Even with Wisdom and Faith you need security bars on the stained glass.
Joe, thanks for the entry!
Love the bold colors, I'm also such a sucker for a good old masonry.
Good usage of almost square format for presentation purposes (finally, somebody listens to the size suggestions ;-)
Now, why is that power wire still in there? 5 min in PSE/PS would deal with it for good. The top of the brick roof is cut, kinda decapitated. I know you were shooting for bars, but you gotta watch the whole image, too.
A normal human eye is extremely sensitive even to the slightest horizon tilts, and that is especially true with the architectural shots. Yours is tilted CW, just a tiny notch, but it immediately makes me feel a bit nauseous...
Finally: whoever build that church made it his top priority to hide the bars, using the stained glass background as a natural camouflage. You were trying to undo his disguise and present those to the world.
Guess what: he won... Without the title I wouldn't even pay an attention to them (unlike the darn wire).
And no, neither they nor the whole image do not convey wisdom for me. Fear - maybe, uncertainty - possible, religion - totally, but wisdom - no, sorry...
While I'm not always associating science with wisdom (saw my fair share of "scientists" who were as unwise as it gets), this image is a nice representation of a common sense idea that reading books makes you wiser:-) Title is cute and suits the image nicely. I would assume getting this shot set up took some time, those nooks look heavy:-)
Now: what's with the matchbox size? You of all people should not be afraid of showing off your work, Ms. First Ever LPS Winner! :-)
And of course, the books themselves... They are totally blown off. Why, oh why not the off camera flash? Or some other light source?
Bottom line: very good idea, but the execution is sub-par...
Interesting choice of implementation. Yoda portrait does suggest wisdom. Good light and contrast on the shirt. Bold tilt!
Now, the rest of the image looks soft . Very soft. If it was not for a human face I wouldn't worry too much about that, but it is the face, and we naturally want it to be in focus - or boldly out. In this case it looks like the poor lighting commanded the shallow DOF of f/2.8 (along with ISO1600 and 1/13s exposure), but it came at a price of "losing the face". Which, in addition to all this, does not, IMHO, contribute to the idea of "wisdom", since the subject tries to look mean, which is usually not a wise thing to do:-)
All in all I think this image would deliver a much stronger impression of "wisdom" if you'd just cropped (or zoomed in) to the Yoda image itself, or would have made the guys' face completely, boldly blurred/OOF.
"Pearls of wisdom", I guess? ;-)
Yes, size is totally fine. BW treatment could have been a bit less bland, but it's fine too, make the whole picture looks less snapshotty..
Now, the jewelry has always been a very hard subject to photograph properly, especially doing for the first time and not having the proper lighting set up (work-lights? I tried them at first too, they simply don't work well enough on their own, more technique needed, like a diffuser, far longer exposure, ect....).
Very shallow DOF (f/3,5 according to EXIF), rather sharp/low shooting/viewing angle and a very close distance makes pretty much 95% of picture OOF. My eyes are constantly going over the whole image trying to find a single sharp spot - and can't rest anywhere.
The lock on the right and the centerpiece (or watchyacallit;-) on the left create noticeable distractions and turn the original "pearls of wisdom" idea into "hey, I took a picture a pearl necklace for my ebay auction".
As I mentioned above, the BW is rather bland, no strong blacks, no inteeresting grays, thus bringing no character into the image...
All in all, good idea, but you've picked an extremely technically tough subject as pearls...
Good choice of primary subject! it definitely communicates with me on several layers, wisdom being one of them.
Nice light, too - I suspect a little HDR/blending work, but it maybe just naturally overcast sky.
You've managed to keep the horizon even, even though your shooting angle was far from the optimal. I actually think that a bolder keystoning (lie on the floor, use WA lens) would make it even better.
Now, this is probably the one that would look better in a god BW. As of now, the blue line in the middle and the sunset on the far right create a distraction. Simply desaturating them, may be not even for a 100% would make the primary idea much stronger, IMHO.
Now, why is that power wire still in there? 5 min in PSE/PS would deal with it for good.
HTH
Thanks for the comments Nikolai.
One of the first things I did when I got the image in CS3 was try and get rid of the power line. I couldn't do it on the brick background and make it look natural. I would love someone to show me how to do it in 5 minutes. Is there some technique other than the obvious tools?
