Bangkok skyline straight from camera
I got lucky when I stayed in Bangkok a few years ago. I stayed at the Grand China Princess in Chinatown. Due to overbooking, they gave me a penthouse suite for the price of a single room. I had a balcony that overlooked the Bangkok skyline. The view was spectacular.
This shot is looking down at the Chao Praya River that divides the city. For some reason, I’ve never worked on this photo. Today, I did. I decided to diffuse the entire photo. . I like to try different looks, just to keep from getting in a rut. When I diffused the photo, I also desaturated the colors.
Bangkok Skyline softened and desaturated
You can get this diffused look using a pale gray to transparent gradient until you are happy with the results.
I liked the pale look, but couldn’t resist bringing back the colors a bit. I think it looks like something that could hang in a California style room. All whites and pale colors.
I added to the canvas size by using the crop tool. It’s easier. Just drag the crop tool beyond the edges of your photo. It will fill in with the background color swatch.
I have friends who never hang their photos in their homes. But I do. I think that black and white photos, even portraits of strangers, look good in any room. I have many b/w in my home. My hallway wall is covered with them and I enjoy looking at them as I pass by. Colored photos are harder it seems to me. I have lots of them on display in my ‘workroom’ or electronic darkroom or whatever you want to call it. And I have some very large photos of flowers (my magnolias that I’ve posted here on my blog and some lotus blossoms that I shot in a market in India) hanging with my black and whites just to spice things up a bit. With this technique of softening and desaturating strong colors, colored photographs can blend and harmonize with your decor much as a painting would.
Here’s the website for the Grand China Princess just in case you are going to Bangkok.
http://www.grandchina.com/photo-gallery