Rescued or no hope?

[Mohain]

I've been experimenting with some downloaded action sets and going through some images I'd consigned to the bin to see if there's any hope to of rescue. I can't decide if I've made a boring shot interesting. The effects make it a bit more viewable but is really there anything of interest in the image? What do you think?

Many thanks,

Mohain

 

[Alpha]

I have to say it looks cool, but the subject matter is totally cliche.

 

[elsaspet]

I have to say it looks cool, but the subject matter is totally cliche.

Cliche in what way?

 

[Luciano]

It is a very interesting picture to me ..
the dodge/burning you've done gives the drama that pic deserves.
I don't like the smoke column so redish, it looks a bit fake to my eyes.

And I really like the frame!

nice job mohain

 

[markc]

Interesting colors. It's a little dark for me. I'd like to see some more detail.

 

[Alpha]

Cliche in what way?

Oh come on, these "industrial" shots fall just behind photos of sunsets and old barns in the cliche list. Its not that the photo isn't good, I just dont know that there's anything specifically interesting about the way the parts of the photo interact. Sure, the filtering and burning look cool, but nothing jumps out at me. Its just a silo and some smoke.

 

[yummifruitbat]

I don't think you can say whole categories of photograph are cliché... I'm not sure I really like the processing here but to dismiss industrial photography like that strikes me as pretty blinkered.

I'd be interested to see this shot with the dodge/burn kept but converted to b&w? Don't write it off just yet

 

[Alpha]

Call me arrogant but I think you can say that whole categories of photos are cliche. They need to be able to present the same old subject matter in a new way. If you can say "this is a photo of a barn," and my prediction of what the photo will look like is on point, then it's cliche.

 

[markc]

But it's not cliché for people who haven't been overexposed to the subject matter. When I first started photography, I hadn't seen many barn pictures and took quite a few myself. I found them interesting, which many people do. That's why they take pictures of them. Now, it takes a really unusual barn picture for me to think it's something other than cliché, but that doesn't take away from the other aspects of the image, or someone else's enjoyment. There are very few "new" subject matters (mostly scientific); just ones we haven't been exposed to very much yet.

 

[yummifruitbat]

Nicely put markc, I wholeheartedly agree.

 

[Mohain]

I didn't mean to spark off a row about clichéd subject matter

I totally agree with what markc says about exposure to subject matter. Being new (or rather back after a VERY long break) to photography and being from the UK I've not seen many photo's of old barns. I do however agree with MaxBloom when he says "I just dont know that there's anything specifically interesting about the way the parts of the photo interact" hence my reason for posting it in the first place.

It does work in B&W, had a quick go at conversion but I think I need to play with it a bit more and I think Luciano is right about the reddish smoke. I think less saturation overall might be the way forward. Anyway, I've taken it out of the 'rubbish' folder and will put it in the 'maybe' folder and come back to it later.

Thanks for all your input :mrgreen:

Mohain

 

[Rob]

The only bit that detracts from the image for me is the yellow highlight in the cloud where you can see several different colours which look artificial because of the specs. Other than that, I like the treatment and the balance between the cloud and the turret, but it does leave me a little cold.

Rob

 

[markc]

I do think there's a different between pictures that are "here's something neat" and "here's something I have to say". People tend to connect so much more to the latter. Everyone has a reason for taking an image. Even if you just think it's neat, there's usually some sort of emotional reason behind that. Our bodies of work are driven by our emotional and mental states. The more you can be aware of that and make choices that enhance that, the more successful the images tend to be.

It's easier the longer you've been shooting, but try taking all your work and lay it out in chronological order. Can you see any common themes that run through it? Do you see any shifts that might coincide with things that have happened in your life?

Using myself as an example, I discovered several years ago that so much of my work had a feel of self-imposed isolation; sort of like a well-defined personal space. I realized that it was what drove my decission to use a shallow DOF often. High contrast and b&w also seemed driven by this. Going with this theme and focusing on it, I ended up with a series I called "Little Worlds".

You might find that this image doesn't work so great alone, but it might fit in with a larger body of work: a series. And sometimes when working with a series, you find an otherwise great image just doesn't fit.