Consider the last phot which is basically raw, do you like 'em better doctored up like this?
Personally, I don’t like the modified version. Making new images look old is about as successful as when they tried to colorize black-and-white movies. It just doesn’t look the same.
Kyle, actually I do like the photoshopped one. The biggest problem with all the photos is the shadow on the backdrop. The shadow gives it away as a model right away. You might try setting up your lighting to hide the shadows behind the buildings. Then you would have a photo where people would ask, “Is it real or is it Memorex?”
Not the best examples, but here are two shots taken quickly at a layout on tour for our NMRA Spring Meet. The first has only one small shadow that is not that noticeable (it certainly isn’t a contest winning photo…):
Here is the same general area of the layout from a different angle. Here the shadows of the buildings on the sky… well you see what I mean.
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