WPC 1606 - On The Road CRITIQUE: kymarto 's WPC Entry has been selected for the Photo Critique Forum* to find out what could have done to make it better. Be nice, but be honest as this...

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

kymarto's WPC Entry has been selected for the Photo Critique Forum* to find out what could have done to make it better.

Be nice, but be honest as this may help everyone with their craft. Thank you everyone!

From WPC 1606 - On The Road RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=208

* If you are new to the Photo Critique Forum please read the Section Rules http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-279264-1.html
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Horses warmoing up at dawn in -15 degree weather for a sled-pulling race in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

(Download)

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

OK folks, go for it ;)

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

Sorry, this image is as good as it gets for me. Perhaps not enough "on the road" tie in for the contest, but I love the way you captured the distant horse in front of the sun and the horse breath effect tells a story of how cold it is. Nice Job!

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I am not sure that your foreground horse adds anything to your image. I think I would have left him out of the picture entirely. I love the silhouetted horse. I have a problem with the halo around him. Maybe too slow a shutter speed for the action. The lights and fence tell me this is probably a fairgrounds and I think they are important to the photo.I wish though that the horse was between the poles and not where one appears to be sticking out of him.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

This was shot with a Sony RX100 mk4, and I've noticed an interesting issue shooting against the light. When things are in bright light they just disappear. This seems to be a characteristic of the Zeiss lens, which is otherwise excellent. It does give unpleasant haloing. Sorry I didn't have my Nikon dslr, but I was shooting a documentary video at the time, so could only carry a pocket camera.

I could not change the position of the sun relative to the hill. And I needed the horse to shield the sun. Some things you gotta live with...

mullumby Loc: Australia

Country's Mama wrote:

I am not sure that your foreground horse adds anything to your image. I think I would have left him out of the picture entirely. I love the silhouetted horse. I have a problem with the halo around him. Maybe too slow a shutter speed for the action. The lights and fence tell me this is probably a fairgrounds and I think they are important to the photo.I wish though that the horse was between the poles and not where one appears to be sticking out of him.

Have to agree with country Mama here, could not have put it better, still, don't be put off by it, great photo.

lowkick Loc: Connecticut

I think I would have either fully cropped out the horse in the foreground, or possibly cropped so only that horse's forequarters (head and front legs) were visible. In my humble opinion, there's too much dark, dead space created by the presence of the entire horse in the foreground.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

lowkick wrote:

I think I would have either fully cropped out the horse in the foreground, or possibly cropped so only that horse's forequarters (head and front legs) were visible. In my humble opinion, there's too much dark, dead space created by the presence of the entire horse in the foreground.

Do you guys like this one better?

Erdos2 Loc: Vancouver, WA

Country's Mama wrote:

I am not sure that your foreground horse adds anything to your image. I think I would have left him out of the picture entirely. I love the silhouetted horse. I have a problem with the halo around him. Maybe too slow a shutter speed for the action. The lights and fence tell me this is probably a fairgrounds and I think they are important to the photo.I wish though that the horse was between the poles and not where one appears to be sticking out of him.

Sort of another ditto reply. The main subject is the silhouetted horse and I think a crop to the left of the foreground horse helps, even though the foreground steam is from that horse. While you do need to deal with the tools and angles at your disposal at the time, the issue with the pole might have been improved by moving to the left some amount. To the right would have been better if the other horse wasn't there.

Other minor comments. I struggle with the connection to the road in the contest, and others doing the voting may have done so too Also, you might consider pulling down the darks to the point that the horse and driver are totally black, but this becomes a matter of teste in a shot like this. (ie: many others may disagree)

Jerry

lowkick Loc: Connecticut

kymarto wrote:

Do you guys like this one better?

Yes. I like the composition better, as well as the detail of the sleds and drivers. Perhaps if you could remove the pole coming out of the driver's head on the far right, but this is definitely a better photo in my opinion.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I'm a photojournalist and not big on rearranging elements in pictures. Yeah, the road is a bit of a stretch, although the racetrack is a kind of road I thought, and I was on the road at the time. I considered cutting out the second driver. That does work too.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I like the second version better also. I think it shows more action and an overall better composition. But I am really sorry I have to delete it from this thread, Please give it it's own thread in the critique section. You may link to it in this thread,

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

St3v3M wrote:

kymarto's WPC Entry has been selected for the Photo Critique Forum* to find out what could have done to make it better.
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A strong image with good depth and high impact relating to the silhouetted horse being the disappearing point of every virtual leading line of perspective. The dark horse in the foreground is a strong contributor to depth and perspective, although beyond the withers his extra mass is superfluous. I suggest a crop from the right to just behind his forelegs.
The silhouetted horse's posture in strong straining draught is particularly powerful.

I do admire this image.

Dave

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Here's a cropped version. I'm ambivalent about it. On the one hand, I think cutting out the body of the horse on the right brings emphasis to the horse on top the hill, but on the other hand I feel that it alters the compositional balance for the worse--puts the silhouetted horse too far to the right overall. I don't want to crop the cloud of condensation on the left either. It's not bad, but I'm not sure I prefer overall to the original. Both have pluses and minuses IMO.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Here's a cropped version. I'm ambivalent about it. On the one hand, I think cutting out the body of the horse on the right brings emphasis to the horse on top the hill, but on the other hand I feel that it alters the compositional balance for the worse--puts the silhouetted horse too far to the right overall. I don't want to crop the cloud of condensation on the left either. It's not bad, but I'm not sure I prefer overall to the original. Both have pluses and minuses IMO.