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Aug 29, 2019 00:55:45   #
kcooke Loc: Alabama
 
County line cemetery

ISO 100
1/320 sec
f11
Taken at 1:13pm in stark sunlight
Raw image processed With Darktable
Canon 6D mkII
Canon 17-40 f4 L @ 19mm

I’m looking for your critiques on this recent photograph. I am learning to use a wide angle lens. Fortunately if you say I should retake this I can do so with relative ease at any time of day. I’m especially interested in input on composition. Thank you in advance


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Aug 29, 2019 02:23:52   #
wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado
 
kcooke wrote:
County line cemetery

ISO 100
1/320 sec
f11
Taken at 1:13pm in stark sunlight
Raw image processed With Darktable
Canon 6D mkII
Canon 17-40 f4 L @ 19mm

I’m looking for your critiques on this recent photograph. I am learning to use a wide angle lens. Fortunately if you say I should retake this I can do so with relative ease at any time of day. I’m especially interested in input on composition. Thank you in advance


Judges are aways "fun" (or funny in more than one sense of the word). The best point of view would be 5 to 10 feet above the tree looking down into the graveyard from 2 or maybe 3 times the distance you were from the tree. I am sure that would be easily possible. About the only item that might make this a more exciting scene from this point of view would be a "better" sky and maybe a lower angle lighting. You have done a very good job of capturing what you saw and what was there. But imagine the sky filled with a towering foreboding thunderhead cloud, filling the view of the sky, with low angled light lighting up the tree's remains against the dark cloud and the grave stones in the back ground. Don't know how far away this is from where you live, but it could be worth a visit back each time the weather report indicates a storm in the area.

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Aug 29, 2019 02:40:59   #
wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado
 
kcooke wrote:
County line cemetery

ISO 100
1/320 sec
f11
Taken at 1:13pm in stark sunlight
Raw image processed With Darktable
Canon 6D mkII
Canon 17-40 f4 L @ 19mm

I’m looking for your critiques on this recent photograph. I am learning to use a wide angle lens. Fortunately if you say I should retake this I can do so with relative ease at any time of day. I’m especially interested in input on composition. Thank you in advance


One more thought; even if you don't own a hot air balloon for the shot from above the tree, you might want to experiment with a step stool or ladder to show off more of the headstones of the cemetary. The suject is worth a few more shots.

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Aug 29, 2019 02:51:05   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
wdross wrote:
One more thought; even if you don't own a hot air balloon for the shot from above the tree, you might want to experiment with a step stool or ladder to show off more of the headstones of the cemetary. The suject is worth a few more shots.


These days that is what Drone Cameras are for.

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Aug 29, 2019 02:55:07   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
wdross wrote:
Judges are aways "fun" (or funny in more than one sense of the word). The best point of view would be 5 to 10 feet above the tree looking down into the graveyard from 2 or maybe 3 times the distance you were from the tree. I am sure that would be easily possible. About the only item that might make this a more exciting scene from this point of view would be a "better" sky and maybe a lower angle lighting. You have done a very good job of capturing what you saw and what was there. But imagine the sky filled with a towering foreboding thunderhead cloud, filling the view of the sky, with low angled light lighting up the tree's remains against the dark cloud and the grave stones in the back ground. Don't know how far away this is from where you live, but it could be worth a visit back each time the weather report indicates a storm in the area.
Judges are aways "fun" (or funny in more... (show quote)


Dawn and Dusk are usually the best times for landscapes. I like the prominence of the dead tree. But if you could shoot from at least the level of the top of it. And yes, still include the tree.

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Aug 29, 2019 12:04:20   #
kcooke Loc: Alabama
 
[quote=wdross]Judges are aways "fun" (or funny in more than one sense of the word).

In this photo I am about 12 feet from the tree. I was trying to put something interesting in the foreground. I can definitely experiment with sky, time of day, angle of view etcetera. Our lakehouse is about 1/2 mile away and I am here about 40% of the time. It just looked better as black and white vs color at this time of day. And I think B&w fits the subject. Thanks for your thoughts on this. I will continue to work with this subject.

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Aug 29, 2019 12:07:12   #
kcooke Loc: Alabama
 
lamiaceae wrote:
Dawn and Dusk are usually the best times for landscapes. I like the prominence of the dead tree. But if you could shoot from at least the level of the top of it. And yes, still include the tree.