"Pearls of wisdom", I guess? ;-)
Yes, size is totally fine. BW treatment could have been a bit less bland, but it's fine too, make the whole picture looks less snapshotty..
Now, the jewelry has always been a very hard subject to photograph properly, especially doing for the first time and not having the proper lighting set up (work-lights? I tried them at first too, they simply don't work well enough on their own, more technique needed, like a diffuser, far longer exposure, ect....).
Very shallow DOF (f/3,5 according to EXIF), rather sharp/low shooting/viewing angle and a very close distance makes pretty much 95% of picture OOF. My eyes are constantly going over the whole image trying to find a single sharp spot - and can't rest anywhere.
The lock on the right and the centerpiece (or watchyacallit;-) on the left create noticeable distractions and turn the original "pearls of wisdom" idea into "hey, I took a picture a pearl necklace for my ebay auction".
As I mentioned above, the BW is rather bland, no strong blacks, no inteeresting grays, thus bringing no character into the image...
All in all, good idea, but you've picked an extremely technically tough subject as pearls...
HTH
Wow! Cool, OK- thanks-
Man you have set yourself up for a tough job- critiqueing all these, but I appreciate your honesty and thoughtfulness...and you seem to be very astute so here's to you thumb
I'm new here, and am looking forward to contributing and learning...
In my defense- I didnt have enough pearls to do the job justice. Also, due to my noobness- I was excited, and wanted to get the product "out the door." Ligting was kitchen lighting- I was holding both the camera and the subject simultaneaously up to the light...
Truthfully, once I saw all the the little faces smiling at me, I could no longer resist.
Do you think I could have gotten better focus by shooting from farther away and then cropping to fill the frame? high angle shots were looking very flat, and extremely low angle shots seemed to lose the idea...
Thanks for your time. This is fun. :ivar
-edit- as usual, I do Zero in terms of PP. (very little in the way of pre-anything also :lol2)
One of the first things I did when I got the image in CS3 was try and get rid of the power line. I couldn't do it on the brick background and make it look natural. I would love someone to show me how to do it in 5 minutes. Is there some technique other than the obvious tools?
You're welcome!
In your particualr case the wire is easy... I'd use a two-step process
1) using any of the fixup tools (clone, patch, healing brush - your choice) and a lighten or ligter colors blending mode paint it over using the very close an area exactly one brick layer off as a source. This should take care of ~90% of the wire in one sweep
2) for each of the areas that produced noticeable artifacts repeat the process locally under greater zoom.
Do you think I could have gotten better focus by shooting from farther away and then cropping to fill the frame? high angle shots were looking very flat, and extremely low angle shots seemed to lose the idea...
For a greater DOF you need to step down (f/8? f/16?) and prolly step away (if you have enough space) to increase the focusing distance and hence DOF. This would naturally require much longer exposure, so a good tripod is a must, and probably a longer lens. Macro 100mm would be my weapon of choice, but others should do, too.
As to the treatment - this is a tough one, pearls are both reflective and almost colorless. Need to play more to check out different options...
Good choice of primary subject! it definitely communicates with me on several layers, wisdom being one of them.
Nice light, too - I suspect a little HDR/blending work, but it maybe just naturally overcast sky.
You've managed to keep the horizon even, even though your shooting angle was far from the optimal. I actually think that a bolder keystoning (lie on the floor, use WA lens) would make it even better.
Now, this is probably the one that would look better in a god BW. As of now, the blue line in the middle and the sunset on the far right create a distraction. Simply desaturating them, may be not even for a 100% would make the primary idea much stronger, IMHO.
HTH
Nikolai,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. There was no HDR involved (I don't actually know how to do that), but I did add contract via curves in LR to make the carving in the stone more distinct. I did try to emphasize the keystoning for effect but didn't go as far as you suggest. Good thought.
What you say about the colors, and color vs B&W, is interesting. In retrospect I think I kind of fell in love with the colors in this image and failed to step back and consider how they added to or detracted from the overall effect. I even selectively brought up the level of the blue stained glass because the repeated star of David pattern was not that prominent at first and I didn't want that element to be missed. But, I think I could have done that and still toned down the color. I want to go back and work with that and try a B&W version as well (for my own education - I know I can't resubmit the image).
