House Project - C&C ?? - Picture Heavy !

[LazyFrog60]

1




2




3



4




5




6



7




8




9




10

​

 

[Compaq]

It's better if you don't ask for C&C in picture heavy threads. I will try to give my views on these (keep in mind, they are my own opinions).

First, I think you have nice subjects. Brick houses are good subjects for tonemapping, especially old ones with the worn look.

There some things I think could be improved throughout the entire series, though. It seems to me you need to consider the entire frame more closely before taking the pictures. Also, I think you need to think about where you want your viewer to look. What is important in your pictures? I will assume[SUP]1[/SUP] you want the eyes on the houses themselves, not distractions found in the frames. I will comment on these things for each image, separately.

In the first image, I am unsure what you want to show. Is it the doorway? You have chosen an angle that does not show the door in much detail. There isn't really anything that catches my eye, here. Our eyes need a resting point. Further, I feel you have divided the frame with the corner right of the door. Everything on the right side of this corner, are distractions, I think. They contribute nothing to what I want to see: the door. About 1/5th of the frame is empty brick wall (upper right). These are things to consider when shooting. By changing your angle and perspective, you could get around these things.

In your second image, things are better. However, it's not as "clean" as it could be. There are several distracting eye-catchers that only bring nothing. First, there is the half-bush on the right edge. This really ruins the shot; it steals very much attention. The bush is different in both color and texture compared to the background, and is thus well-separated from the houses. This means we notice it easily. Further, I find that by including part of the sidewalk, you "dirty up" the composition more. Getting around that looks to be a problem, but I weren't there and can't really comment on that. In addition, you've cut off the top of the metal chimney. Now, this wasn't the first thing I noticed, but once I saw it, it bugged me. It's about the image as a whole. Many small distractions, and our eyes will fly. Maybe, just maybe, things would be better balanced if you didn't include as much space left of the gutter. The space left of the gutter is just brick, and isn't essential to the subject. Then you would also get rid of the small part of the brick chimney, which isn't doing anything.

The way I might have done this, would be a closer view on the door and the windows, focusing only on those. I think that would be a well-balanced shot with broken symmetry to add tension. The yellow part on the right is ruined due to the bush. The sky attracts my eye ass well, and a closer perspective would get rid of that one as well-

Your third images suffers much from the same as number two. First, the rooftop is cut off. This might not have been a problem, but the edges are so close to converging, that I expected to see the top. More, the black fence on the right is a little annoying, but a huge nuisance. The flat light from the overcast sky makes it hard to notice the house corner, and I keep wanting to see the edge.

In number four, the most obvious distraction is the light pole. That has nothing to do in the frame, and ruins the shot. Also, the neighbor-house's edge in the upper left, really distracts as well. It is easily spotted on the bright background. Otherwise, I think the image works.

In your fifth image, your angle makes little sense. Much of the frame is dead space. The interesting part is the front side, but I can't really see it!

Number six is very messy. My eyes wander way too much; they never rest. I'm sorry, but this isn't usable.

Number seven suffers from distractions as well. The bushy trees on the left add nothing. The repetitive plant arches are interesting, but my eyes move away quickly. A closer perspective, getting rid of mentioned nuisances, might help.

In the eighth image, there is signs and branches sticking into the frame - a place they don't belong. In addition, and more importantly, there are several trees blocking the view of the house. This ruins the shot.

Moving on to number nine, I see your cleanest image yet. The composition is clean and tidy, with only a small disturbance from the roof (?) coming in on the right edge. The problem here, though, is a lack of something of interest. There is a window and a door, and a small front-yard, but the rest of the building is just brick. it doesn't feel balanced.

Arriving at number ten, I suggest you think about what I have mentioned and apply that to this one yourself. Consider what you want the reader to look at, and look for everything that prohibits that.

In sum, always be aware of your corners and edges. Consider your angle and perspective, and reflect whether you're capturing what you want in the best way. Whereas painting is about including whatever one needs, photography is about excluding whatever one does not need. Reflect upon that.

(not checked for spelling errors)

[SUP]1[/SUP] My writing professor told us in class about one time he assumed too much in a position he held many years ago. His boss was very angry, and sat down and told him, "Whenever you assume something, you make an ASS out of U and ME!"

 

[LazyFrog60]

Thanks for all the helpful comments!! I'll keep them in mind for the future and hope to make the same walk another time and take the same pictures but now with your comments in mind. I'll also bring a chain-saw for the trees which are in the way - will let you know if you can visit me in jail.