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Author Topic: Looking down  (Read 2883 times)

sailronin

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Looking down
« on: September 16, 2010, 02:59:09 pm »



Nikon D700 with 17-35mm
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2010, 03:29:56 pm »

Why?

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2010, 03:51:05 pm »

I like it; it's unsettling. But I would be tempted to crop off the right edge to just to the right of the planks that lead to the window. The shape of the window nicely echoes the shape of the spiral staircase.

Eric
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ckimmerle

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2010, 05:34:51 pm »

I like the image, but agree with Eric about the cropping. The right 1/3 of the image is too distracting for such a subtle main subject. If you crop the image at the darkest part of that shadow, it will be much, much stronger.

Also, you may want to think about burning the top a bit, and dodging the bottom a small amount, to better balance the tones of those areas. Not 100% that's the right advice, but it was something that I thought might help.

Nice work.

Chuck
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RSL

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2010, 05:46:48 pm »

David, You're new to LuLa so this probably is the first time you've run into the croppers. The term comes from "come a cropper," which means to fail or get caught out, and it's an apt application of the original term. You'll run into this almost every time you post a picture on LuLa. To some folks cropping is more important than shooting photographs; nothing's complete until it's been cropped.

That picture is fine just as it is. Don't crop anything. If you chop it where the croppers are suggesting, you'll kill the geometry of the shot. Besides, the right part of the picture is an interesting abstraction. You can't quite tell what's going on over there. It's a bit of surrealism. It's interesting that these guys recommended a crop. Both of them are very good photographers. I guess it's just that nobody's right all the time.

But I have to add, I do agree with Chuck about the burning and dodging.
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sailronin

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2010, 07:16:22 pm »

Thank you everyone
I appreciate you taking the time to comment.  This is a full frame shot, I've tried printing both cropped as suggested and full frame and am undecided, which is why the photo is here.
Cropped focuses the eye onto the stairs and the people, while the full frame leaves the viewer unbalanced and a bit a question as to what level is where.
I will burn and dodge a bit.
It's great to get such considered feedback, the only way to learn.
Thank you
Dave
 

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popnfresh

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2010, 07:51:53 pm »

Russ is half right when he talks about cropping. It makes no sense to routinely crop an image just for the sake of cropping it. However, I'm a big fan of doing whatever it takes to improve an image and sometimes cropping just makes it better. Having the attitude of "never crop" is just as silly as "always crop", in my opinion. I say, do whatever works for your photograph. And over time, the more you shoot the less you will find that you need to crop. But even the best photographers feel they need to crop an image occasionally.

As for this particular image, I probably wouldn't crop.
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RSL

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2010, 09:38:42 pm »

Pop, You know dang well I've never said, "never crop." I've posted pictures I cropped. We agree that you have to do whatever works for your photograph, and ultimately deciding what works is up to the photographer. But I do think some folks on here jump too quickly to chop up a picture they've just seen. Usually I assume that the guy who shot the picture framed the picture in his viewfinder and that's what he wanted. Usually he's right. Maybe not always, but it's still his picture.

I also get a kick out of ribbing croppers, especially when they're as good photographers as the two guys who jumped on this one.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2010, 12:35:22 pm by RSL »
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popnfresh

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2010, 10:47:20 pm »

Cropping is most valuable for me as a tool for learning about composition. Mostly when I crop it isn't to salvage a picture so I can then present it, but rather just to play with framing things differently to see how they look. So next time maybe I'll shoot better. But in my experience, most photos that need a lot of cropping aren't salvageable. Cropping is no substitute for getting it right in the camera.
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2010, 11:46:19 pm »

Pop, You know dang well I've never said, "never crop." I've posted pictures I cropped. We agree that you have to do whatever works for your photograph, and ultimately deciding what works is up to the photographer. But I do think some folks on here jump too quickly to chop up a picture they've just seen. Usually I assume that the guy who shot the picture framed the picture in his viewfinder and that's what he wanted. Usually, he's right. Maybe not always, but it's still his picture.

I also get a kick out of ribbing croppers, especially when they're as good photographers as the two guys who jumped on this one.
Russ,
Would you please send me a self-portrait? I'd love to crop it.   ;D ;D ;D
Eric
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walter.sk

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2010, 10:23:07 am »

I agree with the croppers here, and I also agree with Russ.  So there!  I try to compose in the camera to the best of my ability, but sometimes I do find that something I included for one reason ends up being a distraction for other reasons. 

In this case, I like the image better without the right hand area and would have cropped at the little stone ledge to eliminate the stuff on the right.  I would then have darkened the area beyond the planks.  OTOH, I would miss the curving top of the handrail at the bottom right of the image, which adds greatly to the geometry of the picture.

The other change I would make concerns the people.  I know people are often put in for scale or interest, but here, since everybody understands the scale from the relatively standard size of steps I do not find the people necessary.  In fact I think this picture would be stronger without them.  However, if you had waited until the people descended all the way, and hopefully turned to exit under the arch (in or just approaching the brighter area) there would have been a bit of tension created by their position.

You could have taken thie shot you did and then waited and taken one or more with the people in other positions.


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RSL

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2010, 12:45:57 pm »

Russ,
Would you please send me a self-portrait? I'd love to crop it.   ;D ;D ;D
Eric

Eric, Here you go. I didn't shoot it, so you can crop away. The original print from which I made the scan is in pretty bad shape, but it's the best I can do.

Edit: I don't know what happened to the picture. It doesn't pop up on my screen. May be that the title's too long.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2010, 12:49:54 pm by RSL »
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RSL

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2010, 01:22:42 pm »

With this version of the software there doesn't seem to be any way to delete the attachment from that last post and try again, so I'm going to post again here as an experiment -- to see if the shorter named attachment shows on the screen.

Edit: Nope.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2010, 01:26:23 pm by RSL »
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jule

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2010, 07:43:15 am »

Thanks Sailronin for posting this image. With respect to the composition, I quite like the area at the right of the image because it makes the image unpredictable. We have all seen the images of the circular stairways from above and perfect symmetry. this one is a little off balance, but has enough interest in the right hand side to enable it to work for me. 

Julie
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sailronin

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #14 on: September 18, 2010, 07:57:38 am »

Hi Julie,
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my photo. I also think leaving the exterior view on the right makes the viewer question what is happening more than a tight crop.
Have a great weekend,
Dave
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Dave

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Rob C

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Re: Looking down
« Reply #15 on: September 18, 2010, 12:52:13 pm »

Eric, Here you go. I didn't shoot it, so you can crop away. The original print from which I made the scan is in pretty bad shape, but it's the best I can do.

Edit: I don't know what happened to the picture. It doesn't pop up on my screen. May be that the title's too long.


All those cameras and a bandolier -très macho!

Rob C
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