Thanks again. I like this type of assignment. I hope you do it again sometime.
i found this one tough
i hope you can accept this as an entry. there has been some slight sharpening, colour adjustment and the picture has been cropped.
i wanted to actually think about wisdom and what it means... thought about the typical elderly man teaching a tot, or something that has seen some time... but thats to classic. So I chose this. I'm thinking this is going to be a hard one to accept, but I'll try anyways. Theres some things that could have made the photo better, but this is how it is.
heres exif:
Exif IFD0
* Camera Make = Canon
* Camera Model = Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
* X-Resolution = 72/1 = 72
* Y-Resolution = 72/1 = 72
* X/Y-Resolution Unit = inch (2)
* Last Modified Date/Time = 2008:03:04 15:40:51
* Y/Cb/Cr Positioning (Subsampling) = co-sited / datum point (2)
* Custom Rendered = normal process (0)
* Exposure Mode = auto exposure (0)
* White Balance = auto (0)
* Scene Capture Type = standard (0)
Exif Sub IFD
* Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 1/800 second = 0.00125 second
* Lens F-Number/F-Stop = 56/10 = F5.6
* Exposure Program = aperture priority (3)
* ISO Speed Ratings = 100
* Exif Version = 0221
* Original Date/Time = 2008:03:04 15:40:51
* Digitization Date/Time = 2008:03:04 15:40:51
* Components Configuration = 0x01,0x02,0x03,0x00 / YCbCr
* Shutter Speed Value (APEX) = 632020/65536
Shutter Speed (Exposure Time) = 1/800 second
* Aperture Value (APEX) = 325770/65536
Aperture = F5.6
* Exposure Bias (EV) = -1/3 = -0.33
* Metering Mode = average (1)
* Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
* Focal Length = 170/1 mm = 170 mm
i hope you can accept this as an entry. there has been some slight sharpening, colour adjustment and the picture has been cropped.
i wanted to actually think about wisdom and what it means... thought about the typical elderly man teaching a tot, or something that has seen some time... but that's to classic. So I chose this. I'm thinking this is going to be a hard one to accept, but I'll try anyways. There's some things that could have made the photo better, but this is how it is.
Thank you for your entry!
Interesting concept! I agree, it's a stretch, and without a long explanation it's not obvious what you had in mind. My primary interpretation would be "old and new" or something to that extend - which in my book does not necessarily translates into "wisdom".. Anyway...
Good focusing on the old stub. Side lighting also shows a good technique. Judging by the settings (ISO100, 1/800s, ~f/5.0) you had plenty of light to work with.
Now, only the old stub is in focus. The young pop is hopelessly OOF, which kinda removes it from the focal point and makes the whole idea rather moot.
Some OOF debris in front of the stub (on the left) also do not help.
I understand your intention to remove your subjects from the dead center. Unfortunately, in this particular case you ended up with gobs of negative space that brings nothing interesting to the theme and only makes the whole image look muddy.
I have mentioned the light already... While the amount is plentiful, I really don't like the quality, it's rather sharp :-(
BTW, it's been a while since I saw and analyzed an image taken in full auto mode You seem to have a nice dslr, why don't use it to its full potential?
Noun1.sapience - ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight
Cheers
Jean-Yves
Hi Jean-Yves, thank you for the entry!
I like your "in your face" approach.
Nice dynamic range, from totally black shadows through the warm flesh tones to the bright white (yet not blown) of the paper
Nice light.
Good quality image overall.
Not many things to critique, except I do not necessarily relate "sapience" to "wisdom". I get "knowledge", "planning", "resolution" from it, but "wisdom" is a pretty far stretch
I like your "in your face" approach.
Nice dynamic range, from totally black shadows through the warm flesh tones to the bright white (yet not blown) of the paper
Nice light.
Good quality image overall.
Not many things to critique, except I do not necessarily relate "sapience" to "wisdom". I get "knowledge", "planning", "resolution" from it, but "wisdom" is a pretty far stretch
Thanks for your feedback, Nikolai, your time investment to the community is amazing. As for the theme, here is my interpretation. "Wisdom is having gained knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity to apply these well."
