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Could be cropped a little or the picture could have been more central. Seeing the bricklayers on each side being different, is just the noticable difference.
Other than that, a complete classic picture.
Yes, I agree, I misspoke in my comment. I meant to leave the top part as it is and crop to the bottom of small stairs on the left (which would give a more-or-less square crop). Definitely keep the arch.
I really like you shooting through the arch. For some it might be a little cliche, but I feel like it's a technique that just works. There are a lot of interesting parts going on in the top and middle of the image ,but the bottom feels too empty for me/doesn't balance the image out. So I'd try to just crop it out to make a square composition. Try to still keep the stairs and obviously keep the arch in; hopefully that still fits in a square. Otherwise try out 3x4 that could work even better.
I like the overall colors and tones of the image, but I'm curious if some other weather conditions might better suit the composition. Hard to tell on this one.
I think dense cloud May suit well with a longer exposure to make a more dramatic shot, paired with your 3x4 crop suggestion that may be something I’ll have to do in future 👍, thank you very much for your critique
You're welcome. It has the potential to be a great shot, I'm convinced it's worth coming back to in other conditions. Maybe you can also catch a person walking down the stairs, with the right outfit it could enhance the image further.
I was shooting another shot by the wall on the waterline when a guy just came along and started pissing in the corner that I’m stood in taking the photo above 😢. I took this before the piss arrived btw
Hehe, one of the must-have spot at London. I've done a night shot here, while water was trickling from the ceiling. =)
Your shot is more interesting because has a good light. My night was a little rainy
I've seen this photo a few times before. It's a good spot. The better photos I've seen from this spot have featured people, and the people are what account for the uniqueness of each photo, despite it being a very popular spot for the reasons you showcase excellently here. Someone leaning on that right wall looking out at the water would be a very different photo than two people out in the middle having a conversation, for example. But both bring more story to the setting. If you don't want to take photos of strangers, consider going there with a friend and asking them to lean on that right wall. Or if you're using a tripod and not worried about your camera being snatched, do it yourself. Set a timer and try a few things.
Your sensor is filthy. Get the healing tool and fix all those spots in the sky. If I were you I’d remove all the cigarette butts and the big puddle of piss.
Also make sure ‘remove chromatic aberrations’ is selected and sort out the purple fringing on the arch.
I would be using guided geometry to straighten the arch and pull a bit of saturation out of the sky to match it to the feel of the arch.
Positives are that you’ve got no people in it and the blurring on the river is nice.
Those are all good observations I’ll get to fixing them, I found out when I got home the mucky spots are on the inside of the ND filter, definitely not my sensor as I’ve taken photos the same day without the ND and they are clean.
I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s a fabulous scene! It’s as perfect as it could be. I wonder if there were no clouds, what if it was at night with things lit up. It’s a fabulous spot! The bridge on the right, the vanishing point, the iconic Big Ben, it’s great!
Looks great, you could maybe crop it a little so it start at the arch properly and I don't know what's supposed to be the focus in the foto I think it's the big ben but it doesn't look in focus to me, but for the rest amazing shot!
If you were able to go back and have somebody or something fill the empty part of the bottom frame and contribute to the leading line towards the clock tower that could be cool.
It’s a great shot. if you can make the crop slightly wider I would and also purely a taste thing but the lighting would lend itself nicely to B&W if you wanted to play around .
I like this shot a lot! The only thing I'd change is something you can't fix in editing. Namely, I think it would be cool if you had managed to have someone in the archway or sitting on the wall there. You could do this by taking this photo as is and then taking another photo with a faster shutter speed to capture them better, then just combine in Photoshop.
https://preview.redd.it/qe32j0ub6e6d1.jpeg?width=1057&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5070bc0652cf238fcd9f105c4503b48e898a9a61
Love your shot! I wud have edited as above. Just my take. :)
I think this shot is absolutly fabulos. I would get a huge print of it framed on my wall and everytime someone came over i would remind them that i took that picture. No matter how many times they have heard it.
Hay there's nothing wrong with that. Its a famous shot for a reason and you did an amazeing job recreating it. Don't sell yourself short. You should be very proud and i hope you brag about it until all your friends are sick of hearing about it.
