Critique Wanted Help wanted!

P.H

Regular
Location
Derby, UK
As title.
St Pancras train station has a fantastic roof and a sculpture of John Betjeman looking up at it. Should make a good photo. Despite several attempts over the last year I just can't get it. It's somewhere I often end up with an hour to kill, so suggestions on what to try next time would be appreciated, either composition or processing. My best attempt so far, feel free to suggest what's wrong with it;

 
PH, there is not much wrong with this from a composition point of view. Personally I would crop about 5% off the bottom, and about the same off the left hand side. Above all, though, I would render it in monochrome. I wouldn't do it without permission, but if it would help I can download a copy and tweak it to show you what I mean?
 
This shot does cry out for a mono processing. I also would like more context....more of the roof AND more of the ground. I would do a 2 shot vertorama. This is a good starting point though, for sure.
 
PH, there is not much wrong with this from a composition point of view. Personally I would crop about 5% off the bottom, and about the same off the left hand side. Above all, though, I would render it in monochrome. I wouldn't do it without permission, but if it would help I can download a copy and tweak it to show you what I mean?

That'd be great, please do.
 
Okayyy... this is EXTREMELY quick'n'dirty, but hopefully illustrates what I mean. I have desaturated, then played about with boosting contrast across the piece slightly with levels before dodging and burning to accentuate the structure and the light on JB's face. Oh, and it is a slightly tighter crop. Hope this helps!!

St Pancras Betjeman.jpg
 
Okayyy... this is EXTREMELY quick'n'dirty, but hopefully illustrates what I mean. I have desaturated, then played about with boosting contrast across the piece slightly with levels before dodging and burning to accentuate the structure and the light on JB's face. Oh, and it is a slightly tighter crop. Hope this helps!!

View attachment 2497

Thanks. I'm going to have to learn some of this stuff! The crop improves it and I like how you've done the B&W. Though the way I see the station is light and airy and I'm not sure B&W shows that.
 
You incredible dudes, this is exactly the sort of thing I had in mind for the game for February - https://www.photographerslounge.org/f88/new-game-february-5960/

As for the image I'm seeing a crop as well - there's a suggestion of where it should be along the top of the orange gates. I haven't tried it but would be great if the proportion brought the left crop in a little tighter but leaving it clear of the whole figure.

I might have a play with it tomorrow if i get a chance. It would be interesting to see what Silver Efex would do to it, if anybody who has it fancied a go.
 
Realizing this is all subjective; when I cropped I only trimmed the top and bottom, I like the space on the left, I think it helps with the balance of the composition
 
I prefer the photo in color. My preference would also be to step back a little bit more while maintaining the low angle, which will make the statue seem a little bit smaller relative to the station, and thereby make the station look even more grandiose.
 
A really big thank you to all who've contributed, especially those who've taken the time to edit it. There's plenty here for me to think about, I need to get to grips with the editing software I have, but I knew that already. I'm still not sure about the composition, that's for the next time I have an hour to kill between trains.
I like both the B&W versions, such a different feel to each, Luckypenguin's shows the roof off well. Yet neither of them would be the photo I had in my head when I pointed the camera. Landshark's gets pretty close to that, maybe pulled back a bit as Djarum suggested, that's something I can have a play with myself.
If anyone else would like a go, please do, one of the interesting things for me is how different the same image can look.
Again, big thanks.
 
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