This image represent "gained knowledge" as the plan is a symbol of applying this knowledge into a construction. I hope I am helping to sell my case ! Once again thank you. Jean-Yves
Interesting concept! I agree, it's a stretch, and without a long explanation it's not obvious what you had in mind. My primary interpretation would be "old and new" or something to that extend - which in my book does not necessarily translates into "wisdom".. Anyway...
Good focusing on the old stub. Side lighting also shows a good technique. Judging by the settings (ISO100, 1/800s, ~f/5.0) you had plenty of light to work with.
Now, only the old stub is in focus. The young pop is hopelessly OOF, which kinda removes it from the focal point and makes the whole idea rather moot.
Some OOF debris in front of the stub (on the left) also do not help.
I understand your intention to remove your subjects from the dead center. Unfortunately, in this particular case you ended up with gobs of negative space that brings nothing interesting to the theme and only makes the whole image look muddy.
I have mentioned the light already... While the amount is plentiful, I really don't like the quality, it's rather sharp :-(
BTW, it's been a while since I saw and analyzed an image taken in full auto mode You seem to have a nice dslr, why don't use it to its full potential?
HTH
the focus is supposed to be on the old stub... the idea is the old showing the young. kind of like what i was saying in the post... but i wanted to take a different approach.
whenever i see thorns i think of the crown of thorns.... but couldnt figure out how to interpret that with this picture so i left out the story to go with the picture. again old teaching young...
the space was left for people to open up and think about what is going on... and be drawn back to the subject... the stub lol
too much explanation! it was a hard a concept for such a interesting photographic topic.
i must admit, this topic made me think alot about photography and the right scene. i thought i found the right scene, but i think the angle and intrepretation was off... oh well. i learned lots! and lots about my new lens! thanks for the critique, it really does help. i cant wait for next topic!
~n8
addition: i was also going for the rule of thirds... on the thorns. have you tried breaking the old thorns off? very tough... where as the young thorns snap off easily.... toooooo much explanation
was fun though!
Hi Emily!
I'm so glad you decided to play with us!
I must say, the salt of LPS was not used in vain by you. I have always been a big fan of your entries, and this case is not an exception.
Great theme interpretation! Not blatant, but easily understandable.
Magnificent lighting (you are a Light Fairy after all:-). Top notch treatment - I like both sepiish look and the grain, both relevant to the theme.
My tiniest "but" is the amount of blur on the foreground: it looks a bit unnatural and unnecessarily PS-ed (I can be wrong at that, but that's how I feel).
Hi Emily!
I'm so glad you decided to play with us!
I must say, the salt of LPS was not used in vain by you. I have always been a big fan of your entries, and this case is not an exception.
Great theme interpretation! Not blatant, but easily understandable.
Magnificent lighting (you are a Light Fairy after all:-). Top notch treatment - I like both sepiish look and the grain, both relevant to the theme.
My tiniest "but" is the amount of blur on the foreground: it looks a bit unnatural and unnecessarily PS-ed (I can be wrong at that, but that's how I feel).
All in all - a great image!
Thanks Nik!
For anyone interested, this was shot purely by a small candle. No crop. A touch of blur tool was used in the top left corner as the sharp words on the prayer book were drawing attention. Graphic pen tool filter added, then reduced opacity. No other adjustments.
Thanks for the assignment. For guaranteed critiques, I may play more!:D
Good solid image. Funny. Great composition. Interesting treatment. Good DOF.
Now, while I understand the concept of "learning from mistakes", this one is a far strech on a suggested theme. Considering the fact this situation could kill, I find it hard to believe it's real. I cannot see "wsidom" here, no matter how hard I try...
May i interject - I was originally thinking along similar lines for a subject- That of setting some kind of scene that would show that there was some knowledge of causality, and the wisdom to avoid a certian path- I just couldnt pull it together.. This one may be a stretch, but does a good job of navigating a tenuous channel..
Thanks Nikolai for doing this contest. This is a non-composite image with minimal post.
Steven, thank you for playing!
Another LPS veteran joins in - and with another hit!
Very impressive composition! Theme is pwned! :-) Great costume. Exquisite lighting - most on the book, which reflects to the face and make it visible under the deep hood. Non-distinguishable dark bg which adds to tranquillity/magic of the image. Dynamic pose. Bold and very appropriate BW treatment!