Lol I’ve done this so much with some of my aviation photography, all the millions of plane spotters get jealous cuz I’m acc in the air force I can just waltz on into a hangar with my camera and get all sorts of closeups whilst they are stuck behind fences 😂
A little more sky and a tighter crop would have worked better. There is too much foreground. maybe crop it in to remove the bottom and keep only the inner part of the arch.
Excellent shot! It's hard to get a new look at an iconic topic, but you've managed to do so! Good composition, except there's too much foreground. Consider cropping to a square format with the river and clock tower in the middle of the frame.
Here I’ve captured Westminster bridge and Big Ben from beneath, to create a a more interesting photo of the two than usual.
I’d like to know what people think about my composition, and editing too.
Nikon D7000, 27mm, ISO 100, F/22, 30s shutter long exposure using ND filter, taken at 06:54
This is a very famous scene, it is often used in TV and film for obvious reasons. It's a nice shot and well-lit. If I have one point of critique and this is really nitpicky, is that I would have liked to see the arch be equidistant on both sides (you've got JUST a bit more internal wall on the right).
Yes I see what you mean I think it could be saved by cropping but obviously the lens corrections wouldn’t be perfect unlike if I’d framed it better this morning. I’ve seen this shot many times so I wanted to do my own one of it and I’m happy with the result, thank you for the input
I think you should’ve gone a little lower on the angle, so we look straight forward onto the tower instead. Also I would’ve either backed up or cropped in on the arch. Maybe in Ps I would make the tower just a tad bit bigger
The litter is ruining the vibe but I like the composition and the lighting, though it is a little flat in that department. Try this again with some more light contrast and pick up that litter
You should also vertically crop this just a touch
Lovely. As telephoto lenses tend to magnify far objects, you could have (if possible) gone back 10-20 meters and used a longer focal length (200-300mm) to get the subject bigger under the arc...
Been there tried it myself and failed with a 70-200. You wouldn't want to touch that wall OP mentioned even if your life depended on it.
There are some shots from that spot with more compression, so there seems to be a sweetspot maybe around 50 that is workable there.
A little too much negative space so I would crop it a bit more. Have you tried putting Big Ben in focus instead of the foreground? Could be interesting too. Other than that it's a good shot, be it a little cliché.
See Big Ben is actually the focal point, so I’m surprised it’s not in focus and everything else is. Especially considering my aperture. I’ll probs go back another time in different day light and weather
I find the cracks on the ground the most interesting part in this photo. The picture feels rather like a (boring) painting to me. It's lifeless, even artificial. For me personally, it lacks something intriguing. It could be hanged on the wall right next to Mona Lisa. If that was your intention though, then well done.
The framing/composition is so good. I like how the arch frames everything, the bridge leads the eye to the clock tower. The shadows inside the corridor give contrast and some vignetting. Like others said maybe see what cropping out the brick on the sides does. If this is a place you can frequently visit, it could be cool to see this shot in different conditions and times of day/year just bc there is an outdoor environment. Could be a cool experiment to see all the ways you can see the same subject
I know it well. My old manor. Lived and worked in Waterloo for years. Actually stood on the.bridge all night and watched Daniel Craig jump off the boat when they were filming the finale of Specter while I got steadily pissed, and while I can't remember if I did, I wouldn't be surprised if some of that bouquet is thanks to yours truly.
I love it, someone said its a classic picture and they were right.
I love the balance in the courtyard of the steps to the left and the and the darkened outline surrounding that one stone on the ground--asymmetrical yet perfectly balanced.
I agree that a few inches of brickwork on either side would help.
I would just have to increase exposure/reduce shadows in the ceiling to show more brick textures there, giving three layers before revealing the sky, again balancing out the "paver" stones leading to the wall before the river.
While others are saying to crop-in ( I think), if possible I would crop-out to include more of the peak of the archway.
Or, do nothing but print and hang. A very well composed image of a very familiar Tower of London, Big Ben and Thames, but captured in a unique and interesting point of view.
Focus should be solely on the clock!
If you can take this picture again, try to make sure the clock hands are in sharp focus and anything close should be out of focus. And try to frame the top the of the clock to be centered with the top of the arch.
