejected on the first pass, but which with hindsight seem to make the grade. Very occasionally an overlooked photograph makes me think, "Why on earth didn't I post that one!" That's the case with today's, an image I took a year ago at St Mary's Place in Stamford, Lincolnshire.

My preferred method of selection involves choosing an image for posting, preparing it, then living with for a few days to see if my initial favourable impression is retained when I've looked at it many times. Usually my first judgement is confirmed, though sometimes I decide that I was wrong, the shot doesn't pass the test, and it is rejected. But, occasionally when I'm shooting a lot I post several from my haul and before I've exhausted all the "keepers" I've moved on to the next batch that I've shot. I think that was the case with this image: I moved on to newer photographs and this one got overlooked and left behind.

I like this photograph for the composition, the raking light that gives a sharp edge to the eighteenth century architecture, the deep shadows, the turbulent sky, and the three shoppers turning the corner that give the picture scale. It looks pretty good in colour with its honey-coloured stone and the greys, whites and blues in the sky, and that prompted my usual anguish about which version to post. However, the black and white shot seemed to have greater impact so that's the one I'm showing

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 5.1mm (24mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f5 Shutter Speed: 1/1000
ISO: 80
Exposure Compensation: -0.66 EV
Image Stabilisation: On