Help with this image, please

tkamiya · Oct 27, 2012

I need some ideas.

I have the attached image that I have been trying to print for about a year now. The impression I'm trying to convey is HOT and busy tourist area bustling with tourists going in and out constantly.

I've tried straight print. That wasn't it.
I've tried blue toning. That wasn't it.
I've tried tried selenium tone then polysulfide. That wasn't it.
I thought about creative manipulation. I couldn't come up with anything.
I tried hand coloring water and sky. Didn't work.
I tried solarizing it (digitally that is) and I liked it but I want an analog and more conventional print

What would you guys do?

I have something in my head but I just can't get it out.

(yes, this neg is scratched but I can fix that)

tkamiya · Oct 27, 2012

Here's the image

MattKing · Oct 27, 2012

Print the sky and sea much darker.

Print the rest lighter.

I'm thinking it will be a little bit like the Sabattier effect.

Mainecoonmaniac · Oct 28, 2012

What feeling or idea you're trying to convey?

Kevin Kehler · Oct 28, 2012

You need some drama - I think Matt has it, spend some time on the clouds and sea, leaving the foam/surf lighter but the rest darker.

hoffy · Oct 28, 2012

I think its fine as it is.

tkamiya · Oct 28, 2012

I will have to try that out, thank you all. I just simulated that and it looks promising. My print actually did have some of that already incorporated but I think more of that will be helpful. Further darkening sky and sea, then lightening the foreground will bring focus into the right area. Also the mood will be more inline with what I had in mind. (Yes, I scan negs and use photoshop to visualize the change. It's a useful tool)

Worker 11811 · Oct 28, 2012

I think contrast would convey the feeling of "hot."

Try bumping the contrast up a little bit higher than you normally would.

Also, I agree about the clouds.

wilfbiffherb · Oct 28, 2012

try lith printing it with a little burn on the sky

Diapositivo · Oct 28, 2012

I think this image will never give the impression being hot because it was taken in shade. You need sharp shadows if you want to convey the sensation of hot. Raising contrast would not work IMHO. Actually the contrast is IMO already too high (both burned* highlights and blocked shadows in a low subject brightness range scene).

I would print it without burning - blocking, keeping sand details under the people feet and bush - rock- palm detail on the right.

* "burned" as in "clipped"

eddie · Oct 28, 2012

I don't think you can convey "HOT" with an overcast sky, either. I would try cropping out the sky entirely, making it square.

Mainecoonmaniac · Oct 28, 2012

Start by using some cropping Ls and crop some parts out. It's possible that there's too much going on and you need to edit the photo. The lower part seems too busy and the top part is much more scenic. Less is more.

cliveh · Oct 28, 2012

What I would do is crop the sky out completely, making it an almost square print and then print with slightly more contrast.

tkamiya · Oct 28, 2012

I will have to try this square thing. I just simulated it and it looks good.

eddie · Oct 28, 2012

Please post it after it's done. I think square is the way to go. If you want to add some color, put some verona brown in the sand, and some sepia in the steps. It would make the people "pop" more.

tkamiya · Oct 28, 2012

Sadly, I'm out of paper that I like and the vendor is out of stock....

summicron1 · Oct 28, 2012

maybe it's just me, but after a while, if the image is not what I want, i quit fiddling with it and just go shoot something else. For what you are seeking, I think that is your best option. Try a hot beach on a hot bright sunny day ...

lxdude · Oct 28, 2012

cliveh said:
What I would do is crop the sky out completely, making it an almost square print and then print with slightly more contrast.

That's what I was thinking.
With the clouds there you can't just portray "hot". You have to portray "hot and humid". If you want to do that, you would not want high contrast- I think more of a high key effect would work, with the clouds just held.

tkamiya · Oct 28, 2012

summicron1 said:
maybe it's just me, but after a while, if the image is not what I want, i quit fiddling with it and just go shoot something else. For what you are seeking, I think that is your best option. Try a hot beach on a hot bright sunny day ...

That's another option. But I believe there is a potential, quite a bit of it, in this image. I can almost see it, except it's still stuck in back of my head behind all the clutter. All I'm trying to do is to find out what I am seeing and not seeing, and put that on paper. I got good advise here. Darken the sky and lighten the foreground. Also leave the sky out. I'm going to experiment with this.

By the way, this image was taken in Mexico and I live in Florida. I'd love to go back there and reshoot. But I can't. Also, this is part of a series (a personal project) I am working on. Not just any beach will do.

tkamiya · Oct 28, 2012

As far as the contrast is concerned....

What you are looking at is a neg scan. Actual darkroom print with #2 filter looks just right for contrast. Once I am done, I'll scan the print and post it here.

Oh, I just wish there isn't that darn scratch on neg....

whlogan · Oct 28, 2012

Don't mean to be mean but consider this: Ditch it. Come back to it at a later time and it will have a different look to you. This has worked ffor me on some of my troublesome shots. Often when I come I don't see what I thought I saw the first time out and I saved a lot of paper that way. Please, no offense intended.
Logan

Kevin Caulfield · Oct 28, 2012

I still think it has great potential. Burn in sky, increase contrast a touch, and lith print. You'll get the mood right, and the lith will give you the warmer colours you seek.

tkamiya · Oct 28, 2012

I'm not ready to quit on this image just yet. I know there is something in there that needs to come out.....

Poisson Du Jour · Oct 28, 2012

Here's a start: re-shape it and cut out the waste:

tkamiya · Nov 25, 2012

Interesting....

Working on this image, boosting the contrast of the foreground area much higher than what I thought would be appropriate is helping the image a great deal. Right now, I'm up to #3 1/2. Burned in the water and sky with #2.

Help with this image, please

tkamiya

tkamiya

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MattKing

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eddie

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summicron1

lxdude

tkamiya

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Kevin Caulfield

tkamiya

Poisson Du Jour

tkamiya

Help with this image, please

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