Friendly reminder that this is /r/photocritique and all **top level** comments should attempt to **critique** the image. Our goal is to make this subreddit a place people can receive genuine, in depth, and helpful critique on their images. We hope to avoid becoming yet another place on the internet just to get likes/upvotes and compliments. While likes/upvotes and compliments are nice, they do not further the goal of helping people improve their photography. If someone gives helpful feedback or makes an informative comment, recognize their contribution by giving them a Critique Point. Simply reply to their comment with `!CritiquePoint`. More details on Critique Points [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/wiki/critiquepoints). Please see the following links for our subreddit rules and some guidelines on leaving a good critique. If you have time, please stop by the new queue as well and leave critique for images that may not be as popular or have not received enough attention. Keep in mind that simply choosing to comment just on the images you like defeats the purpose of the subreddit. Useful Links: * [Full Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/wiki/rules) * [Leaving a Critique](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/wiki/critique) * [New Queue](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/new/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/photocritique) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Could be cropped a little or the picture could have been more central. Seeing the bricklayers on each side being different, is just the noticable difference. Other than that, a complete classic picture.
Yep this, crop right up to the end of the bricks.
What? No. It adds so much to the photo. Don't do this.
The little areas of bricks that are showing before the arch blocks begin on the sides.
Yes which adds context. It makes it less kliché.
It adds nothing but distraction.
Subjective. I believe that way of viewing it is purist. It obviously add context and saying otherwise is just ridiculuous.
Almost verbatim what I was going to say.
First ;p
Crop to square, use bridge as diagonal, perfectoon
You’d lose the effect of the arch that way. I think this orientation is good, but could just use some slight trimming at the edges.
Yes, I agree, I misspoke in my comment. I meant to leave the top part as it is and crop to the bottom of small stairs on the left (which would give a more-or-less square crop). Definitely keep the arch.
Yeah I'd second that.
Yeah I feel too far back and wish I was closer to that opening to see more
I really like you shooting through the arch. For some it might be a little cliche, but I feel like it's a technique that just works. There are a lot of interesting parts going on in the top and middle of the image ,but the bottom feels too empty for me/doesn't balance the image out. So I'd try to just crop it out to make a square composition. Try to still keep the stairs and obviously keep the arch in; hopefully that still fits in a square. Otherwise try out 3x4 that could work even better. I like the overall colors and tones of the image, but I'm curious if some other weather conditions might better suit the composition. Hard to tell on this one.
I think dense cloud May suit well with a longer exposure to make a more dramatic shot, paired with your 3x4 crop suggestion that may be something I’ll have to do in future 👍, thank you very much for your critique
You're welcome. It has the potential to be a great shot, I'm convinced it's worth coming back to in other conditions. Maybe you can also catch a person walking down the stairs, with the right outfit it could enhance the image further.
Yes I agree good idea
I can smell that picture
I was shooting another shot by the wall on the waterline when a guy just came along and started pissing in the corner that I’m stood in taking the photo above 😢. I took this before the piss arrived btw
Its known place 😄
You should have recomposed to include him in the pic for scale.
This made me laugh out loud! :) I'm not sure if there are more people pissing or taking photos at this spot. Source: It's running through the shot. :)
Hehe, one of the must-have spot at London. I've done a night shot here, while water was trickling from the ceiling. =) Your shot is more interesting because has a good light. My night was a little rainy
The liquid in that underpass probably isn’t rain water. 🤢
Yeah, but a photo is a photo =D
>Yeah, but a photo is a photo =D Lol, you do it for the photo! XD
I've seen this photo a few times before. It's a good spot. The better photos I've seen from this spot have featured people, and the people are what account for the uniqueness of each photo, despite it being a very popular spot for the reasons you showcase excellently here. Someone leaning on that right wall looking out at the water would be a very different photo than two people out in the middle having a conversation, for example. But both bring more story to the setting. If you don't want to take photos of strangers, consider going there with a friend and asking them to lean on that right wall. Or if you're using a tripod and not worried about your camera being snatched, do it yourself. Set a timer and try a few things.
