21mm vs. 50mm Perspective: Pick One (Page 5): Thank you for looking. After reading all the comments, the tree in the middle bothers me a bit more than it did before. But, you have to...

whwiden

Michael1079 wrote:

My preference is the first one, with the 21mm. The reason is due to the overall impact of the two primary subjects: The statue of Jeff Davis and the Dexter Avenue Church. I felt that the subjects created a disparate impact. It is a remarkable photo. Photos should tell a story: this first one most certainly does - IMHO

Best wishes and thanks for posting both

Thank you for looking. After reading all the comments, the tree in the middle bothers me a bit more than it did before. But, you have to photograph the scene as you find it. With the space around it, it may be the better documentary photo. But the 50mm may have more impact or is more jarring. I like both for memories, but . . .

whwiden

n3eg wrote:

Has to be #2. I almost always prefer the 50mm FOV.

I generally have a bias for the 50mm--my most used lens for film. However, I am trying to learn how to shoot with more of a mix of focal lengths. Thanks for looking.

whwiden

jumpingjim wrote:

I too liked the 50mm picture better. The closeness of the statue makes it fell more compelling plus I like the way the tree limb extends out from the top right to break up the (too abundant) amount of sky. Often in landscape paintings, the artist will extend a tree or limb from the right or left to fill in too much blank space such as the ocean or in the case the sky. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for looking. I agree that the tree placement is much better in the 50mm photo.

tomcat

Why don't you go down to the front steps of the church and then shoot back towards Jefferson, using a 70-200mm lens or longer? Just thinking that it would be interesting to see the perspective of him gazing at the church from the capital steps.

whwiden

tomcat wrote:

Why don't you go down to the front steps of the church and then shoot back towards Jefferson, using a 70-200mm lens or longer? Just thinking that it would be interesting to see the perspective of him gazing at the church from the capital steps.

That is a very interesting idea. Thank you.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

leftj wrote:

Neither one grabs me.

Me either.

I like your idea but no one will get it with an image from behind.

It might not be possible without photoshopping an overlay.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

tomcat wrote:

Why don't you go down to the front steps of the church and then shoot back towards Jefferson, using a 70-200mm lens or longer? Just thinking that it would be interesting to see the perspective of him gazing at the church from the capital steps.

If possible that might work better.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

You need to be from the south to understand. The leftist media isn’t.

hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

I guess I'll be the odd duck here; I like #1 best. There is more of a "story" there, whereas, in my humble opinion, #2 is a snapshot.

ncrichar

I think your photo critique should focus as much on position as on focal length.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

whwiden wrote:

True. The sad thing here is that I did not just point and shoot. Yet the result is less than I hoped. I was looking for some kind of meaningful contrast to provoke reflection. But also, for a technically solid photo. Thus, not the compete package I was hoping for.

Yeah, I hear you. To do what you wanted, you might have needed a tall ladder further away from the statue so you could get the head of the statue and the church in a relative position where it appears the statue is looking at the church. By being further away and using a longer lens, the church would occupy more of the frame. Then it the story might have been more clear.

But maybe not. It can help to do a simple pencil sketch of what you would like the final result to look like. I do not mean a sell-able sketch, a simple oval for the head/statue and rectangle for the church in the positions and relative sizes you want them would do as a guide. Then you have to find a position and lens that gets you to your vision.