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Post by musicman5 on Oct 12, 2009 13:40:32 GMT -5
I was somewhat limited on this shot as I took it with a fixed length lens and I was on a bridge so I could not foot-zoom anymore. I shot this as a jpg and did zero editing. I did not want to crop out the sky in the upper right because I have this thing about keeping the image proportional to the original (nor did I want to lose any of the bridge). To view the original go to www.musicman5photos.com/photos/675910652_HHhai-L.jpgAny photograhic or editing suggestions?
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Post by NCPhotoTrekker on Oct 12, 2009 14:01:12 GMT -5
The fog is a great element to this picture, and the bridge is a wonderful focal point. I can understand your reluctance to change the aspect ratio of the original composition, but don't limit yourself in that way. There are some stronger compositions available at times by changin the ratio.
That being said, you can address that white spot at the top with some cloning. You can grow the trees a little bit and cover that hole if you like. That being said, you might actually do better to crop the top a bit, which will bring the bridge out of the dead center.
My eyes tend to fall on the bridge and stay there. They don't want to go up except to investigate the white spot. The stream is a nice leading line that I would like to see more of. If you angled the camera down a bit you could get more of that in the frame. If it didn't skew the bridge too much, I would move over to the right to put the stream in the left third of the frame. This will add some visual drama to help the image. It will also mask the white house to the right.
There is a lot of good stuff to work with here, but the composition hinders it a little in my opinion. Every time I look at it, my eyes go right to the bridge and stop. It becomes a visual barrier preventing the viewer from looking above it. By eliminating more of the top section, and uncovering more of the foreground, you will have more visual flow.
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Post by musicman5 on Oct 12, 2009 16:14:59 GMT -5
A zoom lens would have given more compositional latitude but hate lugging the thing around! Which is why I take the 200mm on my drop camera and a wide angle lens on the full frame! I have 3 variations of the same photo. First created by Bibble5: Lightroom (not my favorite I will say): And my favorite (at this point) created by Bibble 4: The colors are more fall like but not actually true to the scene.
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Post by Steve (FloppyDog) on Oct 12, 2009 17:31:14 GMT -5
I think one of these you have on the cover of your book? Fantastic photos Mark!
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Post by john101477 on Oct 12, 2009 17:33:38 GMT -5
I would have to say that my fave would be the one made with bibble 5. My dark side really likes the darkness in the trees, the fog on the water and the early morning feel. the bottom is somewhat more like a painting to me.
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OrcaBob
Lead Photographer
Frank Zappa lives
Posts: 394
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Post by OrcaBob on Oct 12, 2009 17:43:54 GMT -5
My fave's the Bibble5 one, too. It's darker (which I like) and it also makes good use of contrast. The foreground trees are essentially silhouettes and the shadowing of the foreground trees upon the grass tends to force the viewer to the bridge and the creek.
My least favorite is the bright oversaturated Bibble4.
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Post by musicman5 on Oct 12, 2009 18:26:51 GMT -5
I think one of these you have on the cover of your book? Fantastic photos Mark! It is similar but not the same. The one on my book was taken a year ago and this photo was taken last Saturday morning! Bob, I agree. Something about the Bibble5 image appealed to me too. But I liked the last one because it did have a painting like look to it. On the Bibble5 version I lowered the exposure 2/3rd's of a stop and used one of their filters to make the upper third of the frame somewhat menacing.
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Post by herron on Oct 13, 2009 19:11:37 GMT -5
I may be daft, but I like the first, original one. I'm not a fan of a lot of digital manipulation. That, to me, smacks of illustration, and I tend to be a purist about photography because, by its very definition, it's painting with light. I'm sorry, but I disagree with NCPhotoTrekker. The only thing I would change is to crop down slightly from the top to elimate that bright sky. I know you wanted to keep it proportional, but it works with just that slight alteration! Ordinarily, I would think that a totally centered composition lacks something. I'm a great believer in the "rule of thirds" when it comes to that. But, in this case, I think your eye wanders the picture perfectly. The tree forms on the right lead you into the bridge, and everything conspires to keep your eye moving around and into the image. A nice, moody shot, well done.
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Post by NCPhotoTrekker on Oct 13, 2009 20:30:39 GMT -5
Herron, No need to apologize to me for having a different opinion than mine. Actually, that was one of my suggestions so we don't differ much at all. I just offered some othe options that could address the issue of the white area at the top.
Something else that we agree on is the manipulated images. The Bibble one would be my favorite of them, but the original is the favorite of all of them. The alterations are a bit heavy handed on the altered set. the last one is way oversaturated and looks very awkward. As with Herron, I am a purist when it comes to photography. The best photograph is one that captures a beautiful moment, not a moment that will be made beautiful.
Herron, its great to have you here. I hope that you continue offering advice, and sharing your knowledge with our members.
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Post by herron on Oct 14, 2009 11:57:14 GMT -5
Herron, No need to apologize to me for having a different opinion than mine. ... its great to have you here. I hope that you continue offering advice, and sharing your knowledge with our members. One thing you can count on, I will seldom apologize for a difference of opinion, and I appreciate honesty. Thanks again for the welcome!
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Post by musicman5 on Oct 14, 2009 13:08:56 GMT -5
I am normally against any manipulation of an image too. While I was pondering the compositional suggestions I had been given it set me to thinking about what the image would have looked like with more fog. So I used the tools at had to see if I could 'improve' what little fog there was. The three images shown were the result of this experiment. None of them really achieved the look I was trying for but instead took me in other directions. I am now considering using the new images along with the original in a collage. Still kicking that idea around. I do appreciate what everyone has said about the composition of the original image and my experiments. I tend to get tunnel vision and occasionally need other viewpoints to help me to continue to grow. Thanks everyone!!!
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