Welcome to the Baron hotel Photo

Photographer’s Note

When Syria was still a French colony, and Orient Express had its last stop in Aleppo, the city flourished and welcomed visitors from Europe and America. There is still post-colonial architecture to be seen there, one example being the famous Baron hotel, where all those who really counted and those who wanted to be seen with them stayed...T.E.Lawrence (the famous Lawrence of Arabia), Agatha Christie, president Roosevelt, and a whole bunch of travellers and adventurers. Baron is still in use, though its state has a lot to be wished for, it still has its price...which is why backpackers like us only came to take a look and take this one shot:-)But there are those who pay the money to sleep in Lawrence's bed...

I played with PP here as you can see, it's the first time i used "clarify" option which gave this strong contrast, do you think it's too much? Plus sepia tones of course.
There's also one thing I did...Hania, can you guess?:-)

Paolo, mark88, designsoul, egylove, ballyna, Philippe, TheG1, Silke has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Paolo (40627) 2006-01-20 4:52

What a GREAT shot Aleksandra!
fantastic view, light, sepia tones, composition...it's really and old image or a part of an old movie of the 20's!!!
fantastic shot!
thanks, ciao

bantonbuju (48334) 2006-01-20 5:11

hi ola, "clarify" os just right but i find the option generating best results when working with fc images, reducing the tones down to a minimum, or actually making the image looking nearly monochromatic (in extreme cases); for monochromatic images the impact of that function is obviously less visible;
and i like the stright composition on this image;
pozdr. j.

Svillegas (1165) 2006-01-20 5:11

Hi Aleksandra
Really nice shot, great composition, very nice light and good use of the DOF with a lot of deepnes sensation.
Sonia

mark88 (5854) 2006-01-20 7:24

Doskonała sepia i super kadr.
Szachownica na podłodze jest niesamowita, teraz juz takich sie nie widuje.
Bardzo ładne wykonanie.
Pozdrawiam, Marek.

caresp (763) 2006-01-20 7:56

hi,Alexandra
i'm still dreaming to go to Alep ad buy my soap...
This is an exellent shot, very interesting geometrical composition, + nice old sepia effect.
Bravo jacques

designsoul (21394) 2006-01-20 8:20

Aleksandra, your treatment and composition exude the sense of old charm and present slight decay (?) of this amazing place. I can see A. CHristie and Roosevelt sitting on one of those monster big leather sofas, having high tea or waiting for someone reading the dailies... the picture has a timeless quality, superb shot, all the way. Exquisite composition.
Love it
s

marietom (31762) 2006-01-20 8:23

superbe, quelle ambiance dans cette image !
Marie

Baileys (677) 2006-01-20 8:28

Congratulations! Not only for the shot (which is great!), but also for calling up the spirit of Mr. Lawrence, sitting in the chair and sipping his coffee. I guess he is going to leave the hotel now without paying for his stay, so many years later his unpaid bill will be displayed in the hotel lounge as one of the attractions of the hotel!
Well done, Ola, I wouldn't guess if I hadn't seen the original version of this photo!
Pozdrawiam zartownisie ;-))
Hania

emanuela (1257) 2006-01-20 9:21

superb compositiona and pp work, very good one and fv
emanuela

jlynx (11380) 2006-01-20 11:12

Witaj Olu,
Przepiêkny kadr, wspania³a sepia. ¦wietnie wykorzysta³a¶ elementy geometryczne na pierwszym planie kadru wprowadzajac nastrój zdecydowania by w koñcy poprowadziæ do jego wnetrza ku spokojowi i zadumie. Wspania³e zdjêcie, wspania³a jako¶æ. I pomy¶leæ, ¿e tak dawno nie odwiedza³em Twojego folio.
Pozdrawiam,
Jurek

sengir (4946) 2006-01-20 14:29

swietna tonacja, fajnie posluzylo uchwyceniu tego miejsca zawieszonego w czasie. Podoba sie

jinju (14265) 2006-01-21 3:30

Brawo Aleksandro, klayka. Swietny kadr, wlasnie mamy tu atmosfere kolonializmu, tropikow. Bardzo fajna sepia i swietny grafizm. Uwielbiam takie szachownice.

Ber (7576) 2006-01-22 7:31

Witaj Ola
wlasnie odkrylam Twoja serie - jest swietna, jak to mowia elegancka! Dolaczam swoj glos do slow uznania. Pozdrawiam

ballyna (1689) 2006-01-24 9:53

Aleksandra ,
this is wonderful,very moody.too much like in the movies of that kind as u mentioned in your notes with these color tones and u have chosen low angle on purpose to give that mood.great compo,
regards

Philippe (11645) 2006-01-25 5:58

Hi, Aleksandra. I like the fantastic atmosphere you managed to create in this picture. It all looks like an old film of the 50s. The low framing is very good with the doors opening onto the room. This gives us the feeling we're going to get into the room ourselves. I also like the glossy light on the pavement and the person sitting in the armchair. Your picture really matches the description you give.

BlaiseCendrars (0) 2006-02-07 6:05

witaj Aleksandra,
superb shot, it has a very professional look to it, symmetry works out perfectly here, the floor is a gem, the edges of the leather sofas give us a strong hint that this place breathes history. The person having tea at the end, or rather at the climax of your scene, crowns your exceptional composition.
Thanks and best regards,
Chris

pilpel-adom (3016) 2006-02-10 5:38

Alex, thats another very moody picture! Great timing and composition, taking the lady while sipping tea with the light beam sorrounds her head like an aura. The couches, the checkered floor and the double windows on either side of the reception room`s entrance is just classical and interesting! It invites the looker to take a closer peek at the details, looking for little surprises...
TFS
Chen

fotomek (920) 2006-05-21 9:18

fajnie wypatrzone miejsce - Baron Hotel - brzmi jak nasz 'Grand Hotel' ;-) mimo pieknej posadzki chyba moglo byc kadrowane ciut wyzej (?) brakuje mi gory tego wejscia... pozdr. Tomek

TheG1 (1447) 2006-06-18 5:57

This is a great picture Aleksandra.
The sepia colors and the contrast match this composition perfectly.
Looks like a nice place for those who can go to Syria (i cant!)

Amir

gmg (1891) 2008-02-22 5:32

A picture "out of time", very well framed, very well done. Fascinating...
TFS
gmg