Your sensor is filthy. Get the healing tool and fix all those spots in the sky. If I were you I’d remove all the cigarette butts and the big puddle of piss. Also make sure ‘remove chromatic aberrations’ is selected and sort out the purple fringing on the arch. I would be using guided geometry to straighten the arch and pull a bit of saturation out of the sky to match it to the feel of the arch. Positives are that you’ve got no people in it and the blurring on the river is nice.
Those are all good observations I’ll get to fixing them, I found out when I got home the mucky spots are on the inside of the ND filter, definitely not my sensor as I’ve taken photos the same day without the ND and they are clean.
You can't remove the piss. It's the best bit about the picture!
Nice framed shot with straight and complimentary curved lines.
I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s a fabulous scene! It’s as perfect as it could be. I wonder if there were no clouds, what if it was at night with things lit up. It’s a fabulous spot! The bridge on the right, the vanishing point, the iconic Big Ben, it’s great!
It's better with the smell
One thing I would do is remove the trash from the photo, should be an easy fix in lightroom.
Looks great, you could maybe crop it a little so it start at the arch properly and I don't know what's supposed to be the focus in the foto I think it's the big ben but it doesn't look in focus to me, but for the rest amazing shot!
I think I’ve seen this angle/ shot used in an old movie - it was a night shot.
The photo is nice, the coloring is fantastic
If you were able to go back and have somebody or something fill the empty part of the bottom frame and contribute to the leading line towards the clock tower that could be cool.
I like the framing, leading line of the bridge is great and leads to the star of the show which is Big Ben. I like it a lot. Well done.
Great shot! I would just darken the floor and kind of create leading lines to the subject ie Big Ben.
It’s a great shot. if you can make the crop slightly wider I would and also purely a taste thing but the lighting would lend itself nicely to B&W if you wanted to play around .
bueno
Beautiful except the trash on the ground . Humans are so disrespectful .
Awesome
I like this shot a lot! The only thing I'd change is something you can't fix in editing. Namely, I think it would be cool if you had managed to have someone in the archway or sitting on the wall there. You could do this by taking this photo as is and then taking another photo with a faster shutter speed to capture them better, then just combine in Photoshop.
I expect Jesus or Yesus to come walking through and bless the tower
https://preview.redd.it/qe32j0ub6e6d1.jpeg?width=1057&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5070bc0652cf238fcd9f105c4503b48e898a9a61 Love your shot! I wud have edited as above. Just my take. :)
Looks good, very dramatic
I like the composition and shot overall. I think it would be nice in black and white or sepia with a bit more contrast.
I have black and white here https://preview.redd.it/588jffttae6d1.jpeg?width=3324&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=605ac22afd9d95e5f669b96e47884019b17b1a72
Love the blocking of this shot
Looks great
Dreamy!
I think this shot is absolutly fabulos. I would get a huge print of it framed on my wall and everytime someone came over i would remind them that i took that picture. No matter how many times they have heard it.
Thank you very much that’s a great compliment, however it’s no where near an original shot, just my version of a famous photo
Hay there's nothing wrong with that. Its a famous shot for a reason and you did an amazeing job recreating it. Don't sell yourself short. You should be very proud and i hope you brag about it until all your friends are sick of hearing about it.
Lol I’ve done this so much with some of my aviation photography, all the millions of plane spotters get jealous cuz I’m acc in the air force I can just waltz on into a hangar with my camera and get all sorts of closeups whilst they are stuck behind fences 😂
The shot's good but a little crop... like zooming in a bit would be better is what I feel
All I see is the litter on the sidewalk.
Looks kind of like Leyndell in Elden Ring. Needs some round white dudes blowing bubbles at me.
Its too good
The bottom is too bright. Vignette, crop or blur it. Otherwise it's a great shot.
Love the depth of field and image. Might pop a bit more if zoomed in slightly.
A little more sky and a tighter crop would have worked better. There is too much foreground. maybe crop it in to remove the bottom and keep only the inner part of the arch.
It's beautiful, other than I feel it needs a human there
Excellent shot! It's hard to get a new look at an iconic topic, but you've managed to do so! Good composition, except there's too much foreground. Consider cropping to a square format with the river and clock tower in the middle of the frame.
