Have you done some trick with the clarity to emulate an artistic brush?

Now THIS is how it should be done. Keep this one in mind when you're looking at blurry photos with gradiented, banded sky areas but still posting gratuitous "GREATEST PHOTO EVER!" comments.

Yes im so excited! i voted for this in the loupe

In my opinion the artistic brush ruined the photo...

I'd like to have seen an unedited version of this. Way too much post processing for me.

I've been here :)

It would have been a shame not to, as I live in France.

Also, totally out of the topic but, is your girlfriend named Erica, or Erika? :)

I very much agree that the brush filter has ruined this one. Outside of it, this is a very nice shot and I would love to see it without all the extra work done on it.

I like everything about this picture except for the little tilt! Amazing quality! I'm actually getting the 50D next week :D tried it out at best buy and loved how fast it was...insane camera.

Thanks for all your comments!
First off, no my girlfriend isn't Erica. France is a large place you know! :) haha! Here name is Amelie :)
Secondly, I too was a little unsure if I should do that much post-processing with it. I experimented with a few things and didn't really like it until I got this. My attempt was to "HDR" it and though that's what I did, I was aiming for more subtley. However, when I did that, it didn't look good enough. I was sick of playing with it. I exported the RAW to Photoshop CS4 and used Topaz Adjust on it. Yes, I did bring out a bit of clarity. Then I did a levels adjustment and used Noiseware plug-in to reduce noise (there was QUITE a lot after the Topaz Adjust). Then brought it back into Lightroom 2 and did some final adjustments on it, including straightening it. It IS actually perfectly straight, but I think because of the slight angle I shot it at, it gives the illusion it's tilted.
... thoughts? :)
Also, let me say that I am a HUGE admirer of much of the wallpaper on here and I have been a DAILY viewer for well over a year. I am very happy to have my first wallpaper up :)
I submitted a couple others too, but I like this one the best.

Jordan, how do you like the 50D? What's the best thing you like about it?

I'll tell you two things about the 50D. It's AWESOME... and yet... it's been replaced already.
If you're going to shell out the assumed $1200 or $1300 for a 50D, it would be wiser to just get the $1700 7D. Think about it. It's just like the 50D in EVERY way except better.
50D vs 7D
Digic IV vs Dual Digic IV
15MP vs 18MP
Excellent ISO (both)
No Video vs NICE video
Not to mention, the 7D has built-in wireless transmitter for wireless Speedlites, and it feels a little nicer in your had. It has more advanced options also. Let it be said: I LOVE the 50D.... NOTHING wrong with it and I would recommend it. Just figure for a few hundred more you can get a camera that does more! I have one of each! :)

instead of investing money in the lens, why not invest some time to learn how to process RAW correctly?

Indulge me...
A nice lens with shitty processing is just as bad as good processing with a shitty lens, I think. Plus a nice lens will minimize the processing efforts.

Awesome colors and illumination... and clarity... and subject... and composition... really have nothing to nitpick about. Cheers!

Thanks for your opinion Jordan!

I would buy a puzzle of this image... I just love it!

Thanks Santiago! I never thought of that, but yeah... isn't that the kind of image you'd see on the cardboard box of a puzzle? Sweet!

that is amazing! i wanna go to france now!

Great image. Chambord is such an amazing castle. I wish you have taken a shot of the beautiful double helical staircase designed by da Vinci.

Inspiring!
I have read the other comments and first down loaded your Castle Chambord image a couple of months ago to use as my main wall paper on a 27" iMac.
It looks fantastic and with each passing day I could eventually resist no longer and went a single step further from a point and shoot 6 mpx compact to a bridge camera.
Who knows I could yet go the whole hog sparked by your shot. I understand the opinions on the art brush but each to their own and the photo is obviously striking enough as it is to gain attention.
Well Done.