submit a photo to the urban75 critics

[Stanley Edwards]

OK, first one I've ever submitted to the tender mercies of the critics, so here goes.

Up near Betwys-y-Coed, we'd stopped so I could have a sneezing fit (I was driving), and found ourselves by this lake. As usual, the sky wasn't like it appears in the photo, but there was just something about the timbre of the light that said "photograph me", so I reached in and got the camera.

I was being bitten to bits by mozzies, in between sneezing, and ideally I'd have whipped the tripod out of the boot, only I didn't think that was wise on a narrow and fairly busy bit of road.

As things turned out, it wasn't too bad - I photographed it at 12MP-Fine on my S7000, and at full res you can see some slight blurring, as the light was going and we were down to 1/60sec or so exposure time.

I was pleased with the reflection in the lake - just enough rippling to make it look reasonably natural - but it would have been nice for the land in the foreground to be a little less "black". I haven't fiddled with anything like that: the photo's as it was taken.

It's nice. Could be better very simply by adjusting your horizon.

Verticals and horizontals are critical. Every photograph we see we put into the wider context. Your lake is sloping - lakes don't ever slope like that. They're always as level as a spirit level. Simple science that everyone understands. Everyone will question the slope and it spoils the aesthetics.

A slight adjustment will make it more pleasing (less challenging) to the eye and more natural. It will also be more dramatic even though it challenges less on an immediate level.

Nice enough. Not brill, but good. It has atmosphere. I suggest taking more care to align your horizontals and verticals with a tripod in future. Don't worry about getting run over. The end result will be worth it.

 

[alef]

OK, first one I've ever submitted to the tender mercies of the critics, so here goes.

Hope you don't mind I've had a quick play in photoshop with your pic. There's some nice green hidden in there, though I've probably gone too far in manipulating the levels. The rotation is a funny issue, I've set it "correct" but visually it looks a bit unbalanced because of the taller mountains on the right.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Hope you don't mind I've had a quick play in photoshop with your pic. There's some nice green hidden in there, though I've probably gone too far in manipulating the levels. The rotation is a funny issue, I've set it "correct" but visually it looks a bit unbalanced because of the taller mountains on the right.

I like the dark original better. It has character.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Hope you don't mind I've had a quick play in photoshop with your pic. There's some nice green hidden in there, though I've probably gone too far in manipulating the levels. The rotation is a funny issue, I've set it "correct" but visually it looks a bit unbalanced because of the taller mountains on the right.

Are you serious?

You've bent it!

 

[pembrokestephen]

Hope you don't mind I've had a quick play in photoshop with your pic. There's some nice green hidden in there, though I've probably gone too far in manipulating the levels. The rotation is a funny issue, I've set it "correct" but visually it looks a bit unbalanced because of the taller mountains on the right.

No problem. I've been trying to find the full-sized original to have a bit of a play myself.

It's interesting the way the mountains seem to confuse the balance!

 

[mauvais]

Here's what I was blathering on about, done with a 1.5 degree rotation, curves, and some tinkering with hue & saturation.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Here's what I was blathering on about, done with a 1.5 degree rotation, curves, and some tinkering with hue & saturation.

This looks way more correct, but there's something about the 'bendiness' of the original, that adds an air of foreboding to it that isn't there in the properly angled one.

 

[pembrokestephen]

Here's what I was blathering on about, done with a 1.5 degree rotation, curves, and some tinkering with hue & saturation.

Errr, wow!



OK, some lessons learned here. Now I need to go and find myself some more mountains to photograph

 

[alef]

Here's what I was blathering on about, done with a 1.5 degree rotation, curves, and some tinkering with hue & saturation...

Hmm, I've never considering giving my online photos frames, but it can work, maybe I'll start having a play....

 

[Stanley Edwards]

...

It's interesting the way the mountains seem to confuse the balance!

No they fucking don't!

The first thing anyone looks at is the water level. The mountains and everything else become irrelevant after that. Everyone in the whole world knows about water. It's the first point of reference in this shot.

 

[mauvais]

Hmm, I've never considering giving my online photos frames, but it can work, maybe I'll start having a play....

I got convinced to do it once by a friend. I refused to believe them at first but on reflection it makes a big difference. I'm still too lazy to pick the right sizes/colours for the particular image, and I've got a simple action in Photoshop to do it, but it definitely helps.

 

[alef]

I think my green version is pushing the levels too far, you can see the distortions. But I much prefer a landscape rich in colour over the silhouette. For want of a better word, I find the black mountains cliché.

 

[mauvais]

I think my green version is pushing the levels too far, you can see the distortions. But I much prefer a landscape rich in colour over the silhouette. For want of a better word, I find the black mountains cliché.

