Reach for the stars ?

[tsien]

The statue photo. One is in grey color, whereas the other is in full color version. Which one is better? Your critical comments are keenly appreciated.

 

[mentos_007]

black and white... but you should work a bit on it.. especially on contrast.. soemthing's wrong here...

 

[craig]

Cool sculpture. I like the shot, but I think it could use more exploration. Try and cover all angles. Fill the frame with the sculpture.

 

[jadin]

I agree with what's already been said. I'll add that maybe try getting closer to the ground, to eliminate the tree behind the statue, it distracts from your subject.

 

[tsien]

Honestly, I have difficulty in understanding this contrast thing. I depend on the Photo Editor. A function called AutoBalance does the job for me. Does there exist some rule of thumb so that raw eyes can tell if sth is wrong with the picture?

Here is my further attempt on another statue. Do I get it right this time around? In general, what is the most important consideration in B&W works? Would truly like to be enlightened.

 

[meotter]

I don't have the knowledge to help you with the contrast issue people are talking about, but i can tell you that i like the B&W versions of both pictures much better then the color images. The color images are lacking so much color that it comes off as an odd B&W with taint.

for the first photo, i'd also have circled around more towards the stairs to eliminate the distracting trees from the background. which would have also put more focus on the sculpture and the untouched stairs.

the 2nd photo, i wonder if circling just a little bit more towards the front of the statue to capture a little bit more of her face wouldn't help set the mood a little better. I think the legs hanging over the rock & looking into the distance is the key to this shot. but as it currently stands, you don't really wonder what she's looking at because her face is barely visible. Also the sun in this shot doesn't seem to be helping you.