Oakburn Barn

[invisible]

EDIT (CROPPED VERSION ADDED, also more contrast, plus foreground darkened in parts):

 

[FanBoy]

I like the color one better!

 

[mishele]

I like the color one better!

Well ****, I don't see the colored one.

invisbabe, too much dead space in the front for me.
Damn you and your clouds!! They're always amazing!!

 

[invisible]

I like the color one better!

Well ****, I don't see the colored one.

That's because it's posted in the General Gallery. The last time I posted colour and B&W versions of the same photo in the same thread, people let me have it, so I learned the lesson

invisbabe, too much dead space in the front for me.

I was hoping for you to show up with your beach chair but you didn't, so the space is empty. Deal with it.

Damn you and your clouds!! They're always amazing!!

I've been lucky the last couple of years with the clouds Still, sometimes my buddy and I find the best locations but the sky is useless so we don't take the photo... It all evens out in the end

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

 

[mishele]

invisibabe, I had the beach chair all ready....you just never called.
I'll have to go look at the color version.

 

[seakritter]

Wow nice one I love the sky, wish I saw the color one.

 

[timor]

I like the color one better!

Me to, however not without a "but". I think that the sky is too dominating with it powerful blue colour and mighty clouds. As much as I like strong sky, this is too much. In both pictures I would cut about half of the sky giving the picture new proportions: 1/3 sky and 2/3 land which would bring the barn right into a strong point and change the whole feel of emptiness of the foreplan. Another question, the conversion to b&w is weird, if you applied a digital effect of a red filter, you overdid. This b&w looks like infrared, the bushes to the left are to bright and the green grass in foreplan same. If this grass would be rendered darker, more film like, I think it would be more interesting for the eye. The blue of the sky came out to strong, it is equally black from the top to the bottom (like in infrared). Even with the strongest red filter you can't get this effect, above the horizon sky never gets that black. That all makes overall contrast of b&w is just too dramatic. Maybe you can try a bit softer rendition just to see how it feels.

 

[sleist]

I agree with Mishele, I think ...
The barn is too far away and it gets a bit lost in the composition. A shot composed with less foreground and more sky (and a bit closer to the barn) would work better for me.
I hate you and your clouds too.

Nice shot though despite my nit picking.

 

[KenC]

I have to agree about the barn just being too small in this one. Great tonal range and contrast, as usual, but the barn doesn't give that "lost in the prairie" feeling I think you're going for because there is too much around it.

 

[invisible]

invisibabe, I had the beach chair all ready....you just never called.

Yes, I've heard that one before

I think that the sky is too dominating with it powerful blue colour and mighty clouds. As much as I like strong sky, this is too much. In both pictures I would cut about half of the sky giving the picture new proportions: 1/3 sky and 2/3 land which would bring the barn right into a strong point and change the whole feel of emptiness of the foreplan.

I think I'll play a bit with the image, cropping some of the sky, and will post the results if I like them. I believe your critique is spot on. (Back to mishele's critique, I think that the foreground – as empty as it looks – is too important in the composition. I'd rather tinker with the sky.)

Another question, the conversion to b&w is weird, if you applied a digital effect of a red filter, you overdid. This b&w looks like infrared, the bushes to the left are to bright and the green grass in foreplan same. If this grass would be rendered darker, more film like, I think it would be more interesting for the eye. The blue of the sky came out to strong, it is equally black from the top to the bottom (like in infrared). Even with the strongest red filter you can't get this effect, above the horizon sky never gets that black. That all makes overall contrast of b&w is just too dramatic. Maybe you can try a bit softer rendition just to see how it feels.

I have a weird way of processing B&W images, aiming in general for a quasi-faux-infrared feel, with dark (basically deep black) skies. You can call it "way off" or you can call it "proprietary" In any case, I understand that my results might not be achievable using infrared film, which makes my images look "artificial" to the trained eye, but I really don't mind. It's my own style. I'm not one to go nuts in post-processing, but when it comes to B&W I push things a little bit more.

I hate you and your clouds too.

Hey, do I hate you after driving 3 hours and when I get to my shooting location I find that the sky is bland? There's no need to get personal

Thanks all for your feedback, I appreciate it!

 

[gsgary]

Maybe crop some of the foreground but the sky is wonderful

 

[invisible]

Based on the comments received on this and the other thread (on the General Gallery), I've just added a cropped version to the original post. In addition, I added contrast, and darkened parts of the foreground. Thanks everybody once again for the feedback. I like the new version MUCH better here on the forum. I still prefer the original version when viewing the image big, though.

And I've decided that I like the colour version best.

Maybe crop some of the foreground but the sky is wonderful

Half the sky is now gone

 

[timor]

IMO the new version has quite different dynamics, the foreplan is much more alive with detail and no more feeling of sky squashing everything below it. Good job.

 

[invisible]

IMO the new version has quite different dynamics, the foreplan is much more alive with detail and no more feeling of sky squashing everything below it. Good job.

Yes, the clouds did look overpowering and heavy. What's interesting to me is that I did nothing to the sky in post-processing, yet the sky looked heavier here than it did in real life.

 

[seakritter]

Based on the comments received on this and the other thread (on the General Gallery), I've just added a cropped version to the original post. In addition, I added contrast, and darkened parts of the foreground. Thanks everybody once again for the feedback. I like the new version MUCH better here on the forum. I still prefer the original version when viewing the image big, though.

And I've decided that I like the colour version best.

Half the sky is now gone

I liked the second crop, it's much nicer.