Here's a lazy alternative:

Same again but no curves this time. Instead, a black gradient layer over the sky, a white gradient layer up out of the ground, both in Photoshop's 'Overlay' blending mode. Reduced the green saturation a bit to make it look less toxic.

Ah, forgot rotation. Oh well.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

I hate to bastardise others art, but this is closer to an all recognised harmony:

See how important the horizontal is? It's your first instinct. Your foundation of trust.

Oh, I didn't do anything else. Please excuse me. I hate it when others do this stuff to my vision.

 

[mauvais]

Oh, I didn't do anything else. Please excuse me. I hate it when others do this stuff to my vision.

You said vision! As in "ooh yes, that's right, mmm, that matches my vision"

http://muse.cream.org/bill/bewild19.mp3

*stops taking Stan seriously *

 

[alef]

See how important the horizontal is? It's your first instinct. Your foundation of trust.

That is still not straight. The clouds need to reflect exactly, you're still off by a degree or two.

 

[mauvais]

You'll all go crazy if you try and get it right. Trust me.

 

[alef]

Here's a lazy alternative:

Same again but no curves this time. Instead, a black gradient layer over the sky, a white gradient layer up out of the ground, both in Photoshop's 'Overlay' blending mode. Reduced the green saturation a bit to make it look less toxic.

Ah, forgot rotation. Oh well.

Except for the lack of rotataion, I like this version has a very good balance of colours and darkness. Thanks for the ps tips, I don't use layers enough for levels adjusting.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

That is still not straight. The clouds need to reflect exactly, you're still off by a degree or two.

FFS.

I'm doing my best to bore the thread and you just come up with more rules and maths


I reckon it's as straight as anyone here can get on a Sunday evening.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I think my green version is pushing the levels too far, you can see the distortions. But I much prefer a landscape rich in colour over the silhouette. For want of a better word, I find the black mountains cliché.

But the 'how green was my valley' version is also a cliche: the travel brochure photo.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

You said vision! As in "ooh yes, that's right, mmm, that matches my vision"

http://muse.cream.org/bill/bewild19.mp3

*stops taking Stan seriously *

Bollocks and stuff.


I get sea sick sometimes. I got sea sick on a narrow boat once. I did manage to adjust my perspective, but then I just wobbled and got sea sick in the bars on land. I don't understand. I never will. Fucking water - why is it always flat?

A tad stoned. I may go to bed now.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Here's a lazy alternative:

Same again but no curves this time. Instead, a black gradient layer over the sky, a white gradient layer up out of the ground, both in Photoshop's 'Overlay' blending mode. Reduced the green saturation a bit to make it look less toxic.

Ah, forgot rotation. Oh well.

That's a nice compromise on the colour.

 

[pembrokestephen]

I hate to bastardise others art, but this is closer to an all recognised harmony:

See how important the horizontal is? It's your first instinct. Your foundation of trust.

Oh, I didn't do anything else. Please excuse me. I hate it when others do this stuff to my vision.

Hey, it wasn't a vision - it was a snapshot with pretensions. I'm very glad of the feedback. All of it...

 

[e19896]

as it comes no change other than scaled..

 

[RickSchofield]

moorland fashion shoot.

un-editied so far.

opinions? honest critique VERY welcome

 

[Stanley Edwards]

...

opinions? honest critique VERY welcome

The lighting doesn't work for me. You've lost the ambiance, the place, the mood and the model. Much as fashion photography should be about the clothes, the models need to be well photographed also. A few reflectors and diffusers would have been good. Working with available light can be very restricting, but carefully reflected light, fill-in flash and diffused light make a huge difference.

For the best of this sort of fashion shooting take a look at Squint Magazine. Ask yourself how they achieved the results they did.

Compositionally, and your working relationship with the model come across very well. It's just the technical subtleties that let you down. You need to learn how to shape subjects with available light. Nice pic otherwise.


e2a; Oh - and the hair. Control the hair!

 

[baffled]

e2a; Oh - and the hair. Control the hair!

While I don't like to talk technical (being new to this), the thing that struck me foremost was that her hair was obscuring her face.

Very distracting, though I like the shot and idea a lot.

 

[Rainingstairs]

E. Berlin Sony Center

 

[Rainingstairs]

Detroit Airport

 

[portman]

I'll submit this one because I'm not very sure about it. Was trying to do something similar to yours, wordie, but just don't think these pipes and bit of wall are interesting enough.

There is some interesting potential for playing around with angles where the wall of the building changes direction. Not knowing the location I may be barking up the wrong tree but if it is possible, picking a different viewpoint to make more of the angle could produce some interesting results. It is one of those images that could work in mono but as it happens, I like the colour in this one. However, I would be tempted to re-visit the location when the light is lower so you can make more of the shadows and the tonal contrast.

Bit of a cheek me making comments after a nine month absence but rather than start slinging my own images up again, I'd rather ease my way back in gently!