Shot a photograph of a friend but I feel like theres something missing... any advice?

[cgipson1]

Did I walk into an abandoned building that I did not own? Yes.

This is pretty much the definition of criminal trespassing, which is a legal term, not an arbitrary label from a fellow forum member.

Noted. However while you're sitting home scared of a lawsuit, letting the world pass you by, he's out there making a pretty darn nice photo that wouldn't otherwise exist.

Not that I condone trespassing or breaking the law, but if everyone followed the rules, art would not be what it is today. To get the shot, sometimes you need to go somewhere a little bit off the beaten path. Again, not telling everyone to run out and break into buildings to get photos, but it's not like he kicked the door in, or damaged anything. He didn't steal anything. As long as you tread lightly and have some common sense and respect, it's no harm no foul in my book.

damaged anything < We don't know that, do we? Going for that Post Apocalyptic look... maybe trashing a place would make it more "artsy", and there are plenty of people out that that would do it!! Funny thing is... if things had been broken in the past, and no one was ever caught... if the OP had been caught, guess who would probably be held responsible for all the damage? Is that really a risk worth taking?

And it is called respecting other people's property rights!

 

[dearlybeloved]

Noted. However while you're sitting home scared of a lawsuit, letting the world pass you by, he's out there making a pretty darn nice photo that wouldn't otherwise exist.

Not that I condone trespassing or breaking the law, but if everyone followed the rules, art would not be what it is today. To get the shot, sometimes you need to go somewhere a little bit off the beaten path. Again, not telling everyone to run out and break into buildings to get photos, but it's not like he kicked the door in, or damaged anything. He didn't steal anything. As long as you tread lightly and have some common sense and respect, it's no harm no foul in my book.

I wonder if the owners of the building would share that sentiment? Or the insurance company that holds the policy on the property liability?
I find it interesting that people on the forum are quick to chastise for copyright violations, or software piracy, but don't bat an eye at trespassing.
is it really about being scared of a lawsuit? or is it just about respecting personal property and the law?
I guess if your "art" is more important than someones personal property or the law, then I certainly cannot argue that point.
My apologizes if I sound like a purest stick in the mud... My job as a Medic is to follow protocols, and not deviate from them even if my personal feelings would lead me to do so. I guess I just look at our laws as protocols for life that I have to follow as well. Old habits die hard I guess.
Its just my opinion, and a lot of people justify a lot of things by reason of "its a victimless crime", but this old soldier just cant stop following orders.

Makes one wonder what the Auburn Police / Sheriffs Dept would think if they saw this? They would even have photographic Proof of the crime! lol!

I was in Opelika at the time this was shot. (334) 705-5200

In the town that I live, we are the kind of people who worry about those types of things. I can almost guarantee that if the owner of the building saw it, he would say "oh, cool".

 

[pixmedic]

There are people in life who stick by the rules, some who slightly deviate and those who break them. Need everyone to make the world go around.
If you really want to push the subject, I'm sure waaay back in the day, if people didnt push to change laws such as women voting and equal rights for minorities, things would be different now.

well, in theory i might agree with that, except I don't really see a correlation between a trespassing violation and the women's suffrage movement...seems like apples and oranges to me. going into a building to take a picture nooooooot quite the same as fighting sex discrimination. but I digress..

enough derailing! On the the picture as the OP requested!

I agree about cropping the photo. I think a crop that takes out the left window would tighten up the space a bit and make the person it a little more attention getting.
I do like the lighting, and i like the angle this was shot at. although i wouldn't have minded seeing one shot a little more camera left just to see how it would have looked. (depending of course, on what was on the right side) I also think that any cropping that is done should involve taking out a bit of the foreground as well, maybe up to the spot where the light starts.

edit: the more i look at the yellow sign, the more i like it there. I would leave it.

 

[dearlybeloved]

I'm off to work now but when i get back, Ill post some cropped images with the sign cloned out.

 

[DarkShadow]

Beside's break rules there is something else to consider beside structural safety concerns,old buildings may have asbestos problems and any Inhalation of asbestos is seriously bad.Just thought I mention it for what its worth.

I like the picture though,I think it came out pretty nice.

 

[pixmedic]

I'm off to work now but when i get back, Ill post some cropped images with the sign cloned out.

noooooooooo! i kinda like the sign! gives the photo just a splash of color.

 

[amolitor]

We're not cops. We're an internet forum.

Copyright is a forum issue, it's in the rules. Trespassing ain't. Are you we gonna start calling people out 'you look drunk, are you of legal age?' 'Was the car in that photograph speeding?' 'Do you have a release for the building depicted in that photograph?' 'Did you shoplift that tulip of which you have just posted, for the love of god molitor, the 40th picture?'

 

[pixmedic]

We're not cops. We're an internet forum.

Copyright is a forum issue, it's in the rules. Trespassing ain't. Are you we gonna start calling people out 'you look drunk, are you of legal age?' 'Was the car in that photograph speeding?' 'Do you have a release for the building depicted in that photograph?' 'Did you shoplift that tulip of which you have just posted, for the love of god molitor, the 40th picture?'

and yet, amazingly enough, plenty of opinions somehow manage to crop up here that aren't specifically forum or photograph related on a pretty regular basis.
I guess that's just human nature. Or internet forum nature. either or.

 

[dearlybeloved]

What I think I'm going to do is desaturated the sign and the green leaves that are poking through the broken windows. I don't particularly want to get the sign out because I think it adds to it but I'm going to bring the yellow down a bit for sure and see where it leads.

Thanks!

 

[dearlybeloved]

Heres my latest edit. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks again for the feedback!