Hi, could you please critique this shot for me? It is for the local chamber of commerce and I would like to get a second set of eyes on it before I send it to them. I am posting the un-cropped version and a cropped to my liking version. How does then composition look? the color? crooked? over pp? anything else? I have already done most of the pp to it including some mild blending in photomatix.
You wont hurt my feelings with criticism of this shot either , if you think it needs to be re-shot say so.
IMHO, take your cropped shot, and crop out the forground so that the shadow on the snow is gone. That horizontal/angled "line" across the picture is distracting. Also, I might try cropping out a bit on the top, just above the right hand bush/tree to where it becomes pretty solid. OH heck, here's what I'm trying to say........
My first instinct would be for a reshoot if that's an option.
Early spring / late winter is a bit of a tough time to get a nice shot. All the snow is off the trees but none of the trees are budding yet. Ideally I'd return when the snow has melted off and the trees are budding.
If that's not an option I'd come back at the opposite time of day (either morning or evening) so you have sidelighting on the front of the sign to bring attention to it and pull some texture out of the brick. If the snow is still there you'll have to go on the early/late side of the days so the brightness of the snow doesn't overwhelm the shot. It's also worth keeping an eye out for a day with an interesting sky... a few clouds would add some interest to the shot.
If you need to stick with this shot I'd crop out the shadows on the snow up front so you have a perfectly white foreground.
<Edit> Jo beat me to it, basically the crop above is what I'm talking about.
Jo Dilbeck wrote:
IMHO, take your cropped shot, and crop out the forground so that the shadow on the snow is gone. That horizontal/angled "line" across the picture is distracting. Also, I might try cropping out a bit on the top, just above the right hand bush/tree to where it becomes pretty solid. OH heck, here's what I'm trying to say........
Jo
Nice crop, thx. I definitely did not pay attention to those shadows.
srapson wrote:
My first instinct would be for a reshoot if that's an option.
Early spring / late winter is a bit of a tough time to get a nice shot. All the snow is off the trees but none of the trees are budding yet. Ideally I'd return when the snow has melted off and the trees are budding.
If that's not an option I'd come back at the opposite time of day (either morning or evening) so you have sidelighting on the front of the sign to bring attention to it and pull some texture out of the brick. If the snow is still there you'll have to go on the early/late side of the days so the brightness of the snow doesn't overwhelm the shot. It's also worth keeping an eye out for a day with an interesting sky... a few clouds would add some interest to the shot.
If you need to stick with this shot I'd crop out the shadows on the snow up front so you have a perfectly white foreground.
<Edit> Jo beat me to it, basically the crop above is what I'm talking about....Show more →
I may just re do it more towards the evening. It is rather harsh light.
I like Jo's crop.
I'm not sure it IS tilted, but it APPEARS titled, sloping down on the left. May be an illusion from the angle of the sign, the shape of the lake and perspective of the trees in the distance. Whatever the cause, it bothers me a bit. Have you tried rotating it? If not, a different angle might be helpful, in addition to the thoughtful comments about lighting provided above.
Scott G
Based upon the water, I think it is level however the competing slightly-off-horizontal lines of the stonework and, I assume dam (?), almost give me a slight sense of vertigo. Too, looking again, the face of the brickwork might be a bit over sharpened, imo.
dmward wrote:
Brian,
Is that Thiensville, WI? I used to live in Ceberburg.
I agree that later in the year when the grass is green and the trees have leaves would be ideal.
If it has to be done now, I think late afternoon when there is some golden light and hopefully some clouds will help a lot.
David
Yes, it is Thiensville WI. I wanted the ice on the river, thats the only reason I took it this time of year. I agree with the later in the day for better light part and I went this afternoon to re shoot but the ice has all melted since last week..lol, so I am left with this for now unless it freezes again(unlikely).
This is a challenging picture with bright white snow at bottom and brightish sky above and bright sunlight with strong shadows.
You have not posted the details (exif, filters, tripod etc of this shot). It looks like it has good depth and focus but has poor feeling of depth caused by strong overhead light and poor emphasis on the sign.
For this picture to work it should have a good depth (because you are showing the beauty in the location), good focus, good framing and a clear sign (because it is about the town).
To do this properly you likely need to use a tripod, f8, set your mm at about 20mm, circular polarizer and focus on the 2nd wier, and shoot it later or early in the day.
The biggest challenge here is that you shot the picture at mid day in bright sunlight. Earlier or later would work far better. Side lighting would bring out the details of the sign and give depth. Less intense light would reduce the shadow affect and make the sign clear.
I am posting a link to one of the most concise and useful articles I have seen on lighting. It is about shooting in mountains but I think it is useful in this context. It explains lighting from the context of shooting landscapes (mountains). http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles1102/dw1102-1.html
Scott Stoness wrote:
This is a challenging picture with bright white snow at bottom and brightish sky above and bright sunlight with strong shadows.
You have not posted the details (exif, filters, tripod etc of this shot). It looks like it has good depth and focus but has poor feeling of depth caused by strong overhead light and poor emphasis on the sign.
For this picture to work it should have a good depth (because you are showing the beauty in the location), good focus, good framing and a clear sign (because it is about the town).
To do this properly you likely need to use a tripod, f8, set your mm at about 20mm, circular polarizer and focus on the 2nd wier, and shoot it later or early in the day.
The biggest challenge here is that you shot the picture at mid day in bright sunlight. Earlier or later would work far better. Side lighting would bring out the details of the sign and give depth. Less intense light would reduce the shadow affect and make the sign clear.
I am posting a link to one of the most concise and useful articles I have seen on lighting. It is about shooting in mountains but I think it is useful in this context. It explains lighting from the context of shooting landscapes (mountains). http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles1102/dw1102-1.html
...Show more →
Thx for the link. I did shoot hand held at f/11, 1/200 sec, ISO 100 at 40mm. The scene is facing east so late afternoon will give it front light. I was there yesterday and the light was awesome but there were some big tree shadows on the wall as well as mine when standing in the same place as the original shot. Also the ice melted and the river has swelled to flood stage giving it a totally different appearance, so I did not re shoot, I will have to wait a while I think to try again.
