Gone Walkabout

[AussieFreelancer]

Hi all,

I have been taking photos galore in the hope that a couple would come out well! I took this photo in colour, but the sky was really not interesting, so I took it at ISO 400 to get a bit of grain in there, and I have changed it to black and white... As it was a really sunny day, I tried to get as little light in there as possible. I quite like it. My only thought would be the shape... It seems to me this would look better if I could have been further away, then cropped it almost panoramic... Any thoughts on how I can improve such photos? Again, go as hard as you like, and please feel free to amend it as you see fit, so that I can see the differences.

​

f8.0
1/1000
f = 38mm (35mm)

 

[Philip Weir]

Hi again "AussieFreelancer" I'm assuming you are shooting digital, even though you mentioned [to get a bit of grain]. The difference in grain [pixels] would be make a neglible difference at 400 ISO. A different angle would have made a difference, but the main problems are the lack of interest. I have attempted to improve by: [1] straightening the horizon [2] darkening the base of the shot [3] increasing the overall contrast [4] putting some movement in the fan. A "Southern Cross" if I remember correctly. [it that makes any sense to you]

 

[AussieFreelancer]

Hi Philip, I am indeed shooting with digital, and was playing around with settings to see what different things do. I remembered reading that the higher the ISO the more grain, so I figured I'd give that a go.

I was hoping for a different angle, but there was a fence in the way

how did you straighten the horizon? Just tilt the pic, or something different?

Thanks Patrick

 

[meotter]

you're correct, the higher the ISO, the more grain you will see in the image, but todays digital cameras have pretty good noise suppresion algorythms at ISO400 to the point where you won't see much of it. try going above ISO400 for more noticeable grain.

it would appear he just rotated the image 2 degrees or so counterclockwise and cropped.

how did you "add" motion to the windmill blades?

 

[terri]

I like the original image's composition exactly as is. Love the use of empty space here. The horizon isn't bothering me a bit. However, I think the image would do well with some increased contrast - not a lot, maybe another 8-10%.

Philip does beautiful work, but I don't care at all for the PS'd motion. It only serves to add flatness to the image, I believe. Very gray.

I don't know what that white bit is at the bottom of the windmill, it's a tad distracting. I'd be tempted to burn that in to reduce its brightness, while still increasing contrast overall.

Nice one, though! btw, it ain't "grain" if it ain't film. It's noise. If you'd shot this in 400 B&W film, you'd probably have loved your tonal values.

 

[JamesD]

I agree with Terri. The Horizon isn't tilted, it's merely the terrain rising to the left. If you look at the windmill, which dominates the image, it's almost vertical, leaning slightly left, but not unnaturally so. In the rotated version, the windmill appears to be leaning severely to the left which is disturbing by itself, and downright frightful when combined with the "leaning backwards" from the upward angle. As composed originally, the backward tilt seems natural (since we're looking up at it). Not sure why it bothers me when the sideways tilt is added.

I agree that a bit more contrast would be helpful, although I'm not terribly crazy about the darkening of the sky. It's natural, I know, but it's something for which my mind always automatically compensates when I see it live. Seeing it in a still frame makes it more obvious. If it were my image, I might try dodging the top part of the image to lighten the sky some, particularly the more darkish upper right corner, but it might prove impractical or otherwise undesireable.

I also get the feeling that this would be better served if it were wider than it is. I get that feeling a lot with my own photography, to the point where I've started consciously staying a bit further back than I'd normally prefer so I can crop down some. This after training myself to get close enough to fill the frame... this photography thing is an adventure LOL.

Anyways, this is nice work, keep it up!