The only thing than strikes me as a minor gotcha it the few light streaks alongside the boy's figure, especially top and right. And why is the copy so small? We have 800 box rule here...
A new father's wisdom....
Exif: f18 - 1/160 - iso200 - Canon 5d 24-70 40mm
Shooting date 3/4/08
Processed with Nik Color Efx IR and Noise added
Hi Kathy, thank you for your entry!
Lovely shot. The client must be proud. I remember myself when my first child was born... I was ecstatic for a week...
Great composition/action, you can feel the moment.
The tiny baby, large hands of his dad - very nice juxtaposition! Wise usage of wide angle to enhance this effect.
The pride of the father is clearly depicted.
Now, back on the ranch.. I mean, "on the rant"... :-)
Small copy - again. The smaller it is, the harder is to evaluate it. Allowed/suggested size is 800x800 "fit" box, I suggest everybody to use it.
The diaper is blown out, creating a rather ugly and distracting white spot. Powering down the flash or bolder crop could help.
The visible corner of dad's eye look as if he rolled his eyes - probably just a bad moment during the eye's blinking movement - and spoils the "love and pride" impression, changing it to "gosh, how long do I have to do this, I'm tired already". A little camera repositioning and a different moment would help. In general, "cutting an eye" is not a good idea in portraiture, and of course, blinking is also a common thing to watch for.
I'm not sure I like the purplish treatment. I think I wouldn't mind pure BW, but this one kinda reminiscences with the fairly common "nuked red" of the ubiquitous poorly done baby snapshots.
The added noise doesn't help also. It makes an already sharp light (see below) even sharper, causing more damage than help.
What's with the light? Way too much (hence f/18, which is a bit too deep for a portrait IMFO) and way too sharp!
Power: if that was the minimum (1/16) setting you need an ND filter. And even if you don't have one for the flash unit itself, you can can always put one on the lens - it works just the same with the added bonus that it affects all your lights simultaneously in case you use more than one:-)
Sharp: Did you use that Chimera strip-box? It's a valid option, but I honestly don't think it should have been used in this case. Babies are soft and tender, they need softer light. I understand you wanted to control the spill, but that can be done by masking/gridding. The grids are expensive, but first option can be done on a cheap by blocking the non-needed part of the soft-box with any opaque material - say, black paper. This will also help with the power problem, since it will "eat" the blocked portion.
And last but not least: despite the title I cannot extract "wisdom" from this image. "Love", "fatherhood", "safety", "pride" - absolutely. But no wisdom, not for me.
Comments
Okay, here is my humble effort.
--Jay
Joe, thanks for the entry!
Love the bold colors, I'm also such a sucker for a good old masonry.
Good usage of almost square format for presentation purposes (finally, somebody listens to the size suggestions
Now, why is that power wire still in there? 5 min in PSE/PS would deal with it for good. The top of the brick roof is cut, kinda decapitated. I know you were shooting for bars, but you gotta watch the whole image, too.
A normal human eye is extremely sensitive even to the slightest horizon tilts, and that is especially true with the architectural shots. Yours is tilted CW, just a tiny notch, but it immediately makes me feel a bit nauseous...
Finally: whoever build that church made it his top priority to hide the bars, using the stained glass background as a natural camouflage. You were trying to undo his disguise and present those to the world.
Guess what: he won...
And no, neither they nor the whole image do not convey wisdom for me. Fear - maybe, uncertainty - possible, religion - totally, but wisdom - no, sorry...
HTH
thank you for joining us!
While I'm not always associating science with wisdom (saw my fair share of "scientists" who were as unwise as it gets), this image is a nice representation of a common sense idea that reading books makes you wiser:-) Title is cute and suits the image nicely. I would assume getting this shot set up took some time, those nooks look heavy:-)
Now: what's with the matchbox size?
And of course, the books themselves... They are totally blown off.
Bottom line: very good idea, but the execution is sub-par...
Interesting choice of implementation. Yoda portrait does suggest wisdom. Good light and contrast on the shirt. Bold tilt!
Now, the rest of the image looks soft
All in all I think this image would deliver a much stronger impression of "wisdom" if you'd just cropped (or zoomed in) to the Yoda image itself, or would have made the guys' face completely, boldly blurred/OOF.