Thanks for the tips. I will try to shoot from a 10 foot stepladder next time. That won’t put me level with the top of the tree but I think it will help.

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Aug 29, 2019 12:23:14   #
via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP
 
kcooke wrote:
County line cemetery

ISO 100
1/320 sec
f11
Taken at 1:13pm in stark sunlight
Raw image processed With Darktable
Canon 6D mkII
Canon 17-40 f4 L @ 19mm

I’m looking for your critiques on this recent photograph. I am learning to use a wide angle lens. Fortunately if you say I should retake this I can do so with relative ease at any time of day. I’m especially interested in input on composition. Thank you in advance


Ask yourself, as you compose a shot, what is my subject, what is my message, what is the story that I want to tell the viewer? Is your story the tree or is it the graveyard and the tombstones? I think the tombstones might tell a more emotional story and can do so without the tree; if they were intended to be your primary subject then try to figure out a why, with the wide angle, to tell your story about them. It's a challenge to do this.

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Aug 29, 2019 17:05:51   #
kcooke Loc: Alabama
 
[quote=via the lens]Ask yourself, as you compose a shot, what is my subject, what is my message, what is the story that I want to tell the viewer?

To me the tree draws you in for a closer look and it was my subject. It’s a dead tree overlooking the dead folks in this tiny cemetery. Sort of a sentinel if you will.

As you said it really is a challenge. I will revisit this and try it with the tombstones as the story leaving the dead tree out of the composition to see if I like that effect. That so much for your input!

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Aug 30, 2019 05:25:39   #
dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida
 
I would flip horizontally so that one reads from short to tall... in our western culture that is how we read, left to right.

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Aug 30, 2019 09:45:49   #
AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!
 
I think without the tree, it wouldn't have much interest. Yes, there are lots of gravestones, and yes, they are always interesting. But having a dead tree among them is quite symbolic!

I like this image, and I think the perspective and idea are fine. Not sure about flipping it. Somehow those always look "wrong" to me. What I do see is that when I look at the thumbnail I can't see a lot of definition in the lower part (the grasses and stones). It's sort of all the same shade of grey. When I zoom in, that changes, so perhaps looking at a print - which to me is the ultimate test of an image - it would be fine. But I'm wondering if there were a way to bring out more definition and contrasts in that lower portion.

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Aug 30, 2019 12:05:32   #
lightchime Loc: Somewhere Over The Rainbow
 
dpullum wrote:
I would flip horizontally so that one reads from short to tall... in our western culture that is how we read, left to right.


Mr Pullum, you frequently make this comment. I have frequency observed you saying it and I consider it to be very limiting in concept. It may be true that many live in a western society, the backgrounds of those involved with UHH are varied by cultural heritage.

Many of have us have been taught to read starting with the upper left and proceeding to the lower right. There are those who start their reading with eye movements from the upper right (think of Hebrew) or of Asians from the lower right.

An artist may attempt to avoid your thoughts by using light or dark areas or different colors or shapes and sizes; perhaps changing the composition by changing the position of the camera. At times, the artist may not consider the largest element to be where he wants you to initially proceed. Balance and lack of balance are considerations.

Of course, the photographer may not have wanted to flip the reality of the scene: or he may have agreed with your intentions as an artistic element - but that is not the way it was.

I don't necessary disagree with you, but it is a knee jerk response of what seems to a failure to consider the entire effort of another.

Think larger and consider all of the decisions and limitations of the photographer. Your choice is yours.

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Aug 30, 2019 12:10:20   #
waymond Loc: Pflugerville, Texas
 
Composition is good.

I would try to lighten the final product.

Good job.

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Aug 30, 2019 13:47:40   #
kcooke Loc: Alabama
 
[quote=AzPicLady]I think without the tree, it wouldn't have much interest.

The tree has had my interest for about 34 years. I like the tree and that’s why I wanted to feature it along with the cloud structure
As you pointed out , I definitely need to work in the lower portion and will do that for sure. Thanks for your insight

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Aug 30, 2019 13:50:17   #
kcooke Loc: Alabama
 
waymond wrote:
Composition is good.

I would try to lighten the final product.

Good job.


Thanks I will do that

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