Bridge

[amayax]

After reviewing it on the larger screen of my computer, the focus point made me feel confused. The image lacked the wow factor, which might be the focus, might be the boring sky, might be the scene in general, I don't know. So I decided to post it here to get your opinions and learn

 

[greybeard]

The bridge is leading me to the subject but, then the subject just doesn't present itself.

 

[Cody'sCaptures]

I agree it needs something down there

 

[amayax]

Thank you both I will remember your advice!

 

[smoke665]

Fantastic leading lines, really grabs the eye, but you're right nothing there at the end. You could use a graduated filter to fade everything to white, and retitled the image as "Bridge To Nowhere" then the Bridge would become the subject.

 

[amayax]

Fantastic leading lines, really grabs the eye, but you're right nothing there at the end. You could use a graduated filter to fade everything to white, and retitled the image as "Bridge To Nowhere" then the Bridge would become the subject.

That sounds like a really nice effect! Are those actual camera filters or is it a processing effect to add post?

 

[smoke665]

Fantastic leading lines, really grabs the eye, but you're right nothing there at the end. You could use a graduated filter to fade everything to white, and retitled the image as "Bridge To Nowhere" then the Bridge would become the subject.

That sounds like a really nice effect! Are those actual camera filters or is it a processing effect to add post?

I was referring to those either in LR or PS. Since you list it's ok to edit photos. I downloaded and did a quick edit. After I got it loaded, I'm not so sure that gave you the right suggestion initially. I converted to a b&w, sharpened, curves.......etc. Once I did that I liked the B&W well enough that I didn't go any further.

 

[SquarePeg]

The conversion to b&w and the sharpening make a huge difference here.

 

[smoke665]

@SquarePeg that's what I thought. Seemed to seemed to make it all about the bridge.

 

[Cody'sCaptures]

How about bringing in it slightly?

 

[smoke665]

How about bringing in it slightly?

Don't want to take over the OP's thread, but I thought about the tighter crop. I think either works. In full size the building recedes and the bridge becomes the focal point, in the tighter crop it brings the building forward competing for attention with the bridge. However the tighter crop accentuates the tire tracks in the foreground offsetting the effect of the building.

 

[amayax]

Don't worry about taking over the threat, I really love your ideas and it teaches me a lot the more you throw in your creativity. I love both the ideas, though with the crop I do feel like there is no focus, like my eyes are looking for a point that is in focus, but keep being drawn to other points that look/feel out of focus. Is that just me?

 

[smoke665]

Don't worry about taking over the threat, I really love your ideas and it teaches me a lot the more you throw in your creativity. I love both the ideas, though with the crop I do feel like there is no focus, like my eyes are looking for a point that is in focus, but keep being drawn to other points that look/feel out of focus. Is that

I'm not sure of your experience level, so if I say something you already know then forgive me. I guess the first question is "What was your intended focal point?" when you snapped the shot. It's far easier to compose in camera with an idea in mind, rather than try to make something post. A good read on composition is

How To Take Great Photographs: John Hedgecoe: 9781843403302: Amazon.com: Books If you're lucky you might even find this at your local library. He explains things in an easy to understand manner.

In any composition I've learned to "simplify" the scene, to break it into it's parts rather than be overcome by the whole. In your OP the leading lines of the bridge are strong elements, but they don't have an equally strong intended focal point. When I converted to a B&W image and adjusted, it decreased the effect of the extraneous buildings/structures on either side of the bridge, heightening the dominance of the bridge and making building at the end appear to recede. The image was "simplified" and the bridge became the focal point. In the tighter crop by @Cody'sCaptures the deletion of the buildings/structures on either side changed the image again, because you're losing reference points. The bridge looms forward, but so does the building at the end. However, the tracks in the foreground become more dominant. You can capitalize on that by changing the crop to get rid of the sky like this. Without the sky as reference, the building at the back loses it's prominence.

If you have the raw file you could probably bring out more detail on those tire tracks. Again the point is learn to seek out the intent of your shot in the viewfinder and you won't struggle in post. I went through a period when I was fascinated with editing post. It was fun, it was all new, now it's a pain, I'd rather be behind the camera.

 

[Peeb]

I tried minimizing the blown sky by cropping in a panorama style...

 

[amayax]

I'm not sure of your experience level, so if I say something you already know then forgive me. I guess the first question is "What was your intended focal point?" when you snapped the shot. It's far easier to compose in camera with an idea in mind, rather than try to make something post.

Thank you for the book link, Smoke665, I will take a look at if they have it at my local library!

My experience level would be somewhere around -5 haha, I am really just learning as I go along. No training, no courses (yet), I only own my first DSLR camera for about one and a half week now, so I am really just starting, experimenting to see what works and what doesn't. Hence also my many posts here to ask for feedback, it really helps me a lot to see what to improve and how to improve.

I don't really know what I wanted to have as focal point. I saw the bridge, I saw the tire tracks, I liked to moment so I took the picture, that was about my line of thought. I think I would have made the focal point the tire tracks, but that is hindsight.