Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => Michael's Phlog => Topic started by: michael on January 05, 2015, 10:19:11 am

Title: Young Girl and Book
Post by: michael on January 05, 2015, 10:19:11 am
This topic is for discussion of the image and commentary found in Michael's Phlog titled Young Girl and Book (http://www.luminous-endowment.org/pages/phlog%2019.html).
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: DF1 on January 05, 2015, 11:26:08 am
Wow, that was shot at f/16 and the background is still a little out of focus. I'm surprised the DOF is so shallow at that aperture.
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: michael on January 05, 2015, 11:40:43 am
According to the EXIF data it was shot at 143mm. The choice of aperture and shutter speed was deliberate. The camera chose the ISO.

I knew that anything beyond about 40 feet would be a bit soft, which is the way I wanted it. Too sharp and the girl in the foreground would not have had sufficient separation from the clutter.

An advantage of using a large sensor.

Michael
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: Rajan Parrikar on January 05, 2015, 12:04:48 pm
Superb.

Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: Telecaster on January 05, 2015, 05:50:43 pm
Love it. Reminds me of one of my nieces when she was ~13 years old: always a book in hand. There were no (easily accessible) Interwebs then.  :)

-Dave-
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: andyadler on January 05, 2015, 09:09:08 pm
As someone who enjoys taking candid photographs of children -- usually my own, but sometimes not -- were there any issues about posting an image of a minor?
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: michael on January 05, 2015, 09:14:07 pm
I am not aware of any such regulations in the United States.

This photograph was taken in a public place and therefore is allowed. This includes minors.

A Google search will quickly update you on the law, and if you live outside the US any particular rules in other countries that may apply.

Michael
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: RSL on January 06, 2015, 11:32:19 am
Nice, Michael, but it looks to me as if f/16 was the wrong call. It jams the book into the background rock. Of course, with a shot like this, hindsight is always twenty-twenty and it doesn't help much because you can't go back and re-shoot. Happily, the book and girl shouldn't be too hard to select in post so you can soften the background.
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: michael on January 06, 2015, 02:52:30 pm
Russ,

A matter of taste. I didn't want too soft a background, because context was important to the story.

But with hindsight, maybe f/8 would have been better.

Michael
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: RSL on January 06, 2015, 06:09:21 pm
There's context galore in that shot, and would be, even if the background were soft.
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: Telecaster on January 08, 2015, 10:59:52 pm
There's context galore in that shot, and would be, even if the background were soft.

I like it as is, if for no other reason than the fore- & back-ground are separated enough focus-wise but without the latter proclaiming, "Oooh, look at my bokeh!"  :)  A slight tonal adjustment to the book could better distinguish it from the background rock.

-Dave-
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: Diego Pigozzo on January 09, 2015, 07:31:33 am
May I ask if the tight crop was mandatory (maybe due to some disturbing elements around) or if it's a deliberate choice?

And if it's deliberate, what was the motivations behind it?


Regards, Diego
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: michael on January 09, 2015, 08:36:25 am
That was pretty much how it was shot.

When framing and cropping I ask myself what the "story" is about. This story is about a young woman standing at the ocean reading a book. Therefore anything that is extraneous to her and an indication of the setting is excluded.

Michael
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: Diego Pigozzo on January 09, 2015, 09:01:28 am
My question come from the fact that the crop looks almost too tight, expecially for the head too close to the upper border.

Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: Bruce Cox on January 12, 2015, 01:51:31 pm
My question come from the fact that the crop looks almost too tight, expecially for the head too close to the upper border.



To me, her head seems well framed by the allotted amount of blue water. 

Backing her eyes with the outer edge of the surf is fundamental to this pictures success.

Bruce
Title: Re: Young Girl and Book
Post by: Al DaValle on January 13, 2015, 07:46:00 pm
Terrific shot.  The story is strong and familiar...surrounded by all the beauty of Hawaii she is completely absorbed in a book.  Reminds me of my own wonderful daughter!