kenievans Loc: Dallas

I am a newbie to photography and really trying to learn and improve my skills. I have had my Canon T6 for about a year and half and I have read and watched a lot of tutorials on basic photography concepts and techniques. I try to always shoot in manual mode to force myself to think about what I have learned and try to apply it. I shoot in jpg not RAW. I don't think I am ready to jump into any major pp until I feel I have at least somewhat mastered the basics. I use Photoshop Express and Photoscape to do some simple editing but I have not done any editing to this photo. All that being said, I shot this photo this weekend driving home from my Dad's. A storm was tracking to the east and you could see the rain in the distance but the pasture was sunny and peaceful over the rolling hills. The clouds were beautiful and I wanted to capture the dichotomy of the storm and the peaceful field.

This was shot at 55mm F9 SS200 ISO 100. I know there are things I could do in PP to accentuate the clouds and the storm and take out the fence but I am looking at it from a compositional perspective. Is my depth of field correct to get the sense of the distance and rolling hills? Should I have cropped it closer and not taken such a wide view? Do the lines of the green grass lead you up the the clouds? Are the fence and the cow distracting? I am just not confident enough in my skills and I tend to second guess my decisions. Your comments and advise are welcome. Please feel free to download and work it. I have thick skin and I appreciate the honesty and feedback.

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R.G. Loc: Scotland

The fence and the cow create ambiguity about what the intended subject is - and therefore what the intended story is. The fence is a double no-no because it runs across the line of sight and therefore presents an obstacle rather than being something that will lead the eye into the scene. If the fence was photogenic or interesting in some way it could be justified, but it's neither of those things.

If you want the shot to be about the clouds and drama in the sky you'll have to create that drama in PP. As it is, it's just not eye-catching enough. A casual viewer would most likely not notice the sky and would assume that it's another rural scene of fields and rolling hills.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I would move closer to the fence so that you can shoot over it and not include it in the scene. Compose the scene so the cow is in the lower right 1/3 intersection. The real drama of this scene is going to be created in processing by burning the darker parts of the clouds, especially where the distant rain is falling, and dodging the brighter parts of the trees. The compositional effect of the threatening skies and the nonchalance of the cow calmly eating the grass provides a good situational contrast.
--Bob

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Hi Keni! I have no problem with the fence - perhaps because I made my peace with them years ago (I can't get closer because there is always a muddy ditch between me and the fence, and sometimes a guard dog, lol). Barbed wire, in particular, is commonplace here and my eye travels right over it in your composition as a natural part of farms and ranches.

Focus and depth of field seem very nice for the scene. The "line of green grass" (open space moving up the hill) might be better seen with a bit of cropping. Below is one example, though with this version, some fence removal might be in order, after all

I concur with Bob's feedback of "The compositional effect of the threatening skies and the nonchalance of the cow calmly eating the grass provides a good situational contrast."

Regarding pp of the sky, I tried to use an online app called befunky.com ($35/year for all the features) but because I have a more robust editor and plug-ins, I haven't taken the time to learn it. So these edits are with a little more advanced program (PS Elements, the Photoshop wanna-be, plus a filter in a plug-in called Nik). This interpretation is offered just to give you an idea of whether more drama would be desirable to the story you want to tell.

The primary Nik filter I used mimics a real graduated neutral density filter; it darkens the sky area. But I also "painted" (dodge and burn, as Bob mentions) areas darker and lighter selectively.

I think your instinct for concentrating on composition (for now) is terrific and I hope you'll visit the FYC section often as you progress on your journey!

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Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Triangles, thirds, and threes. And the cow no longer feeds on barbed wire.

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wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

I concur with R.G.and rmalarz. The 50/50 split makes it unclear as to subject. By making the clouds and sky 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the picture, the sky being the subject becomes more clear with the foreground becoming the supporting role. And I agree that shooting over the top of the fence eliminates a distracting item from the shot. Also, in this case, you might want to play around with underexposing the shot a little. That would add a more brooding ominous tone to the shot without any PP. Remember that the camera meter wants to make any really dark clouds 18% gray which is really not that dark.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

One more thing, you don't need any thick skin for this shot. It's a good starting shot at trying to produce a concept. Remember where you took this shot and try it again following some of the suggestions. I think you will be very pleased with yourself and the results.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

I think what I am getting is I need to simplify and be more decisive about what my subject is, then enhance that subject in pp. I cloned out the top of the fence to give some more room under the cow then cropped it to give more focus on the sky. I also darkened the sky. My little free pp programs don't allow for much more finessing than that. I tried my hand at lightening up portions of the clouds but it looked like I took a highlighter and just scribble on it even after blurring the edges. Other than that I really like the difference it made. Its much more dramatic and I really like the cow. Thank you all for your help. I feel very good about the results.

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Terrific! Regarding simplifying and being decisive about subject, MinnieV has a great term: kitchen sink photography. She loves it and I love it. There are certainly many examples of successful landscapes where the entire scene is the subject. Many are probably successful due to having our eyes helped through the scene via leading lines (including with use of light) + depth - layers of interest that include foreground, middle and distance.

Having said that, I usually find it's a lot easier to crop someone else's image than my own

artBob Loc: Near Chicago

You have a good idea: the photo has a reason for you. So, you "just" have to make sure the photo becomes the way you saw it. The camera will rarely see it that way. Bringing up the aspects that fascinated you, the threatening sky, the serene pastureland, the unsuspecting cow--all will help. Include only what you need. Supposedly, Michelangelo when asked how he made his sculptures said, "Why, I just take away what doesn't belong!"
The other thing is composition. I'd go to the library or google, search "composition" or "design," and select some source that interests you. Most all books and courses cover the same principles, so just pick one that looks good to you.
Then, shoot and work, work, work variations. Soon, after, say 30-50 shots and post-processing, you, like an athlete, will have to think about what to do a lot less; you'll just do stuff to make the photo work better.
Here's my processing, taking my own advice. There are other solutions.

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kenievans Loc: Dallas

I am currently doing an online tutorial on composition by Ben Long and shooting the exercises. He talks about "working the shot", moving around to find the lines or shapes that lead the eye. When I cropped that last post I struggled with centering the top green field as you did but I didn't want to give up that white cloud. I went for the cloud instead of a more balanced look. If I had better software i might have been able to move it over.

I love being able to talk this out with ya"ll. You don't get that online.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

I meant online as in a video tutirial.

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

A big part of the learning process is just being aware of all the elements within a composition. I don't think the fence is at all egregious. It just needs a reason for being there. Was it part of the picture you saw in your head, that caused you to stop. It can be very beneficial to take a little time just looking through the viewfinder. Take time to evaluate the possibilities. It will help you train your eye for composition, and catch things like the placement of the cow.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

I did see a picture in my head and it included the cow. I tend to just jump in and I should temper that with a little more thought before I get snap happy. One suggestion I got from a tutorial was to run your eyes around the edges of the frame before you hit the shutter button to better focus on the details in the shot rather than the compositions as a whole. Maybe I should make a check list.

Thanks

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Sometimes jumping in is the initial step followed by slowing down to see what other views there might be. There are sometimes that if I hadn't shot first and thought later there would not have been a shot later because it disappeared after the first and only shot. Getting a shot at all can sometimes out weight thinking about how to shoot the shot and having it all disappear. Each situation can be different.