Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: jasonrandolph on December 10, 2010, 04:19:57 pm

Title: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: jasonrandolph on December 10, 2010, 04:19:57 pm
I shot this over 5 years ago, but only recently spotted in my LR catalog.  What do you all think?
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on December 10, 2010, 04:28:39 pm
It's quite lovely. Nice composition and beautiful tonalities. I wish i had taken it.

Eric
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: shutterpup on December 10, 2010, 05:07:18 pm
I had to look twice at the location info you provided. In the subject matter and tonality, it is reminiscent of those beautiful, simple, elegant shots of the Asian landscape. I too wish I had taken it.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on December 10, 2010, 05:49:36 pm
It's quite lovely. Nice composition and beautiful tonalities. I wish i had taken it.

Eric
So do I. Great sky!

Jeremy
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: spbimages on December 10, 2010, 11:46:15 pm
I like the tone/mood of the image very much. But I would have cropped off the bottom a little bit. May when you took it there was more interest in the sky along with the pilings.

Good work,
Steve
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: wolfnowl on December 11, 2010, 12:52:33 am
Put me in the 'great work' group, but like Steve I'd be tempted to remove a bit from the bottom, just to offset the 'everything centered' look.

Mike.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: jasonrandolph on December 11, 2010, 01:00:16 pm
Thank you all for the comments and suggestions.  I'll play around with the cropping to see what works best.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on December 11, 2010, 03:05:15 pm
Thank you all for the comments and suggestions.  I'll play around with the cropping to see what works best.
Shh! Don't tell Russ!

If you do, he'll say what I (an avid cropper, when I think the need arises) would say regarding this shot: leave it alone.

Jeremy
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: shutterpup on December 11, 2010, 04:48:59 pm
Those of you who want to crop the bottom: just how much? Will it improve or destroy the balance of the picture?
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: jasonrandolph on December 11, 2010, 07:39:30 pm
The reflection of the sky's light definitely will stay.  I think that's an essential element.

After messing around with crops, I think it works best as-is.  I'm partial to the square format anyway, which is why I cropped it this way initially.  Regardless, thanks for the continued feedback.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: David Saffir on December 13, 2010, 10:32:55 pm
very nicely done - dark and moody - I like the stormy sky and its reflection. The pilings add a spiky contrast to the softer rounded cloud shapes. Have you considered cropping a bit of the foreground?

David Saffir


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see GuruShots Photo Critique. I'm a contributor there.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: Alan Klein on December 19, 2010, 08:44:41 am
I like the foreboding sky.   I'm in the crop bottom camp.  Right below the darker slice section of reflected sky that is lighter.  Then the bottom and the top act as bookends for the main subject in the middle.  Otherwise the gray at the bottom pulls your eye away from the subject.   But it's a good shot regardless.  Alan
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: jule on December 19, 2010, 05:04:44 pm
The reflection of the sky's light definitely will stay.  I think that's an essential element.

After messing around with crops, I think it works best as-is.  I'm partial to the square format anyway, which is why I cropped it this way initially.  Regardless, thanks for the continued feedback.

Yep... Jason I agree that the balance between the moodiness of the sky and the foreground is just perfect. I wouldn't crop a thing.

Julie
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: RSL on December 19, 2010, 07:16:44 pm
Good for you, Julie.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on December 19, 2010, 07:33:34 pm
Having tried cropping a little off the bottom I must say I agree with Jeremy, Julie and Russ: Jason got it right the first time. No crop needed.

Eric
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: jasonrandolph on December 20, 2010, 07:11:09 pm
Many thanks for the feedback from all of you.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: popnfresh on December 20, 2010, 11:13:06 pm
It's a good photograph, but it bothers me that some of the pilings are tangent with the tree line. They're a bit too far back from the foreground. I think you needed a slightly higher camera angle on this.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: jule on December 21, 2010, 06:08:29 am
It's a good photograph, but it bothers me that some of the pilings are tangent with the tree line. They're a bit too far back from the foreground. I think you needed a slightly higher camera angle on this.
hmmm ..interesting thought popnfresh, but if the camera was higher, the outside pilings in particular would have no visual attachment to the other elements and the pilings would just be isolated visually in the water. I personally think the camera angle as is, provides a visual link between the pilings and the background. The lights at the tops of the outer ones provide just enough feature to provide differentiation.
Julie
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on December 21, 2010, 12:11:14 pm
hmmm ..interesting thought popnfresh, but if the camera was higher, the outside pilings in particular would have no visual attachment to the other elements and the pilings would just be isolated visually in the water. I personally think the camera angle as is, provides a visual link between the pilings and the background. The lights at the tops of the outer ones provide just enough feature to provide differentiation.
Julie
Again I agree, and again I say: Jason got it right the first time.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: popnfresh on December 22, 2010, 02:18:18 am
hmmm ..interesting thought popnfresh, but if the camera was higher, the outside pilings in particular would have no visual attachment to the other elements and the pilings would just be isolated visually in the water. I personally think the camera angle as is, provides a visual link between the pilings and the background. The lights at the tops of the outer ones provide just enough feature to provide differentiation.
Julie
I think the pilings would work better as graphic elements if they weren't touching the tree line. So yes, I think the photograph would be more interesting visually if they were isolated in the water.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: John R Smith on December 22, 2010, 10:35:16 am
Jason

It's just a really nice picture. One of the best pictures we have had on here recently, along with some of the stuff that Timo has been doing. And no, it doesn't need a crop, and no you didn't have a cherry picker or a stepladder when you took the shot, and let's all just enjoy it for what it is. Sometimes your first instincts are the right instincts.

John
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: popnfresh on December 22, 2010, 12:01:41 pm
Jason

It's just a really nice picture. One of the best pictures we have had on here recently, along with some of the stuff that Timo has been doing. And no, it doesn't need a crop, and no you didn't have a cherry picker or a stepladder when you took the shot, and let's all just enjoy it for what it is. Sometimes your first instincts are the right instincts.

John
John, I would hope that anyone who can offer a dispassionate critique of any picture posted in this forum would speak up. So I say, let's all be both honest and polite about what we think. After all, this is the User Critiques forum, not the Mutual Admiration forum. It's reasonable to assume that anyone who posts photos here is seeking honest, constructive criticism and not merely praise. Although praise is certainly nice too.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: degrub on December 22, 2010, 12:41:34 pm
...and we accept that others critiques will often disagree with our own and leave it at that. My presumption is that i can learn from each - accepting what i find of value at the time.  ;)

Frank
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: popnfresh on December 22, 2010, 01:11:35 pm
...and we accept that others critiques will often disagree with our own and leave it at that. My presumption is that i can learn from each - accepting what i find of value at the time.  ;)

Frank

Well said.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on December 22, 2010, 01:58:56 pm
Of course all points of view are valid, as long as they don't conflict with my own.   ;)

Eric
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: jasonrandolph on December 22, 2010, 02:07:03 pm
For the record, I appreciate all honest criticism.  All criticism, both positive and negative, help me improve my photographic vision.  And IMHO that's the whole idea behind the User Critiques forum.
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: John R Smith on December 23, 2010, 03:21:10 am
Well, I certainly wasn't suggesting that we forego the critique aspect of this forum. It was just that I felt that people had flogged this one to death, and we were in danger of losing sight of a very nice picture in a welter of nit-picking, that's all.

John
Title: Re: Pilings, Puget Sound
Post by: jasonrandolph on December 23, 2010, 10:47:45 am
Thanks John.  I appreciate your comments.  Happy Holidays to you, and to everyone in the LuLa community!