YAY! A BALL! BALL BALL BALL!

DramaDork626 · Sep 3, 2005

Olympus Digital, no flash, fair shutter speed
This is very different from what I usually do. But in my attempts to get better at this thing they call photography sometimes I do experiments with the basics as well as expermiment with concept. This is an exersize of composition. Tell me what you think about the angles and everything having to do with the composition of this photo

'Daniel' · Sep 3, 2005

The photo needs more surrounding in my opinion. It's cropped to tightly around the ball. i think the angle could work better with different cropping. But in general I don't like the composition. It doesn't really say anything to me except "here's a tennis ball".

Maybe try having the tennis ball as the subject of center in a much larger photo. But still only have the tennis ball, no other features.

mentos_007 · Sep 3, 2005

I'm with Daniel. And, as far as I know Hertz, he would say: "why did you take this photo?"

What is going on there? It is just a picture of a ball, which says nothing. Ok, it's a ball on a street, but how to interprete this?

DramaDork626 · Sep 3, 2005

theres no interpretation, it's only an experiment or detail, composition, and focus. When you look at it as long as I have you start to see the hidden beauties in the shot.

Onyx · Sep 4, 2005

maybe im unartistic. but the "what does it mean?" stuff has always bothered me. art can exist without intention or purpose in my opinion. it doesnt have to say anything to everyone all the time. i think its a nice picture. it combines soft and rough textures. i think thats all it needs to be appealing.

tmpadmin · Sep 4, 2005

I am with "the opposition" on this one. Art is different to each person yet there are common threads in "good art". When I was taking photography, I was able to be technically correct with every negative given to me. My shades, mid-tones and highlights were perfect but there was something missing, the message - meaning - or story. I see a tennis ball on a road, taken at a bad angle. To be brutal it looks like you hit the shutter release while walking and happened to have a tennis ball in the shot. However, if you are experimenting with technical expertise I think you did a fine job, DOF, color, contract all look good.

We as "photographers" (amateur or professional) use the camera as a tool to help us covey a message of what we see to the viewers. We want to capture the entire story, all the emotion and give that to the viewer. You gave me a tennis ball. I would walk right by it or flip the page, others many not - some my hang it on their wall with pride. Long-winded again I know, sorry.

thebeginning · Sep 4, 2005

well i doubt she shot this for artistic purposes, so let's look at other areas, like she actually asked...the composition is allright, a little centered for me. i think if you cropped off some of the top (to get rid of the highlight at the top right also), it would help the composition. Personally, I think this would make a nice commercial/stock photo. So that is good. The exposure is nice too, good smooth tones, and good lighting, nice and even.

Mercury149 · Sep 4, 2005

Im Dizzy :lmao:

Vmann · Sep 6, 2005

thebeginning said:
well i doubt she shot this for artistic purposes, so let's look at other areas, like she actually asked...the composition is allright, a little centered for me. i think if you cropped off some of the top (to get rid of the highlight at the top right also), it would help the composition. Personally, I think this would make a nice commercial/stock photo. So that is good. The exposure is nice too, good smooth tones, and good lighting, nice and even.

Im with him...

craig · Sep 10, 2005

Good eye! I think the shot is playful. Like what a dog would see. Hence the title (I think?). I enjoy the textures of the road and tennis ball. I would try and crop the sign on the right.

DramaDork626 · Sep 10, 2005

hehe, the title was my A.D.D goin on the fritz actually. Thanks

phat1985 · Sep 15, 2005

Interesting! Nice angle! Great shot! Maybe crop the bottom of the photo so that the tennis ball is on bottom instead of in the middle of the photo. I like it.

eydryan · Sep 15, 2005

i think it's brilliant! absolute simplicty! what could be better? two things i would correct. first,the ball i'd saturate a bit more, the colour really could use that. second, the upper right corner is too distracting especially the pure white spot. so i'd crop at least that off. but all in all great idea. nice concept. and if anyone asks, just say it's abstract work

303villain · Sep 15, 2005

i really like the color and the texture, and the DOF! way to make something fun to look at out of something that is usually totally random and boring!

PeterDennis · Sep 30, 2005

I think this shot would work better as B&W. I noticed a line in the background perhaps you could have positioned the ball so that the line pulls the viewers toward the ball. Alot of times when I'm using a wide angle lens I'll tend to put main subject matter toward one end of frame and try and use background verical lines or horizontal lines to point at the subject. Nice tennis ball though!

Pete