Re: [SI] Local Geography - Brian's comments

Hi all, a very nice selection of images and good participation this week.
I'm going to try my hand at evaluation for the first time. I'm no expert,
but I'm pretty opinionated, so just take my inane ramblings with a grain of
salt and keep smiling. :)

> Tom Hudson (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699600)
> I can see you were trying to capture the foggy night effect. Forget
> your tripod? That's the only thing I can use to explain the 1/200th at
> f/1.4.
>
> The shot tries to be mysterious, but it just doesn't capture that much
> for me. Maybe if the clouds/fog had more of an ominous level of detail
> in them, but they just come off as fog.

For me what is missing in this shot is a sense of drama - maybe it's the
horizon in the middle of the image. There's not much to see 1/3 distance
above the horizon but gray and that can be established mostly by the soft
horizon line it self. So why not put the horizon very near the top, focus
on the forground a bit more and dodge it just a bit to give it meaning.
Otherwise I feel this is a good shot conveying the general mood of the local
geography.

> Joseph Kewfi (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699822)
> Nice shot, it would make a nice postcard. I'd crop it a little tighter
> on the left. It would probably benefit from a little highlight
> recovery/contrast enhancement in Photoshop.

I really like the composition of this one. The foreground and background
are complimentary and the informal balance holds the picture together very
well. It's the kind of photo my girlfriend would take - and by that I mean
it's over exposed a bit. I would consider under exposing the foreground a
bit and bringing it back with careful use of the dodge tool - careful to
keep the contrast in the shaddows which seems lost as the image stands. IMO
pointing the camera down a degree or two to create a little more foreground
would help anchor this fine image even more.

> Bret Douglas (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699823)
> I like the silhouetted trees in the foreground. Not bad, but the
> mountains in the background probably could use some burning in. Or, you
> could be lazy and use the shadow/highlight tool.

I like the mountains as they are, but I don't think the dark clouds at the
top of the photo add anything.. but then I might be wrong - maybe they
anchor the edge. I'm not sure. If I took this photo you might see it on my
web site in 3 places each with a different crop. IOW, it's good as is and
I'd probably just cut it up endlessly in a lame attempt to improve it.

> Bob Flint (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699824)
> Good subject, interesting statement. This would look better framed as a
> vertical shot. The sky is a little too yellow.

Vertical shot - yes. Get rid of the tree on the right. Make the lamp a
sort of frame for the communications tower. Excellent statement - I quite
like this one.

> Bowser (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699825)
> Nice panorama. Good exposure on the sky and the water, everything looks
> clean and pristine. Well done.

Ditto. I also like the notes. To me they are far more interesting than
technical details which are often obvious from the photo itself. The
history lesson makes me connect with the place. Well done.

> Mark Lauter (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699826)
> Dude! Very, very nice. Great composition, great color in the sky. My
> favorite of the bunch.

This guy is a hack, he has no idea what he's doing! He should be banned
from photography. <g>

Thanks for the very nice compliment, Brian. :) This is one of the first
photos I took with the 20D.

> Duncan Chesley (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699827)
> An okay composition, I like the use of the empty chairs in the
> foreground. However, the shot is just too bright and I'd image this
> would work better as an early morning/late evening shot.

I'd like a wider shot here. The empty chairs seem slightly lonely and I
think if they were smaller in the composition, but still an integral part,
then the loneliness would be emphasized. I don't mind the time of day so
much, but if the scene were front-lit I believe the chairs might stand out
more because the shaddow on their backs would rendered white and therefor
offer greater contrast with the tans and browns of the scene.

> Jim Kramer (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699828)
> Also living in the land of weeks and scrub trees, I think this probably
> captures the feel of most American roads and countryside. However, the
> photo is pretty bland and the composition just isn't that interesting...
> much like the landscape.

I think Jim included that utility line on purpose. It reminds me of
Colorado. We used to hike up these rugged hills a hundred miles from
anything and think, "Man, we're gonna be the first to get up there." At the
top there would be old camp fires and dozens of beer cans. From the vistas
you probably see roads and cuts in the tree lines filled with transmission
lines. Even out west it was hard to get away from the scars of man. This
photo reminds me of all that.

> Alan Browne (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699829)
> Nice composition, but I think it was the wrong time of day to take this
> photo.

It's interesting to me how the silo things on the left are balanced by the
tree on the far right. The colors are nicely saturated. Cool image. Could
be sold as a stock photo representing America's heart land. :)

> Michael J. Hoffman (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699830)
> I like this photo a lot. The cows make a great element, and the pose of
> the one on the left is great. However, a few minor niggles: The horizon
> isn't close enough to level for my tastes and that weed in the lower
> right foreground is distracting.

Ditto. The best thing Michael did IMO was get down there with the cow.
Same nits to pick as Brian. One might expect to hear Grieg playing faintly
in the background.

> Michelo (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699831)
> I see I'm not the only one using a A95 this week! Good exposure, great
> detail in the foreground shadows. I'd crop out the parking lot and
> everything to the right of the church steeples.

I agree about cropping, but probably during shutter time rather than post
processing time.

> Al Denelsbeck (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47699832)
> You lazy... aw, forget it. Nice composition, but not enough contrast in
> the lighter elements.

Hmm.. I was thinking there wasn't enough contrast in the darker elements. I
would like to see much more detail in the tree stump. The composition is,
IMHO, the best of the group. I think it's my favorite image.

> Brian Baird (http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/47713596)
> You Photoshop hack! There are no blue skies in DC during late July!
> The Potomac is way more brown that that.

<g>

> I actually got lucky that day, the sky WAS a little blue and things
> weren't too hazy. While I feel this shot more or less captures what the
> river looks like at that location, and the general look of the forests
> and rock outcroppings of the area, I just feel it's bland and boring.
> Not my best shot, but I did take it with the mandate in mind!

Maybe if that rock at the bottom was nearer the middle and not cropped at
the bottom. It needs something to add some drama. The photo is technically
excellent - I have never succeeded at properly exposing to get green trees
on a river bank - they always come out too dark. You seem to have figured
it out.

Cheers!

--
Mark

Photos, Ideas & Opinions
http://www.marklauter.com


.

Relevant Pages

  • [SI] CloseUp comments from Calvin Sambrook
    ... The dead centre, symmetrical, composition adds impact, possibly because it's relatively unusual. ... Lots of detail but I just don't find this interesting as a photo. ... I know you don't get much choice of colours in shots like this but the contrast between the fly and the grey background really makes this shot for me. ...
    (rec.photo.equipment.35mm)
  • [SI] B&W Comments
    ... This photo immediately sets the bar pretty high. ... This is the kind of shot that I ... I would like this a lot better, I think, if the tree on the left was not ... Jim Kramer 01 ...
    (rec.photo.equipment.35mm)
  • Re: Bound Daffodil the Aftermath
    ... Nice composition. ... I think maybe if shot at f22 might have been more ... the tree would still have been out of focus. ...
    (rec.photo.equipment.35mm)
  • Re: Photo focus Question.
    ... I thought about breeze but at 1/400th of a sec would it have affected it ... >> Please look at the above photo link, I took this photo today with my ... >> on the computer I noticed that the right hand side of the tree is ... >> I can supply an original of the shot for anyone who may need it. ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: More Canon 20d focusing issues
    ... >> gotten a photo in a 'mode' setting to come out clear. ... The first shot was in AE mode set. ... >> Shooting Date/Time ...
    (rec.photo.digital)