Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Attempting to tell stories with minimal elements, and using negative space effectively. Feedback and suggestions would be much appreciated.

NOTES:
1. I made a major change to the composition in pp. Can you tell what it is?

2. The sun glints were serendipity I've covered up a lot of sunlit dust specks. Will do more if I keep this. Would you crop? In what way?

3. Too abstract? Crop?

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working on Flickr
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Buick on Flickr
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under the bridge on Flickr

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Linda, I really like the Buick! #3 is interesting, but I cannot "grasp" enough in the photo to truly appreciate it.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Thanks so much for your time, Mike. What I have been really loving about the Facebook Create 52 Group is many weeks the theme is something that gets me to see stuff in a different way (like the "abstract" b&w of the row of garages). So, walking Trixie early this morning, I happened to see this light on my neighbor's Buick - a "scene" I've walked by hundreds of times - and my brain engaged for minimalism (next week's theme )!

Best to you.

srt101fan

I very much like #1; mysterious in its simplicity, open to a variety of interpretations. What is the man doing? Is it constructive or destructive? Looking at the position of the shovel, I could imagine the machine turning on its operator... (I once saw a terrible, low-budget sci-fi movie called "Killdozer"!). I'm puzzled by your comment #1, did you move the whole bobcat from the right to the left side?

Although I find #2 and #3 interesting, they leave me somewhat "adrift". In both cases, the visual elements don't come together well for me, particularly #2, which almost seems like two pictures.

Fun stuff to look at.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Thank you Peter! I have a few other compositions of the Buick and of course can crop; I plan to revisit that after a day or two.

Very neat that you found #1 to be of interest. My lens didn't offer a wider view so I extended the canvas and copy/pasted more sky to the area above the dozer, then copy/pasted and dragged/stretched the right side. Here is the original image and the aspect with new canvas. I did a little touch-up at the seam of the sky, but overall it appeared to look better than I expected

Thanks again!

(Download)

srt101fan

Great work extending the canvas! It really changes the original image, doesn't it, in more ways than just the physical size!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

It was all about increasing real estate and sky while keeping man and machine unchanged

It's sort of the opposite of what fstop12 showed us last year - where you enlarge the subject relative to the rest: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-587748-1.html

Thanks again!

SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

Hello Linda,

My favorite and very minimalistic is your second image. It contains the barest of information needed to tell your story. The black background is perfect since it excludes everything no necessary to the story. The emblem with its rich colors clearly declares "Buick", but that's all. The grill by itself might not even be recognizable on its own. But, the simple repeating pattern at the bottom of the image does complete the story. With the emblem included it's easily identified as a grill. Both components combined tells the viewer that this is the automobile, not just a simple emblem. Either part of the image by themselves isn't of much interest nor do they tell any kind of story. But both together complete the story without the need for anything else. IMO, this is an excellent image that would look good on any wall or advertisement.

In your first image, I feel there is to much information confusing the message. There's too much detail with the man in the cab of the bobcat, what is the cat doing, where is it going, etc. Also, the foreground has a lot of detail in it to allows the viewer to wander around in and explore. Overall there is too much detail for the eye to view and explore. I would explore a different crop, cropping out most of the bobcat, leaving in only the arm and scoop, possible making it significantly bigger. I would also explore de-sharpening the foreground to reduce detail that would attract the eye. It might also be more effective in B&W since I don't feel the colors adds anything to the story.

In your third image, it is just the opposite of your first. It has so little detail that I can't tell what it is, even with your description. I gave up on that one.

Just another opinion.

Mike

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

There is a fine line between minimalist and abstract. 1 and 2 fit my definition of minimalist. I think 3 enters the realm of the abstract because it is hard to tell what you are photographing. Two is my favorite; but I like 1 as well. You mentioned negative space. 1 is all about that and I think it works. I've been preoccupied with this topic most of this summer. The majority of my attempts are not very good. I did do a study of a glass bottle with a very dark background. I'll post it, if you want; but I don't want to hijack your thread without permission.
Erich

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

Love the Buick marque and grill. A jewel on blue with a base of silver.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Thanks so much for taking the time to offer an in-depth critique, Mike. Though I've read several articles and viewed photo examples from others, it helps greatly to have specific feedback.

I very much appreciate! I will explore your suggestions for #1 and probably dump #3

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Yes, please share your example. I thought of creating a "share" topic, but those become difficult to have in-depth conversations around specific works. Many thanks Erich!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Thank you, Neil, glad you enjoyed! A "scene" I walk by several times a day, but the combination of yesterday morning's early light (have you noticed the lower angle of sun already? Yippee!) and the minimalist theme for next week's Facebook Group caused me to see.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

The first one is great, Linda. It's my kind of photo--nice job with the editing. The Buick is pleasingly interesting after I realized it was one photo, and I honestly don’t have a clue as to what the third one is. It is a pleasing pattern, though. Nice work on all of these.

Side note from me, an old farmer, that the man with the Bobcat is grading. He’s moving backwards; one can tell from the direction of the dust.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Great to have an "old" farmer on hand to describe the activity 😊 I was curious, but I was more hoping he'd simply move further away so I could get the wider shot with the lens I had.

Many thanks for your time and interest!