HTH
Yes, size is totally fine. BW treatment could have been a bit less bland, but it's fine too, make the whole picture looks less snapshotty..
Now, the jewelry has always been a very hard subject to photograph properly, especially doing for the first time and not having the proper lighting set up (work-lights? I tried them at first too, they simply don't work well enough on their own, more technique needed, like a diffuser, far longer exposure, ect....).
Very shallow DOF (f/3,5 according to EXIF), rather sharp/low shooting/viewing angle and a very close distance makes pretty much 95% of picture OOF. My eyes are constantly going over the whole image trying to find a single sharp spot - and can't rest anywhere.
The lock on the right and the centerpiece (or watchyacallit;-) on the left create noticeable distractions and turn the original "pearls of wisdom" idea into "hey, I took a picture a pearl necklace for my ebay auction".
As I mentioned above, the BW is rather bland, no strong blacks, no inteeresting grays, thus bringing no character into the image...
All in all, good idea, but you've picked an extremely technically tough subject as pearls...
HTH
thank you for your entry!
Good choice of primary subject! it definitely communicates with me on several layers, wisdom being one of them.
Nice light, too - I suspect a little HDR/blending work, but it maybe just naturally overcast sky.
You've managed to keep the horizon even, even though your shooting angle was far from the optimal. I actually think that a bolder keystoning (lie on the floor, use WA lens) would make it even better.
Now, this is probably the one that would look better in a god BW. As of now, the blue line in the middle and the sunset on the far right create a distraction. Simply desaturating them, may be not even for a 100% would make the primary idea much stronger, IMHO.
HTH
Thanks for the comments Nikolai.
One of the first things I did when I got the image in CS3 was try and get rid of the power line. I couldn't do it on the brick background and make it look natural. I would love someone to show me how to do it in 5 minutes. Is there some technique other than the obvious tools?
"Still of hand will never make up for emptiness of heart." -Rodney Smith
Wow! Cool, OK- thanks-
Man you have set yourself up for a tough job- critiqueing all these, but I appreciate your honesty and thoughtfulness...and you seem to be very astute so here's to you
I'm new here, and am looking forward to contributing and learning...
In my defense- I didnt have enough pearls to do the job justice. Also, due to my noobness- I was excited, and wanted to get the product "out the door." Ligting was kitchen lighting- I was holding both the camera and the subject simultaneaously up to the light...
Truthfully, once I saw all the the little faces smiling at me, I could no longer resist.
Do you think I could have gotten better focus by shooting from farther away and then cropping to fill the frame?
Thanks for your time. This is fun. :ivar
-edit- as usual, I do Zero in terms of PP. (very little in the way of pre-anything also :lol2)
You're welcome!
In your particualr case the wire is easy... I'd use a two-step process
1) using any of the fixup tools (clone, patch, healing brush - your choice) and a lighten or ligter colors blending mode paint it over using the very close an area exactly one brick layer off as a source. This should take care of ~90% of the wire in one sweep
2) for each of the areas that produced noticeable artifacts repeat the process locally under greater zoom.
HTH
As to the treatment - this is a tough one, pearls are both reflective and almost colorless. Need to play more to check out different options...
HTH
Nikolai,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. There was no HDR involved (I don't actually know how to do that), but I did add contract via curves in LR to make the carving in the stone more distinct. I did try to emphasize the keystoning for effect but didn't go as far as you suggest. Good thought.
What you say about the colors, and color vs B&W, is interesting. In retrospect I think I kind of fell in love with the colors in this image and failed to step back and consider how they added to or detracted from the overall effect. I even selectively brought up the level of the blue stained glass because the repeated star of David pattern was not that prominent at first and I didn't want that element to be missed. But, I think I could have done that and still toned down the color. I want to go back and work with that and try a B&W version as well (for my own education - I know I can't resubmit the image).
Thanks again. I like this type of assignment. I hope you do it again sometime.
--Jay
Jay, thank you for playing!
