Big Drum

spb13

Looking for feedback on this shot.

rutt

Interesting subject, but the composition detracts. What about:

thoth

I dig the conversion but agree that the composition makes it difficult to view. I think I would prefer a crop like this:

bdcolen

thoth wrote:

I dig the conversion but agree that the composition makes it difficult to view. I think I would prefer a crop like this:

You're both on the right track - it works as a 'single,' but not as a double.

spb13

Interesting...you fixed the shot by just cropping out all the parts that bothered me. I guess I was thinking having him in the shot told a more complete story. Maybe I need to stop thinking so much and trust my instinct a little more.

Now I need to go back and look at the shots I have of just her.

Thanks for the input!

bdcolen

spb13 wrote:

Interesting...you fixed the shot by just cropping out all the parts that bothered me. I guess I was thinking having him in the shot told a more complete story. Maybe I need to stop thinking so much and trust my instinct a little more.

Now I need to go back and look at the shots I have of just her.

Thanks for the input!

Your original shot does tell the story better, but it's a bit of a mess photographically. If you were assigned by a newspaper to get a shot that 'tells the story,' your original, mess and all, is it. If you want a single, strong image, then you definitely want the crop. Are you going for story telling, or 'art?'

Wil Davis

What story are you telling here?

I saw Kodō in Boston way back in the mid-1990s and as part of the show, the ōdaiko (Big Drum) was going to be played by a mere woman (yes, I know pre-PC), but in that time, this was going to be a major event, never having happened before etc. etc.

What a great show! Fabulous drummers and enormously entertaining. There were also a couple of Shamisen players as well, truly amazing performance.

So, where was the picture we're seeing here taken?

- Wil

BTW - I think your pic should be left as is, else it just looks like any old drum, whereas the ōdaiko is really something very special!

PS: Do you have a colour version?

Edit: (quote from the web) "The group, then known as Ondekoza, had a powerful impact at its North American debut in the 1970s - running the Boston Marathon and then hopping on a cart to start a full-on taiko performance". I also saw a similar group in the early 1980s; this might have been Ondekoza.

Wil Davis

If you really want to crop it, then do something like this:

spb13

bdcolen wrote:

Are you going for story telling, or 'art?'

I am generally going for art...not that I always hit the mark.

Wil, these guys perform at EPCOT's Japanese Pavilion. They are very entertaining. It is interesting that two people play the drum at the same time, but now that I think about it more clearly the more interesting story is about the scale of drum vs drummer.

Thanks again for the feedback, here is another shot...in color for Wil.

eL eSs Vee

Is this the same group that perfomed in Cirque du Soleil's Mystere? I remember seeing a similarly large drum - also with two drummers - descending from the ceiling, the drummers feet on the drum and a sling around each of them. An absolutely incredible performance!

Great shot, and even better with the crop. When I saw the original, though, I immediately thought that it should have been taken from further back and a little higher, thus keeping both drummers (and their feet) and telling the story. Artistically, though, the crop is better.

I live how you captured her in the last shot, though. Powerful!!

Way to go!

spb13

eL eSs Vee wrote:

Is this the same group that perfomed in Cirque du Soleil's Mystere? I remember seeing a similarly large drum - also with two drummers - descending from the ceiling, the drummers feet on the drum and a sling around each of them. An absolutely incredible performance!

Great shot, and even better with the crop. When I saw the original, though, I immediately thought that it should have been taken from further back and a little higher, thus keeping both drummers (and their feet) and telling the story. Artistically, though, the crop is better.

I live how you captured her in the last shot, though. Powerful!!

Way to go!

Thanks Lee. This group is called Matsuriza. I have no idea if they performed with Cirque, but they have been performing at Epcot for at least 15 years. Unfortunately I haven't found a really great vantage point to shoot from, but I will definitely keep trying.

pathfinder

I agree with the single drummer image, contrasted with the size of the drum. I like a modest shutter speed to demonstrate the power and movement of the drummer's arms as well.

Rutt pointed out this thread to me, as I shot similar shots in December 2005 in Epcot in Florida. I am glad to hear Matsuriza still performs there. Their performance was breathtaking.

I thought I posted both monochrome and color as I thought the color was a significant part of the image as well, but I cannot find the thread any longer. I was impressed with the power in the lady's arms in my image

spb13

pathfinder wrote:

I agree with the single drummer image, contrasted with the size of the drum. I like a modest shutter speed to demonstrate the power and movement of the drummer's arms as well.

Rutt pointed out this thread to me, as I shot similar shots in December 2005 in Epcot in Florida. I am glad to hear Matsuriza still performs there. Their performance was breathtaking.

I thought I posted both monochrome and color as I thought the color was a significant part of the image as well, but I cannot find the thread any longer. I was impressed with the power in the lady's arms in my image

Neat! They really are great. It is interesting that we took very similar shots. I have seen the woman from your shot perform many times, but I haven't seen her recently.

Thanks for your feedback and for sharing your pic!

pathfinder

I went back through my archives on December 2005, and found I shot about 25 frames of their performance, including several of both drummers at each end of the large drum like your shot also.

That porch rail is a real pain to deal with in shooting isn't it?