Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Thomas Babut on August 11, 2011, 03:24:37 am

Title: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: Thomas Babut on August 11, 2011, 03:24:37 am
Taken at the Baltic Sea...
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: stamper on August 11, 2011, 03:58:11 am
A severely cropped version to letterbox proportions to make the figures look bigger in the frame might be better? The subject idea is good but the large framing doesn't - imo -  do it any justice.
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: francois on August 11, 2011, 06:00:56 am
I like it a lot but I'm unsure about cropping or not… Stamper's suggestion might be worth trying.
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on August 11, 2011, 08:07:53 am
I disagree with Stamper this time. I think the excess space around the figures adds to the eerie mood.
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: stamper on August 11, 2011, 09:11:57 am
I disagree with Stamper this time. I think the excess space around the figures adds to the eerie mood.

If there was a contrast in tones or vignette then I would agree. The top - at least on my monitor - looks slightly lighter than the bottom but only slightly. Your eye wanders out of the frame without anything to stop it. 8)
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: popnfresh on August 11, 2011, 11:09:19 am
This is a very cool image, but placing an isolated subject smack in the middle like that does tend to make the composition too static. I would be inclined to place the group significantly off dead center so that the negative space has more visual authority in counterpoint to the subject.
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: EduPerez on August 11, 2011, 06:20:54 pm
I disagree with Stamper this time. I think the excess space around the figures adds to the eerie mood.

Me too: I find the composition perfect; a very nice picture.
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on August 11, 2011, 06:40:32 pm
Very cool and original take!
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: louoates on August 12, 2011, 01:40:35 pm
Very impressive concept. I'd love to see several more scenes there with this minimalistic approach.
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: c_soars on August 12, 2011, 01:51:09 pm
Very nice; super clean graphic quality and indistinct figures with recognizeable grouping = fantastic.  Varying tones of figures is also appealing. 

I see this as a decent sized print on a wall somewhere.
Title: Re: Ghosts Gathering
Post by: John R on August 12, 2011, 06:01:30 pm
Great shot. A wonderful take on the subject with lots of mystery. Placing subjects in the centre is not in itself an issue, but rather is meant as a genral guideline for most new and learning photographers. If it works, it works. And I think this works nicely.