I'm sure we will!
i hope you can accept this as an entry. there has been some slight sharpening, colour adjustment and the picture has been cropped.
i wanted to actually think about wisdom and what it means... thought about the typical elderly man teaching a tot, or something that has seen some time... but thats to classic. So I chose this. I'm thinking this is going to be a hard one to accept, but I'll try anyways. Theres some things that could have made the photo better, but this is how it is.
heres exif:
Exif IFD0
* Camera Make = Canon
* Camera Model = Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
* X-Resolution = 72/1 = 72
* Y-Resolution = 72/1 = 72
* X/Y-Resolution Unit = inch (2)
* Last Modified Date/Time = 2008:03:04 15:40:51
* Y/Cb/Cr Positioning (Subsampling) = co-sited / datum point (2)
* Custom Rendered = normal process (0)
* Exposure Mode = auto exposure (0)
* White Balance = auto (0)
* Scene Capture Type = standard (0)
Exif Sub IFD
* Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 1/800 second = 0.00125 second
* Lens F-Number/F-Stop = 56/10 = F5.6
* Exposure Program = aperture priority (3)
* ISO Speed Ratings = 100
* Exif Version = 0221
* Original Date/Time = 2008:03:04 15:40:51
* Digitization Date/Time = 2008:03:04 15:40:51
* Components Configuration = 0x01,0x02,0x03,0x00 / YCbCr
* Shutter Speed Value (APEX) = 632020/65536
Shutter Speed (Exposure Time) = 1/800 second
* Aperture Value (APEX) = 325770/65536
Aperture = F5.6
* Exposure Bias (EV) = -1/3 = -0.33
* Metering Mode = average (1)
* Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
* Focal Length = 170/1 mm = 170 mm
www.myphotography.tk
Thank you for your entry!
Interesting concept! I agree, it's a stretch, and without a long explanation it's not obvious what you had in mind. My primary interpretation would be "old and new" or something to that extend - which in my book does not necessarily translates into "wisdom"..
Good focusing on the old stub. Side lighting also shows a good technique. Judging by the settings (ISO100, 1/800s, ~f/5.0) you had plenty of light to work with.
Now, only the old stub is in focus. The young pop is hopelessly OOF, which kinda removes it from the focal point and makes the whole idea rather moot.
Some OOF debris in front of the stub (on the left) also do not help.
I understand your intention to remove your subjects from the dead center. Unfortunately, in this particular case you ended up with gobs of negative space that brings nothing interesting to the theme and only makes the whole image look muddy.
I have mentioned the light already... While the amount is plentiful, I really don't like the quality, it's rather sharp :-(
BTW, it's been a while since I saw and analyzed an image taken in full auto mode
HTH
EXIF
Noun1.sapience - ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight
Cheers
Jean-Yves
Hi Jean-Yves, thank you for the entry!
I like your "in your face" approach.
Nice dynamic range, from totally black shadows through the warm flesh tones to the bright white (yet not blown) of the paper
Nice light.
Good quality image overall.
Not many things to critique, except I do not necessarily relate "sapience" to "wisdom". I get "knowledge", "planning", "resolution" from it, but "wisdom" is a pretty far stretch
Thanks for your feedback, Nikolai, your time investment to the community is amazing. As for the theme, here is my interpretation. "Wisdom is having gained knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity to apply these well."
This image represent "gained knowledge" as the plan is a symbol of applying this knowledge into a construction. I hope I am helping to sell my case !
the focus is supposed to be on the old stub... the idea is the old showing the young. kind of like what i was saying in the post... but i wanted to take a different approach.
whenever i see thorns i think of the crown of thorns.... but couldnt figure out how to interpret that with this picture so i left out the story to go with the picture. again old teaching young...
the space was left for people to open up and think about what is going on... and be drawn back to the subject... the stub lol
too much explanation! it was a hard a concept for such a interesting photographic topic.
i must admit, this topic made me think alot about photography and the right scene. i thought i found the right scene, but i think the angle and intrepretation was off... oh well. i learned lots! and lots about my new lens! thanks for the critique, it really does help. i cant wait for next topic!
~n8
addition: i was also going for the rule of thirds... on the thorns. have you tried breaking the old thorns off? very tough... where as the young thorns snap off easily.... toooooo much explanation
was fun though!
www.myphotography.tk
I'm so glad you decided to play with us!
I must say, the salt of LPS was not used in vain by you. I have always been a big fan of your entries, and this case is not an exception.
Great theme interpretation! Not blatant, but easily understandable.
