Craigdca Loc: California

I’m open to comments and suggestions. This was taken late in the afternoon in the shadow of the canyon walls.

Handheld OM System OM-1, M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO II

F/8, 1/20s (yes a slow shutter speed), ISO 400.

Processed in DXO PureRaw2, then RawTherapee and finally some minor orange and Yellow adjustments in Lightroom Mobile.

Post Process OK for this exercise only

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dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Forgive me if I missed something but I can’t help but wonder what is the focus of your photograph, what is the point of interest you want us to see?

The river is somewhat hidden as is the bridge the people are too small to be of interest so that leaves an unremarkable group of trees.

I looked up hummock, sometimes called hammock in the South. The definition was rolling mound. The group of trees could perhaps qualify. Is that your focus point?

Dennis

Craigdca Loc: California

My goof! This is the correct photo from the same session.

CORRECTED PHOTO

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Craigdca Loc: California

Hi Dennis. Unfortunately I goofed and posted the wrong photo as you’ll see I’ve now added the correct picture. On the other hand, thank you for this excellent critique of what was just an atmospheric shot with long exposure for the moving water. Not the greatest at all as people moved. Your feedback definitely adds to my understanding of composition and storytelling.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

You are very welcome. Now please accept my comments on the real photograph. Yes there is a hammock in the picture but in my estimation it is too small/too far away to be of any significance to the photograph. The hammock is brightly colored but only stands out because you tell us it is there.

Perhaps others will have a different more positive opinion.

Dennis

Craigdca Loc: California

Thanks for the follow through. Let’s see what others share and suggestions for improvement, similar to the weekly my view but without the voting.

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

Craig, I will weigh in with observations that I believe reflect the typical viewer and that of course is based on the individual viewing the photograph. There may be some (perhaps the people in the hammock) where the composition means something special and reminds them of the experience. However, when my eye takes in the image I first see the "thicket" or multitude of branches and elicits an unpleasant feeling of trying to navigate through the thicket. My eyes then go to the red bright spot and it takes some zooming in to determine what it is. There is also, a creek drawing attention and a few bright leaves floating about. The creek is broken up by the thicket and trees which does not lead us through the image in any way. Also, the large foreground of leaves on the ground is not helpful to the image.

Now, my suggestions. I would look for an angle where the creek leads us through the image and eliminates much of the distracting stuff for lack of a better word. I would be tempted as uncomfortable as it would be to lay flat on the ground crawling up to that fallen tree and frame the image using the triangular shaped opening where the tree is falling. Possibly, the creek would lead our eye through the image to the hammock which in a closer view would be more identifiable. That may not work as imagined. If not look for another composition which simplifies the viewing and tells a story.

My take on the image.

Jay

Craigdca Loc: California

Hi Jay, that is genius to see the low triangle to shoot through. It even matches the angles of the hammock. That would have been awesome and your comments have taught my eyes to see better.

My camera has a swivel screen that lets me lower the camera and easily look down at the screen without having to lie down.

Thanks for writing.

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Hip Coyote

Greetings. I have been off UHH for quite a while but came back to look at the photo critique section. I am the moderator of this subsection. I am going to be blunt on this post.

A few observations:

A discerning eye is most important in photography. I hate to say, but IMO, these photos are problematic for a number of reasons. There is no definitive subject for the eye to cling to, the image is messy with trees going every which way, the intended subject, people in a hammock, are barely visible and orange demands attention when there is not much there. The viewer has to try to figure out what exactly you are trying to show...and it isnt easy. There is water that is barely visible. With some exceptions, photographic art demands a subject....there is no subject in these shots. The crop is no better. When going through my photos I delete about 90% of my shots and only keep the better ones. I only display the best ones. This is not a photo I would display and it cannot be resurrected.

I see that you are in Los Angeles (Eaton Canyon). I suggest you affiliate with a camera club near you that has professionals / high level amateurs evaluating photos of its members and that you seek guidance and continuing education there. The Thousand Oaks Photo Group (TOPG.org) is one such club. I highly recommend it.

I am sorry to be blunt. But this photo, IMO, is not salvageable.

Craigdca Loc: California

Ouch, that was definitely blunt. I learned from Jay’s comments, though, so I’m glad I posted it for the learning opportunity I was seeking.

In any case, this is another shot that is composed around the subject of a rain-filled stream which is significant in my parched region.

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