Almost got it... But the blur along the center with the DOF blur of the creams and sugar and the motion blur of the cook don't work as the eye is only comfortable with the middle cook with the hat.
I think the point about the counter was a good one. I think by burning the foreground element a bit it would enhance the contrast with the middleground and background. In general, I tend to go with richer blacks in my photos but that's not always a good thing.
For me the center cook is just too small in the frame. I would try a square crop. Solves the counter issue and the small chef issue in one move, IMO. I like the shot, Angelo, I just think it's a bit distant from the subject and the right side of the frame doesn't add much.
In this case, it becomes the focal point only because of the motion blur of the closer cook. The actual focus point is closer to this cook, but his movement disrupts.
A focal point and subject matter are two different things, a focal point is considered to be the brightest part of an image. Our eyes naturally gravitate to this point, not necessarily the subject. Ideally the focal point and the subject would be one and the same.
You might also try an 8x10, crop off some of the top and right, leaving the bowl of creamer and a little space. I like it, the hand on the left is cool.
I think the point about the counter was a good one. I think by burning the foreground element a bit it would enhance the contrast with the middleground and background. In general, I tend to go with richer blacks in my photos but that's not always a good thing.
I was going to suggest burning in the foreground as well. I think it would leave a more balanced feel to the composition.
The discussion is getting painful. I would NOT crop as all the elements in the image add to it - particularly the open box of eggs, and stack of plates. A good deal of the problem had to do with contrast and black levels. But another part of the problem is that this image is a wonderful idea that doesn't quite work. It's an 'almost,' straining to be a 'great.' I wish the guy on the right was physically closer to you, and also wish that he wasn't quite as blurred as he is.
Yup, it is. But the other way it's just a mass of gray/white, with details in the shadows. This image isn't 'about' the details in the shadows, it's about the overall story. And the story becomes much clearer this way. However...it is too far, as you say. But the only way to fix that is to crop out what I believe to be all important details - the eggs and plates, or to crop out cook # 3 in the back ground - and that would radically change the image.
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// richard <http://www.richardmanphoto.com>
richardmanphoto on Facebook and Instagram
thanks Richard. things don't seem to work as smoothly on an iPad
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
Deeper blacks would help, I think.
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I don't think it's the general "not dark enough," but the large swath of bright region of the counter. I'd slap a darkness gradient on it.
// richard <http://www.richardmanphoto.com>
richardmanphoto on Facebook and Instagram
you might recognize that location: "The Pantry"
thanks for looking
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
I'd enjoy a discussion of this point to better understand your suggestion
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Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
commonly called a "focal point", no?
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Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
I think the point about the counter was a good one. I think by burning the foreground element a bit it would enhance the contrast with the middleground and background. In general, I tend to go with richer blacks in my photos but that's not always a good thing.
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In this case, it becomes the focal point only because of the motion blur of the closer cook. The actual focus point is closer to this cook, but his movement disrupts.
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I'll give it a try
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
I was going to suggest burning in the foreground as well. I think it would leave a more balanced feel to the composition.
469941785_Fa4S8-L-1.jpg
P.S. It makes me think of the Night Owl in "L.A. Confidential."
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Agree. One of my favorite lessons I've learned.