Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

I am not going to give my own thoughts on this photograph, except the settings, until after some critiques. I am interested in positives or negatives regarding interest, exposure, composition etc. and you are welcome to ask me any questions during the critiquing process. Natural overcast lighting, camera handheld.

If you wish to edit and repost the photograph please ask for permission from me. I am submitting the download to help facilitate the critique.

Thanks 8-)

ISO 800, 918mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec

Wendy2 Loc: California

OK...it is slightly over exposed and the main subject, the float, is out of focus. The composition is good though.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Here goes. I disagree with Wendy is all that needs to be as your eye goes right to the POI. I will grant her that the whole bobber is not in focus.
I like the composition and the image tells an all to common story. Common in that there are many who can relate to it. I like that the only color in the photo is the bobber and I also like the tangle of out of focus branches in the background that add to the story. You are never going to get that bobber out without cutting some line.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Nightski?

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Opps Wendy. :oops:

Bushpilot Loc: Minnesota

I think the composition is OK, but, in my view it doesn't have much impact. I would like to see this more in context, maybe the lake or river in the background or the fisherman looking up at it with his fishing rod in hand.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

Love the concept of winter's testimony silent...and maybe even poignant testimony to a summer moment...and your technical execution. I just wish the result of last summer's accident were smaller and at the upper right intersection in the R.O.T. graph. This image elicits in my " mind's ear" the sound of a small child crying at the bobber's loss, or the man's expletive when he realized why the pole tip was suddenly restrained in its sweep!

Dave in SD

Pierre H.J. Dumais Loc: Mississippi Mills, Ont.

First of all, I have no problem with the focus.
I dropped this into an editing program and gave it a modest bit of sharpening -- and voila the line or wire as it goes into the black part (the hub), are quite sharp. I suggest that everyone else try this without needlessly barging in on your thread.
I suspect my friend that you are giving us a little test and purposely did not sharpen the image. There has been a lot written saying that all digital images need some sharpening. That's the nature of the beast vs. film.
You shot ar f5.6 but my preference is that there is yet too much DOF and therefore the out of focus branches in the BG are, to me, a distraction. Put it another way, another lens might give you different Bokeh.
My preference would be to crop tighter and as a vertical.

Some months ago you mentioned a Nikon D7100. Did you buy one and use it for this shot at 1.33 crop? I am just curious here and in no way critical.
Finally, thanks for making this forum fun and friendly.

Pierre

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

Hi Pierre,
I will comment on your post and the others after a bit more time to see if there are more critiques. In the meantime you are welcome to post the version you discuss above if you like. 8-)

Pierre H.J. Dumais Loc: Mississippi Mills, Ont.

Have done this on my ipad using Photogene.
Heck! I can even see little bits of fuzz on line or cord. I have also done a very quick crop.
Incidentally, i do not consider my preference to be immutable laws of photography.
Pierre

Sharpening to 1.5 in Photogene speak

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

Here's a bit of background regarding the photograph. Went with friends to a park to see if there was any decent foliage to see (there wasn't). I remembered the forum challenge was on minimalism, so decided to try and find something within the theme to photograph.

I couldn't find much, but did get a few potentials. This was the one I placed in the challenge, where it justifiably did poorly. I am happy to note that the pictures I voted for all did very well. :)

Anyway, this hanging bobbin was across a body of water and it was not feasible to try to swim to it. My settings were horrendous.....ISO 800 in order to expose at a mere 1/80 of a second using an aperture of f/5.6 at 918mm and no tripod. The aperture was fine as I wanted to obliterate the background. So hell, took about six shots of the bloody bobbin and moved on.

Post processing I cropped to attempt a decent composition and had to attempt to reduce some noise due to the high ISO, which of course further softened the already crappy focus. I did sharpen the black top of the bobbin and the two lines leading from the branch to the bobbin, the rest I left as is. I hoped, wrongly, that because the body of the bobbin doesn't have many details anyway.....I could slide it by even with the overall soft focus. Wendy immediately caught it. :D

So....not a very good image, but one that is certainly different and does, most definitely tell a story. Many of us have had a bobbin, lure, or hook "hung up" while fishing. 8-)

Pierre H.J. Dumais Loc: Mississippi Mills, Ont.

Well there you go -- I was full of baloney.
So no cigar!
Anyway, it was fun trying to figure out what you were up to.

I'm assuming you used a 500mm lens and set the image area to 1.33 crop which gave you 988mm. How in heaven were you able to hold it even to focus? Now in my 80s, I can't do that.

Pierre

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

You weren't full of baloney at all. I did sharpen the area you considered in focus, the lines and top of the bobbin, so you were correct. As to the rest of the bobbin, again you were right as I did not sharpen it. Not for a test, but hopefully not draw the eyes there for half-assed focus when I wanted those eyes looking at the lines and black top. I didn't accomplish that though.

I was using the SX50 so that was the actual 35mm equivalent focal length....988mm with optical zoom. The camera has an amazing image stabilizer but couldn't overcome the extreme focal length coupled with the 1/80 exposure. I have always had very steady hands, and can accurately fire a weapon, but as the years march on losing that steadiness. I could have upped the ISO, but had enough noise to deal with already. 8-)

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

Still haven't purchased the D7100, hopefully by next spring.

Thanks for the compliment concerning the forum. Critique can, and should, be given in an honest but diplomatic and polite manner without the use of negative catch phrases or words. I do my best to critique in a positive, constructive manner, but give me a kick Pierre if I stray. Insensitive critique will keep folks from trying and participating in this Section. 8-)

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

I like your edit, and now am wondering if perhaps I should have tried to sharpen the line separating the two colors on the bobbin. 8-)