Gan Doon The Pub

I've put this in here because there is a forum subject for everything except Architecture but they are HDR pictures.
The question I pose is more about composition than HDR related, though critique of that would be welcomed also.......My dilemma is.......in the two photo's of a pub just off the Tyne Bridge in Gateshead. The pub has a triangular footprint so that it would fit between the railway and other buildings but was still designed to look good in what would have been a very industrial landscape. So......when taking a photo of it I framed it best i could...because the pub was the centre of my attention the first picture was born....the second picture was to show the pub in it's surroundings....but along with that came a lamp post and a rubbish bin and because of the came lens a building on the left that appeared to lean inwards and look really odd.
Apart from the HDR the 2 pictures are uncropped and unedited. So...with the scenario you were going to hang the picture in the pub...what would you do?

No images visible Ady

Ooops...I rearranged stuff in Photobucket and must have broke the link......I will live and learn one day. They should be back now.

Ady can I first of all say that the image is very nice, I like the HDR effects, a little smudgy on the houses on the left but we cant have everything perfect.
I really hope you dont mind me taking the liberty to 'barrow' your image and to edit it a little for the discussion, I will of course remove it from my Flickr account after you have seen and commented on the changes. As you can see I have done several things which may or may not improve it, first of all I straightened the leaning right and left hand sides, although on reflection I think I should have left them leaning in just a little. I also removed the sign on the right hand wall which to me looked a bit stark and detracted from the texture of the brickwork. Finally although I think that the bin added some character to the shot, I removed the bin and replaced the missing background and flagstones, although it is hard to know what was really there to start with so its just a guess. As I said it is the only way I can describe what I would have done in keeping with your question and I will delete this image soon after you comment.
PS still struggling with this upload thing on here so hope this works OK. You can see a better view of it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/teztec/8484605669/in/photostream

Hi Tez.......Thank you for a very detailed response. The leaning building were really bugging me and I think you have addressed that perfectly. I don't know which tool you used to do that, but i'm pretty sure I have not got it in Pixelamator and I really really can't afford PS......any way......I hadn't even considered getting rid of the sign (that's what a fresh pair of eyes does). Removing the bin was my big dilemma. (a) I wasn't sure i could do it successfully and (b) did it add character to the picture? Well I have to say it looks better with out it as it would in real life (the pub has no other means of hiding rubbish as it is dressed on all sides) (known locally as "The Coffin).

So....I have to find away of straightening up curved items from the edges of photos (fixed lens) and get to grips with the cloning tool I think..
Thank you so much for that.... I know what I have to do....or at least try to do.

Ady I have just had a look at doing the same thing to your photo using GIMP and it is possible, just a different technique. Have you thought of downloading the latest version GIMP 2.8.4 off the web, its free, not unlike Photoshop to use and many things are similar. I see that there is a Gimp Section on here, so you could always pop in there for some help and advice.

.I was going to have a play (hope you didn`t mind ADY??) but after seeing what great corrective adjustments Tez did I think it would be a pointless exercise....I would also be interested to know the tools and software used to achieve this...
Ady ... I do like the HDR albeit a little strong for my own preference.... the centraliise composition looks effective too...

Go on Mike, have a go, I don't mind...........I know what you mean about about "strong" but it's knowing when to stop or when to go a bit further.

Tez..I'm looking into the Gimp thing........

Hey Ady..I didn`t do much to this one... Loaded it up in Photofiltre , straightened the building using deform --trapeziod / perspective tool ...cropped out deformed edges & added a pregessive contour with 85% opacity... What do you think

Mike.......I'm confused as to where the less processed version of the photo came from with the bus passing under the bridge......the bus is there because one of the 7 bracketed shots had the bus in...on further versions i didn't use that particular shot. ...no matter......No more bendy building on the left. Major improvement I must say. I'm not so sure about the faded edges, the jury is out on that one......and you are going to have to explain the progressive cont our at 85%....i'm not getting that bit !

ADY:: The progessive contour is the faded edges that you are not sure about. it is supposed to give the impression of a fading bevelled edge.. as for the picture I am sure it was a save image from here.... Didn`t you lose them and have to re-post them???