Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: David Sutton on August 05, 2009, 05:31:08 am
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It's been forty years since I printed B&W and so another steep learning curve coming up I fear. In trying to recall what to look for in tonal range and so on I thought I'd get some advice before using up a 17 x 50" piece of paper. Also wondering if I shouldn't lose some of the foreground and bridge. Thanks in advance, David
[attachment=15847:MG_6176_..._6181_BW.jpg]
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It's been forty years since I printed B&W and so another steep learning curve coming up I fear. In trying to recall what to look for in tonal range and so on I thought I'd get some advice before using up a 17 x 50" piece of paper. Also wondering if I shouldn't lose some of the foreground and bridge. Thanks in advance, David
[attachment=15847:MG_6176_..._6181_BW.jpg]
Very nice indeed. It's always hard to judge on a laptop screen, but the delicate tonality seems to fit the image more than the "full Ansel Adams" dramatic constrast would. I actually like the composition a lot, but I can also see losing just a bit of the foreground. I wouldn't lose the bridge; it adds too much. The image seems to "live" in the mid-tones; kind of reminds me of Tyler Boley's beautiful work.
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I could see cropping a tiny bit off the right and off the bottom, but those aren't necessary, IMHO. On my screen, I have the feeling that I'd like a little more local contrast. BUT, I am also reminded of a number of times in my darkroom days when I had a picture that wanted a bit more "oomph", and I kept upping the contrast until the mood of the picture died completely.
The mood in your photo is very nice right now. I would try printing a few variants on smaller paper until you find the one that best preserves that mood.
Nice photo!
Eric
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I'm going to disagree and tell you to leave it exactly as-is. The bridge leaves a shadow in the water in the right corner that leads my eyes right into the image. Also, the mountains on the right balance the castle quite well. Tonal separation is good as well. This one would look absolutely outstanding matted, framed and hung as the centerpiece on any wall IMHO. Outstanding work!
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Leave it the way it is. It's a great shot.
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It's been forty years since I printed B&W and so another steep learning curve coming up I fear. In trying to recall what to look for in tonal range and so on I thought I'd get some advice before using up a 17 x 50" piece of paper. Also wondering if I shouldn't lose some of the foreground and bridge. Thanks in advance, David
[attachment=15847:MG_6176_..._6181_BW.jpg]
Taquin, Don't lose any of the foreground and don't lose the bridge. The croppers have been at you, as is usual usual on this forum. I agree with Jason and Pop. The composition is excellent just as it is. So is the tonality, though one has to make assumptions when looking at a computer monitor. It's a splendid shot.
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It's a nice image, well composed and I like the B&W treatment. Given the amount of water in the foreground, I might prefer to have a bit more sky up top; but I don't think I would crop from the bottom because you don't want to lose the darker portion of the water at the bottom of the frame. And I wouldn't crop the bridge as It makes a great leading line in the composition.
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Many thanks Geoff, Eric, Jason, Popnfresh, Russ and Jeff. After working on an image for a while I sit here and start to wonder what the hell I'm really seeing, and all your comments have been very helpful. I've pushed the contrast as far as I fell comfortable with, and tried to get some subtlety into the shades of grey. I happier now about doing some test strips. David
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Hmmm... On one hand I wouldn't change a thing, and then I think I might remove about half of the solid portion of the bridge on the right side. Either way, it's a great work.
Mike.
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Hmmm... On one hand I wouldn't change a thing, and then I think I might remove about half of the solid portion of the bridge on the right side. Either way, it's a great work.
Mike.
Thanks for the comment Mike. Yes, I sat here for half an hour yesterday cropping and uncropping that bit of the bridge and some foreground. After some test strips I'm going to print the full size version and then I can always play with the matting later. Sometimes I just have to see it "on the wall" first. Cheers, David