Winchester Cathedral

Don't be afraid, they are great.

The best way to learn is to judge ourselves by others and take on board their comments and constructive criticism. My only comment is on 2 and 3, the shadows need some detail bringing back, you should learn how to do this and your images will improve!

Regards
David

You should never be afraid of posting here: most of us are only amateurs trying our best to get better.
As you specifically asked, I took the liberty of correcting the converging verticals in the west front shot. Often this effect works well, adding drama, but if you're after an architectural record, it's better, in my opinion, to straighten things up a little.

As David and Andrew have already said - never be afraid of posting images here. You are unlikely to receive criticism in the true sense. You are much more likely to receive appreciation for sharing your images and some helpful tips and advice. One thing never to lose sight of is that often we will only be expressing personal preferences which may differ to yours - and to the opinions of others leaving comments - and even this can be useful.

As an example - Andrew has shown you how different the second shot could look with the converging verticals corrected. For me - I prefer your version of the shot with the converging verticals - it looks more dramatic to me.

I like the first shot but personally I would have taken it from in front of the drainpipe which I find a bit distracting - or I would crop it out or clone it out. Again - just personal preference.

Keep sharing, it's good for you

Carl

If a realistic view is desired, then verticals need correcting with careful judgement. Making all vertical lines vertical does not necessarily work, and it does not work here, as it is dependent on the viewpoint from which the image was captured. The corrected version has the effect of making the top look too wide.

Our perception is honed by experience to expect objects further away to appear smaller than those nearer - this is perspective. So, if we are at ground level looking up at a tall building, perception expects the top to look smaller. This effect decreases as we move away from the structure, because our distance from the top becomes more similar to our distance from the bottom.




In this view of the cathedral, the difference in top/bottom viewing distances will still have a noticeable effect on perception from the position of the photographer. Therefore, even though the perspective needs correction in the image as shot, there should still be a slight conversion of the verticals for this photo to look right.

Cheers.
Philip