Block Island

[erictoddjohnson]

Three images from a recent trip to Block Island, RI.  

Comment and criticism are, of course, welcome.

Eric

[button]

I think these are well composed and work effectively as commentary shots.

John

Edit reason: spelling

[wolfnowl]

I like the first one, but I found myself thinking that the houses and wires in the background should be blurred out more to provide more focus toward the boat in the foreground.  It gets a little lost in all of the greenery.  The second one doesn't do much for me, I'm afraid, but with the third one I thought, "That must have been some wind!"

Mike.

[Jeremy Roussak]

I like the first one, but I found myself thinking that the houses and wires in the background should be blurred out more to provide more focus toward the boat in the foreground.

I also like the first one, but I thought the fogginess had subdued the houses enough. I wonder if a little less sky might be beneficial and help with drawing attention to the boat.

Jeremy

[francois]

The first one for me too. The two others are not as strong.

[RSL]

Eric, I think Francois is right. The first picture is art. The other two are well-executed snapshots. I also think I agree with Mike that the first picture might be more powerful with the background subdued just a bit more, but I'm not sure. I'd have to see the two prints side-by-side to conclude that Mike's right.

[jasonrandolph]

I think Russell's right on the money.  The fiirst one works for me.  Whether or not a shallower DOF would've amplified the effect of the fog remains to be seen.  The second one doesn't do much for me.  With the third, I like the three tumbled-over chairs, but the building on the right is cut off.  I would wither include the whole thing or crop it out completely.  Maybe try burning in the sky as well for more dramatic results.

[erictoddjohnson]

Thanks for all your comments.  Regarding the first one, I'm not entirely happy with the foreground-background balance either, but I didn't want to lose the foggy morning feel, nor did I want the houses to disappear completely.  Shallower DOF might have been the answer, but all I had with me on the trip was a Canon G9, so I didn't have as much DOF control as I would have liked.  Next year I'll be sure to pack the SLR.  In the meantime, I'll work on the background some more in PS and/or LR and see what works.  

Eric

[Pete JF]

I think the first is fine but perhaps a bit corny..overly sentimental, perhaps. Just to easy a target IMO. I think the execution of it is just fine. Can't see any value in blurring anything or getting rid of wires. It's a simple juxtaposition of the defunct and the active. Everything present is appropriate to that. I do wonder if you have tried that boat shot in black and white? There is no real strong argument for color here..nothing real compelling here as far use of color etc. You must have tried it since you converted the other 2.

For me the last one is the strongest by far. a decent excersize in repetition and the distant figures cap things off well.

The middle one doesn't do anything for me.

[erictoddjohnson]

Pete, thanks for the comment.  Even though my natural inclination is to work in B&W, I couldn't really make a conversion of the first one that looked better than the color version.  I found that the contrast between the predominantly red boat and the green grass was more compelling than any combination of grays in that part of the photo;  even after making various luminance adjustments, the color version worked better for me.

Eric