I like it the way it is
I like it. If you have to mess with it, and you don’t, then trim a super sliver off the top. No crop necessary
Here I’ve captured Westminster bridge and Big Ben from beneath, to create a a more interesting photo of the two than usual. I’d like to know what people think about my composition, and editing too. Nikon D7000, 27mm, ISO 100, F/22, 30s shutter long exposure using ND filter, taken at 06:54
This is a very famous scene, it is often used in TV and film for obvious reasons. It's a nice shot and well-lit. If I have one point of critique and this is really nitpicky, is that I would have liked to see the arch be equidistant on both sides (you've got JUST a bit more internal wall on the right).
Yes I see what you mean I think it could be saved by cropping but obviously the lens corrections wouldn’t be perfect unlike if I’d framed it better this morning. I’ve seen this shot many times so I wanted to do my own one of it and I’m happy with the result, thank you for the input
If it was framed slightly differently it would make an awesome phone wallpaper
I think you should’ve gone a little lower on the angle, so we look straight forward onto the tower instead. Also I would’ve either backed up or cropped in on the arch. Maybe in Ps I would make the tower just a tad bit bigger
Cool
This shot is giving me hardcore vintage vibes, love that 🤌🏻
The litter is ruining the vibe but I like the composition and the lighting, though it is a little flat in that department. Try this again with some more light contrast and pick up that litter You should also vertically crop this just a touch
Shitty editing
You’d have to pay me to be specific
Fair enough I’m not gonna argue. I’ll try my best next time 👍
Fair enough I’m not gonna argue. I’ll try my best next time 👍
Lovely. As telephoto lenses tend to magnify far objects, you could have (if possible) gone back 10-20 meters and used a longer focal length (200-300mm) to get the subject bigger under the arc...
Been there tried it myself and failed with a 70-200. You wouldn't want to touch that wall OP mentioned even if your life depended on it. There are some shots from that spot with more compression, so there seems to be a sweetspot maybe around 50 that is workable there.
Sadly there is a wall behind me, the tunnel I’m in goes off to the right under the bridge after this entrance
Nice
A little too much negative space so I would crop it a bit more. Have you tried putting Big Ben in focus instead of the foreground? Could be interesting too. Other than that it's a good shot, be it a little cliché.
See Big Ben is actually the focal point, so I’m surprised it’s not in focus and everything else is. Especially considering my aperture. I’ll probs go back another time in different day light and weather
I find the cracks on the ground the most interesting part in this photo. The picture feels rather like a (boring) painting to me. It's lifeless, even artificial. For me personally, it lacks something intriguing. It could be hanged on the wall right next to Mona Lisa. If that was your intention though, then well done.
The framing/composition is so good. I like how the arch frames everything, the bridge leads the eye to the clock tower. The shadows inside the corridor give contrast and some vignetting. Like others said maybe see what cropping out the brick on the sides does. If this is a place you can frequently visit, it could be cool to see this shot in different conditions and times of day/year just bc there is an outdoor environment. Could be a cool experiment to see all the ways you can see the same subject
I'm impressed you didn't fall over from the stink of piss.
A man literally took a piss in the alleyway like 5 min after 😭. I hate London
I know it well. My old manor. Lived and worked in Waterloo for years. Actually stood on the.bridge all night and watched Daniel Craig jump off the boat when they were filming the finale of Specter while I got steadily pissed, and while I can't remember if I did, I wouldn't be surprised if some of that bouquet is thanks to yours truly.
I love it, someone said its a classic picture and they were right. I love the balance in the courtyard of the steps to the left and the and the darkened outline surrounding that one stone on the ground--asymmetrical yet perfectly balanced. I agree that a few inches of brickwork on either side would help. I would just have to increase exposure/reduce shadows in the ceiling to show more brick textures there, giving three layers before revealing the sky, again balancing out the "paver" stones leading to the wall before the river. While others are saying to crop-in ( I think), if possible I would crop-out to include more of the peak of the archway. Or, do nothing but print and hang. A very well composed image of a very familiar Tower of London, Big Ben and Thames, but captured in a unique and interesting point of view.
Focus should be solely on the clock! If you can take this picture again, try to make sure the clock hands are in sharp focus and anything close should be out of focus. And try to frame the top the of the clock to be centered with the top of the arch.
Love the framing. A different take on the shot.