Magnificent lighting (you are a Light Fairy after all:-). Top notch treatment - I like both sepiish look and the grain, both relevant to the theme.
My tiniest "but" is the amount of blur on the foreground: it looks a bit unnatural and unnecessarily PS-ed (I can be wrong at that, but that's how I feel).
All in all - a great image!
Thanks Nik!
For anyone interested, this was shot purely by a small candle. No crop. A touch of blur tool was used in the top left corner as the sharp words on the prayer book were drawing attention. Graphic pen tool filter added, then reduced opacity. No other adjustments.
Thanks for the assignment. For guaranteed critiques, I may play more!:D
Thank you for your entry!
Good solid image. Funny. Great composition. Interesting treatment. Good DOF.
Now, while I understand the concept of "learning from mistakes", this one is a far strech on a suggested theme. Considering the fact this situation could kill, I find it hard to believe it's real. I cannot see "wsidom" here, no matter how hard I try...
Could be titled "Not Again"
Exif
Thanks Nikolai for doing this contest. This is a non-composite image with minimal post.
Some of My Photos: app.electrikfolio.com/v/steven-hatch
Steven, thank you for playing!
Another LPS veteran joins in - and with another hit!
Very impressive composition! Theme is pwned! :-) Great costume. Exquisite lighting - most on the book, which reflects to the face and make it visible under the deep hood. Non-distinguishable dark bg which adds to tranquillity/magic of the image. Dynamic pose. Bold and very appropriate BW treatment!
The only thing than strikes me as a minor gotcha it the few light streaks alongside the boy's figure, especially top and right. And why is the copy so small? We have 800 box rule here...
Other than that I would call this flawless!
A new father's wisdom....
Exif: f18 - 1/160 - iso200 - Canon 5d 24-70 40mm
Shooting date 3/4/08
Processed with Nik Color Efx IR and Noise added
Flash Frozen Photography, Inc.
http://flashfrozenphotography.com
www.tednghiem.com
Flash Frozen Photography, Inc.
http://flashfrozenphotography.com
Hi Kathy, thank you for your entry!
Lovely shot. The client must be proud. I remember myself when my first child was born... I was ecstatic for a week...
Great composition/action, you can feel the moment.
The tiny baby, large hands of his dad - very nice juxtaposition! Wise usage of wide angle to enhance this effect.
The pride of the father is clearly depicted.
Now, back on the ranch.. I mean, "on the rant"... :-)
Small copy - again. The smaller it is, the harder is to evaluate it. Allowed/suggested size is 800x800 "fit" box, I suggest everybody to use it.
The diaper is blown out, creating a rather ugly and distracting white spot. Powering down the flash or bolder crop could help.
The visible corner of dad's eye look as if he rolled his eyes - probably just a bad moment during the eye's blinking movement - and spoils the "love and pride" impression, changing it to "gosh, how long do I have to do this, I'm tired already". A little camera repositioning and a different moment would help. In general, "cutting an eye" is not a good idea in portraiture, and of course, blinking is also a common thing to watch for.
I'm not sure I like the purplish treatment. I think I wouldn't mind pure BW, but this one kinda reminiscences with the fairly common "nuked red" of the ubiquitous poorly done baby snapshots.
The added noise doesn't help also. It makes an already sharp light (see below) even sharper, causing more damage than help.
What's with the light? Way too much (hence f/18, which is a bit too deep for a portrait IMFO) and way too sharp!
Power: if that was the minimum (1/16) setting you need an ND filter. And even if you don't have one for the flash unit itself, you can can always put one on the lens - it works just the same with the added bonus that it affects all your lights simultaneously in case you use more than one:-)
Sharp: Did you use that Chimera strip-box? It's a valid option, but I honestly don't think it should have been used in this case. Babies are soft and tender, they need softer light. I understand you wanted to control the spill, but that can be done by masking/gridding. The grids are expensive, but first option can be done on a cheap by blocking the non-needed part of the soft-box with any opaque material - say, black paper. This will also help with the power problem, since it will "eat" the blocked portion.
And last but not least: despite the title I cannot extract "wisdom" from this image. "Love", "fatherhood", "safety", "pride" - absolutely. But no wisdom, not for me.
HTH
Click on image for EXIF. Due to camera issues, date taken is incorrect. Actual date taken is 3/5/08.