Set a spell: As I was taking a walk this morning, I spied this chair and a dingy underneath a raised deck. The house is right on the beach of a bay. The composition relies on the...

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

As I was taking a walk this morning, I spied this chair and a dingy underneath a raised deck. The house is right on the beach of a bay. The composition relies on the concept of "less is more" in black and white. I'd be very interested in your impressions.
Erich

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BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

My two cents: set a spell is a decent title but for me the framing is to tight around the chair and there is no place for my feet or head. The light and angle work well for me. I don't know anything about film, processing or printing but the "look" of the shot feels comfortable to me.

Edit: I guess I was trying to say the shot would benefit with a bit more negative space (for me).

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

BassmanBruce wrote:

My two cents: set a spell is a decent title but for me the framing is to tight around the chair and there is no place for my feet or head. The light and angle work well for me. I don't know anything about film, processing or printing but the "look" of the shot feels comfortable to me.

Edit: I guess I was trying to say the shot would benefit with a bit more negative space (for me).

Your point is well taken. I did not even think about the framing being too tight; but now that you mention it....I can absolutely see your point. I'm glad you liked the light and the angle. I spent a lot of time walking around the scene. The house is butted right up to a boardwalk. I would not want to live there because it is like having people walk through your front yard all day long. But it did offer me an opportunity to shoot the scene and try different angles and perspectives without actually going on the person's property. (something I would not do without permission). Thanks for taking a look.
BTW, I love your avatar.
Erich

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

Nice composition Erich, and yes, the subject suits b&w nicely. You’ve already agreed on more space required, which will make a big difference. For an Englishman your title may be a little confusing - I expected to see something to do with witches, cauldrons and the like! That you were offering ‘Sit A While’ became clear though, and I doubt it will be long before ‘set’ has the same meaning here.

Dave Chinn

ebrunner wrote:

As I was taking a walk this morning, I spied this chair and a dingy underneath a raised deck. The house is right on the beach of a bay. The composition relies on the concept of "less is more" in black and white. I'd be very interested in your impressions.
Erich

Even though this has a relaxed look and feel to it, I would like to see a little more of the surrounding area, if that were possible. I can only imagine at this point, based on your description of it being on the beach of a bay. Yes, if your goal was "less is more" then you have achieved it. This is not to say I don't like this image. It does stir the imagination of what else is there.
Dave

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I must disagree with previous comments. The tight crop gives an artistic look to the scene; giving more room around the subject would, to me, make it just another average photo of a chair. Don’t change a thing.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I like the textures and tones, and some of the lines, agree about too-tight framing. I'm having a problem with the boat. It's not immediately apparent to me what it is and the featureless white of the side is distracting. It would be neat to see what other views you might have available if you're able to go back.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

magnetoman wrote:

Nice composition Erich, and yes, the subject suits b&w nicely. You’ve already agreed on more space required, which will make a big difference. For an Englishman your title may be a little confusing - I expected to see something to do with witches, cauldrons and the like! That you were offering ‘Sit A While’ became clear though, and I doubt it will be long before ‘set’ has the same meaning here.

Ah those idioms! It is not a phrase I use in speech, I was just borrowing it from the colloquial lexicon. Thanks for taking a look. More space seems to be the general consensus.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Dave Chinn wrote:

Even though this has a relaxed look and feel to it, I would like to see a little more of the surrounding area, if that were possible. I can only imagine at this point, based on your description of it being on the beach of a bay. Yes, if your goal was "less is more" then you have achieved it. This is not to say I don't like this image. It does stir the imagination of what else is there.
Dave

One of the things that is not evident in the shot, that did make my decision for me was the fact that, if you broadened the shot there would have been a lot of clutter since this was under a deck and the area was being used for storage. That was one reason to keep it tight; but I can understand that a little more context would be a good thing.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

jaymatt wrote:

I must disagree with previous comments. The tight crop gives an artistic look to the scene; giving more room around the subject would, to me, make it just another average photo of a chair. Don’t change a thing.

At this point I could not change the photo to give more room. I'm also in agreement with you that it works as photographed. I do understand what the others are getting at. My preference though, is to keep it as shot. I'm glad you agree with me.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Linda From Maine wrote:

I like the textures and tones, and some of the lines, agree about too-tight framing. I'm having a problem with the boat. It's not immediately apparent to me what it is and the featureless white of the side is distracting. It would be neat to see what other views you might have available if you're able to go back.

I'm tempted now, after reading the many comments, to go back and see if there was an angle I missed. Or, which is possible, if the things under the deck have been rearranged. The tight shot was my preference and probably still is. The notion that there is not enough detail in the white, featureless contours of the boat has not come up. It is not very far from my house. I might just have to take another walk down there.
erich