St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

NorthsideJoe has graciously volunteered their WPC 1322 - Doors entry for critique and analysis to find out what they could have done to make it better. Be nice, but be honest as this will help everyone with their craft. Thank you NorthsideJoe and thank you everyone!

from WPC 1322 - Doors RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=61

local artist (friend) house and garden with many art subjects local tourist attraction

Bamboo Loc: South Carolina

I don't know how to improve what you have. What I think I would have asked is to remove the plastic swans. Try shooting from different angles with all doors in focus. It also looks like it was shot with high sun. Morning or evening light might have been better.
(I am no expert I just play one on UHH.)

sadams Loc: Nampa, ID

I agree with Bamboo, Also maybe increase the hue and saturation to over emphasize the strong colors in the scene.

northsidejoe Loc: pittsburgh

Thank you for looking and the comments I am by no means making excuses for the picture in the wpc doors
that I have entered. your comment are 100 percent accurate. I was limited by space and angle and other items that I did not feel comfortable moving around.
see attached pictures of area.
my motto is I work with what I have to work with. lol
thank you again for looking and taking the time to
comment.
saying hello from Pittsburgh

wowbmw Loc: Grant, Colorado

Hey, thanks for posting examples of the conditions of your surroundings. I liked your image and agree with the comments you've already received. What may have worked against you was a similar image, at some levels, that actually placed first. It was less busy without the distractions of the plastic birds and very saturated (HDR?) which helped play up the artistic subject matter.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

I would prefer to shoot these head on for several reasons. The pictures contain extraneous and distracting elements because of the vanishing perspective. They also have limited depth of field making the doors further away from the camera annoyingly out of focus. (By time you stop down enough to get all the doors in focus, you may have too a slow shutter speed causing noticeable camera movement.) This creates the impression that the doors further away are less interesting or important. They may not be. Shooting head on keeps them all the same size or importance and in focus. I would stand back as far as possible and use a much longer focal length.

I would crop the picture to reduce unneeded foreground and background. Punching up the sharpness and saturation a bit would help.

And I would get rid of those swans. If you want something to break up the doors, have someone walk across them or a child playing in front of them.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

AL-Digital Loc: Alabama

I agree with abc123. I think that the doors feel cluttered and no main subject stands out in the picture. I think if you were to focus head on, maybe the first three doors and the statue in the image it would have a better chance to draw the viewer in. I like the effort and it looks like the area was limiting your ability to take the type photo you wanted. I find that when I feel like I am having to force a photo or make due that usually means it probably not going to make my keeper list.

Thanks for sharing
Al

birdpix Loc: South East Pennsylvania

This is nothing more than a documentary photograph of another artists work. It is no better than if you had gone to the Louvre and taken a picture of the Mona Lisa. It would be nothing more than a picture of the Mona Lisa.

To make a photo like this work it needs another layer of interest. Some examples: A close up juxtaposition of two doors that creates an interesting pattern on its own. A person interacting with the doors like peeking behind one or trying to open one. A door that is partially open suggesting something going on behind it. The artist himself seen pndering his own work.

The doors are interesting in and of themselves. They speak of the work of your artist friend. They say little about your work as a photographer.

Just my humble and respectful opinion.

northsidejoe Loc: pittsburgh

Thank you for looking and taking the time to comment.
Your critic and insight is very important to me.
And as I journey in to my photography hobby this type of information will help me along the way.
thank you again
saying hello from Pittsburgh

northsidejoe Loc: pittsburgh

thank you for taking the time to look and comment.
I just wanted to say I have viewed some of your post.
AND I AM HIGHLY RESPECTFULL OF YOUR OPINION
BASED ON YOUR SKILL LEVEL.
Your insight will help me become a much better photography and see things in a different perspective.
I am trying to excel to the next level.
yourself and the knowable people on uhh are helping me to do that thank you very much again.
saying hello from Pittsburgh.

jonsommer Loc: Usually, somewhere on the U.S. west coast.

Birdpix - your comments are very insightful, thought provoking, and will make me think much deeper about the photos I take.

Thanks for making me think!

Bram boy Loc: Vancouver Island B.C. Canada

It looks as if some one was really trying to make it look like a work of art .
And proceded to set every door just so . And probably had a bunch of kids pant the doors . The whole picture looks flat , nothing there to really
Catch your eye . Except a bunch of miss matched colour . It looks too set up to look good .

spectraflash Loc: Boston

I think this is a great shot as it is. The swans add an element of intrigue to the photo. Without the swans, the image would be less interesting. In a perfect world, there might be a distinguished character, perhaps smoking a pipe while admiring the doors. It might have improved the photo but details like that aren't something one can easily influence. As for depth-of-field, it's perfect as shot. The reason is, the foreground doors that are in focus have already defined that there is a row of interesting, colorful doors, each with a unique pattern. The distant doors do not need to be sharp since we've already surmised that there is a series of cool looking doors. We can tell they're all interesting to some degree, which is all that's needed to communicate the idea. It's like cropping off the top of a subject's head to better frame the face. We know what a head is shaped like so we don't always need to see all of it. We assume the rest of the person's head is there, just as we assume the other doors are equally interesting as the ones in focus. It's a great photo and thanks for sharing it.

2MATO Loc: CNY -Central NoWhere

Read your post on the portrait in another thread. You are clearly going to be an amazingly helpful new member. Your clear explanations are insightful and encouraging. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Ken Shilkun Loc: Central Texas

There are several elements which you cannot alter or lack permission to do.
1. The cloudy day diffusion is great for portraits where fine details need to be hidden. This scene requires sharp edges and contrasting colors. This effect is accentuated by bright sunlight. Waiting for a sunny day may not be an option.
2. The dirty bottoms to the swans are a distraction. They could be removed or set upright in such a way to lead the eye towards the doors.
3. Spatial constraints, in which the doors are located, prevent full frontal shot.

I assume (From your meta data) the settings f7.1 1/160 sec ISO-200, that you were shooting free hand. Sooo.
1. Set up tripod at the same location.
2. Use fill flash
3. Increase f stop to 16 or better for a broader in focus shot
4. Leave ISO-200,
5. Leave focal length at 18 mm,
6. Metering mode ? On mine it would be called Evaluative or all-around. I am not familiar with the term Pattern but I think they are the same.

:thumbup: