Barn, etc. Feedback Requested

lightdrunk

David_S85

Sorry to be blunt, but there are far too many possible subjects in this shot which would de-empasize the barn, which also happens to be obscured with foreground objects.

lightdrunk

Do you know the work of Stephen Shore? I have no real interest in cropping out everything but the subject. The yellow silage and the red barn ARE the subject.

Hikin' Mike

Maybe I'm biased because I generally don't like man-made elements in the Landscape section. I don't see anything that draws me into this scene. Maybe if this was taken in different light, cool clouds or something, but it doesn't work for me.

lightdrunk

Maybe not your thing. Here's a Stephen Shore composition. http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=stephen+shore&ei=UTF-8&fr=chrf-yff18.

black mamba

You asked for feedback. I wish I could be more positive but I find no compelling reason to give this picture more than a cursory look. It's a pleasant enough farm scene but it lacks any central point of interest that holds my attention. I think there are elements in the scene that could be developed into something more interesting but you will have to narrow your scope of presentation for that to happen.

Earache

black mamba wrote: »

You asked for feedback. I wish I could be more positive but I find no compelling reason to give this picture more than a cursory look. It's a pleasant enough farm scene but it lacks any central point of interest that holds my attention. I think there are elements in the scene that could be developed into something more interesting but you will have to narrow your scope of presentation for that to happen.

Sounds like you already knew what you liked and wanted - not sure why you asked for feedback.
The clothesline mitigates the composition for me.

superduckz

I think I get where you were going here and I think you're close. As has already been said, I like the elements but the arrangment is.. off... Even if you'd hit, I'm not sure it'd qualifiy as a landscape.

kdog

I see the focal point as the silos, not the barn. The fence leads you nicely into them and they're placed on a rule of thirds location. That big pile of grain husks or whatever it is, is unusual which is good. Sky and lighting isn't the best. That red truck in the right of the shot is unfortunate because it draws your eyes away from the silos and there's really nothing to see when you get there. If you can shoot here again, I'm sure there's a lot more comps you could get. That clothesline (or whatever it is) framed against the silage would make a really cool minimalism shot.

Earache

OP, I took a look at the link you provided for Stephen Shore's work and I now better understand the context of your image - if your intent is to emulate Shore's style, then I see what you are aiming for. Shore's is a quirky and interesting body of work, but definitely from a different time, and probably for many viewers here, an acquired taste. It's good to see in a different way sometimes.

superduckz

Ditto... Shore has an nteresting "quirk"

LarryD

Shore is known for banal and uninteresting objects and making them the focus of the image with the use of color and composition...

If this was done in Shore style, the clothesline would be the subject and the barn and silos would complement the image..

This would be a better representation of his "style" (in my opinion) with a tighter crop on the clothesline, a proper placement of it, and the color of the barn, hay, and silo less prominent, but clearly visible...

lightdrunk

Detail of Barn Shot


This is certainly simpler and easier to get as a composition. I'm very fond of color composition in addition to placement of subjects (Harrald Mante, etc.) Here are the three primaries.

lightdrunk

LarryD wrote: »

Shore is known for banal and uninteresting objects and making them the focus of the image with the use of color and composition...

If this was done in Shore style, the clothesline would be the subject and the barn and silos would complement the image..

This would be a better representation of his "style" (in my opinion) with a tighter crop on the clothesline, a proper placement of it, and the color of the barn, hay, and silo less prominent, but clearly visible...

I don't think he's banal at all. What he does is very similar to what Arbus did, that is, helps us see what we don't see. I think of his gas station and his dirt street in Presidio, Texas, as deeply poetic. I'm not much interested in conventional "pretty pictures," e.g.; sunsets and nature scenes that look like advertisements for AAA or Arizona Highways.

lightdrunk

Art Photography?
It occurs to me I may be in the wrong place. Anybody know where I can find a group of cutting edge art photographers?

endurodog

Have you thought about posting in one of the other forums. You did post in landscapes and it sounds like your looking for feedback in a different area. Maybe the "other cool shots" forum would suit this shot lots better than Landscapes. Think it fell into the ugly duckling thing that is really a pretty swan.

lightdrunk

endurodog wrote: »

Have you thought about posting in one of the other forums. You did post in landscapes and it sounds like your looking for feedback in a different area. Maybe the "other cool shots" forum would suit this shot lots better than Landscapes. Think it fell into the ugly duckling thing that is really a pretty swan.

Thanks, dawg.

kdog

lightdrunk wrote: »

LarryD wrote: »

Shore is known for banal and uninteresting objects and making them the focus of the image with the use of color and composition...

I don't think he's banal at all.

Slow down and read what he actually said. You may learn something.

Eia

Well - personally I like the photo as is...because that is how it looks if you want it that way. However, to give it 'a look'... can you crop just so the truck is out of the way and to really make it that look...desaturated a bit. That would be fun! This has soooo much potential for many looks and feel!

Juano

lightdrunk wrote: »

I don't think he's banal at all. What he does is very similar to what Arbus did, that is, helps us see what we don't see. I think of his gas station and his dirt street in Presidio, Texas, as deeply poetic. I'm not much interested in conventional "pretty pictures," e.g.; sunsets and nature scenes that look like advertisements for AAA or Arizona Highways.

This is an interesting discussion. I looked at some of Shore's work and I think it's great, but in my opinion very few images stand out by themselves. The images work as a collective body, that's how they become so potent. I'm no art critic by any means. In any case, that's why I find Dgrin great!