Beginner at BW

flipmachine · Sep 29, 2009

Here are some pics I took, hope you like them.

Randall Ellis · Sep 30, 2009

#1 I like the feel that you have presented here - the softness works well with the slight warm tone and the subject to create a very compelling image with a great sense of depth. The vignetting in the upper corners works well to bound the sky while the triangular form created by the roads keeps my eye inside the frame. For an otherwise bland setting (roadside), you've added a lot of impact the way you presented it to the viewer.

#2 The two-tone effect and vignetting at the top do not work as well in this one as in the first, at least for me - the warm upper portion seems in contention with the colder lower portion of the image. I do like the depth created by the leading line of the bridge and the line of the river though, and the rocks and bridge work fairly well as presented (although my eye is pulled more toward the bottom than the top). I think that the lower tonal values in the top of the frame detract from the impact of this one more than help - if the sky were higher in value it might improve the top to bottom balance, but that's just me.

If I could make a suggestion, I would say that you might consider keeping the borders equal on all sides, much as a physical mat would have. The different width sides alter the viewers perception (wider imparting more emphasis, thinner imparting less), which stretchs the aspect ratio too much, introducing a little visual tension that should not be there, again, in my opinion.

Nice work just the same...

- Randy

flipmachine · Sep 30, 2009

Thanks man.... I will keep all that in mind, I appreciate the time you took to help me out.

Randall Ellis · Sep 30, 2009

Happy to help! Just keep in mind that you should always take what others have to say with a grain of salt - you are the one that you should be working to please...

- R

austriker · Sep 30, 2009

interesting inclusion of like the yellow at the top.. i like it, adds to it and makes it seem more vintage. i like your compositions. along with the slight blur. keep it up! im surprised you are a 'beginner' looks good!

flipmachine · Oct 1, 2009

while taking pictures I like to envision what the picture will look like hanging on my wall

Randall Ellis · Oct 1, 2009

flipmachine said:
while taking pictures I like to envision what the picture will look like hanging on my wall

I do much the same. I try to think about what the finished print will look like. I don't like to trip the shutter until I've got an idea of what I'm going to have in the end...

- Randy

flipmachine · Oct 1, 2009

here are a few more, not as interesting, but I think there is some "image" value to them

Silver Halide · Oct 2, 2009

I'm not too fond of the post work you've added to these pics but the last one in your most recent post is really great. I like his backlight and the way in which it spills all over him, almost giving him an angelic vibe. Very cool.

Randall Ellis · Oct 2, 2009

The top image (two posts up) doesn't do a lot for me. I think that the soft foreground is probably the reason. I do, however, like the overall image (if it were sharp) and think that it would be a great choice for a hand colored print.

The second image has a very strong + composition - there are strong dividing lines in the center of both the horizontal and vertical axes, and I am undecided on what I think. At first it was annoying, then after I looked at it for a few minutes I began to warm to it a bit. I'm still undecided on that aspect. That said, I actually like the warm tone and soft feel you chose. That combination works well for some subjects but not so well for others. In this case I think that it works fairly well to establish a wistful feeling.

The third image is fairly strong. It's got a triangular composition formed by the line of the golfers leg and back and extending up the light pole, with the hypotenuse being formed by the parallel of his club and the divider. My eye is drawn to the light at the apex of that triangle, but I still think that this is a strong composition. If you could tone down that light a bit it might be a bit stronger because my eye would then be more likely to flow around the triangle more freely.

- Randy

Caffler · Oct 2, 2009

like the last one of the second set as well but like randy i think the light is distracting.
all good ideas but.

flipmachine · Oct 2, 2009

when you say hand colored print.... ? I have no idea what that means

could you fill me in please.

Randall Ellis · Oct 2, 2009

Heh, no worries. Take a look at this print of mine. I made the print and then used photo oils to color it. With a digital print you have to do things quite differently, but it can be done. Take a gander at this article on this very site to get an idea of how this is done. It's a different look, and it does not always work with all prints (aesthetically speaking) but in some cases it can give a very creative result...

- Randy