Grain Elevator

[chuckn]

Local grain elevator. Comments please.....

Chuck

[BobDavid]

The top one is more engaging. I'd correct the perspective so that the right side of the silo is perpendicular to the ground. I am a sucker for
monochrome photos of grain elevators. Maybe open up the shadows on the bottom?

Despite my picky comments, nice job.

[francois]

The first one is interesting, I like it a lot. Bob may have a point regarding perspective correction. The second one is less appealing to me.

[GrahamBy]

I like them both... depends what motifs speak to your subconscious I guess: the doors in doors thing works for me. The ventilator between the two silos makes me think Robby the Robot

[graeme]

The top one is more engaging. I'd correct the perspective so that the right side of the silo is perpendicular to the ground. I am a sucker for
monochrome photos of grain elevators. Maybe open up the shadows on the bottom?

Despite my picky comments, nice job.

+1

[brandtb]

That first is very nice image, composition, tones, all the way around. I would correct vertical lines so they are parallel in this instance...and look at it with the sky in upper right corner pulled down just a tiny fraction, so it's a little bit darker. The second image tonally is nice but the compositional elements are not so strong. That said, if the second image was in an editorial series, or exhibition grouping, it might fill out a "story" very nicely. /B

[Rob C]

Wouldn't change a thing, Chuck.

Too 'correct' veticals bring their own visual discomforts, not to mention internal insecurities.

Were I to change a thing, I might toy with the idea of not toning like that. But that's taking it into fantasy critique... say no more!

Two nice shots.

Rob C

[RSL]

+1. Love 'em both. I used to take long drives through Kansas and surrounding areas, shooting all sorts of stuff including grain elevators. I have a pretty large collection of them.

[chuckn]

Thanks for the complements and recommendations.

Chuck

[Jeremy Roussak]

Love the first, apart from the toning which I find a little heavy.

Jeremy

[donbga]

Local grain elevator. Comments please.....

Chuck

Chuck,

I like both photos. Yout handling of the tonal gradations works very nicely. Whether the shadows should be opened on the bottom depends. If they look a little crushed on screen but print okay on paper then don't touch them.

Your tonal color suggests to me platinum/palladium print tones found in the print work of George Tice - very very nice IMO; not because Tice used those tones but because they support the overall image syntax of your photos.

Yes the perspective might need some touch up for shot #1, but I usually don't choose to make them 100% perfect just slightly less. Even when I used a view camera exclusively I avoided a perfect perspective when lines are rendered at an angle since it makes the objects look like they are falling forward.

[chuckn]

Chuck,

I like both photos. Yout handling of the tonal gradations works very nicely. Whether the shadows should be opened on the bottom depends. If they look a little crushed on screen but print okay on paper then don't touch them.

Your tonal color suggests to me platinum/palladium print tones found in the print work of George Tice - very very nice IMO; not because Tice used those tones but because they support the overall image syntax of your photos.

Yes the perspective might need some touch up for shot #1, but I usually don't choose to make them 100% perfect just slightly less. Even when I used a view camera exclusively I avoided a perfect perspective when lines are rendered at an angle since it makes the objects look like they are falling forward.

Thanks Don, these images were taken with my rz 67 camera, delta 100 film. No post processing was needed (other than toning). I wanted to keep them as simple as possible.

Chuck

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

The first one really grabs me.
The second is nice, but not in the same league.

[Zorki5]

First one IMHO wins hands down.

A bit of perspective correction would be nice. Also, as was already suggested, opening up the shadow at the bottom would be nice. Either that, or cut it from the bottom a bit -- to make that shadow less pronounced. Right now, it has too much "weight"...

[Rob C]

First one IMHO wins hands down.

A bit of perspective correction would be nice. Also, as was already suggested, opening up the shadow at the bottom would be nice. Either that, or cut it from the bottom a bit -- to make that shadow less pronounced. Right now, it has too much "weight"...

Tell me, right now, what are you on? The vertical balance is bleedin' perfect!

;-)

Rob

[Zorki5]

Tell me, right now, what are you on? The vertical balance is bleedin' perfect!

On quest to perfection, what else, Rob?

When I look at the thumbnail, the balance is kind of OK.

When I open it up, my eyes invariably slip to the bottom, to that black strip. I find the overall toning to be nice and gentle (so I do not agree with Jeremy here), and that dreaded strip outweighs everything else... Maybe even a slight crop is too drastic a measure (for Russ, anyway  ), but I'd at least lighten it up a bit.

[luxborealis]

Both are beautifully executed photographs.

Perhaps the top one is more admired because the beautifully lit "trophy" shape of the central structure pings our positive neurons while the dark entrance of the second, with no directional lighting, pings our "warning" neurons. My only complaint is, in both cases, the main focal point is dead centre with no "invitation" to have a look around. That being said, a direct approach is not a bad thing, I'm just one who likes to look around a bit

Thanks for sharing.

[Rob C]

On quest to perfection, what else, Rob?

When I look at the thumbnail, the balance is kind of OK.

When I open it up, my eyes invariably slip to the bottom, to that black strip. I find the overall toning to be nice and gentle (so I do not agree with Jeremy here), and that dreaded strip outweighs everything else... Maybe even a slight crop is too drastic a measure (for Russ, anyway  ), but I'd at least lighten it up a bit.

Ah, that waste of time... nobody has found it yet, and the harder they look the more illusive it becomes.

Rob

[donbga]

First one IMHO wins hands down.

A bit of perspective correction would be nice. Also, as was already suggested, opening up the shadow at the bottom would be nice. Either that, or cut it from the bottom a bit -- to make that shadow less pronounced. Right now, it has too much "weight"...

Nothing needs to be done to number 2.

[Zorki5]

Nothing needs to be done to number 2.

I did not say anything at all about #2.