Hey everyone I am new to L&NP group and fairly new to Fstoppers.
Constructive Criticism and comments are always welcome
Belated Happy Vernal Equinox
Hey everyone I am new to L&NP group and fairly new to Fstoppers.
Constructive Criticism and comments are always welcome
Welcome to the group!
Nice shots. I think in order to improve, it would be helpful to consider some (flexible) rules about composition, subject matter, and light.
Your second image of the flowers has the better composition in my opinion. The flowers have decent contrast against the leaves and sand. One clump of flower buds is in the bottom left corner while the other is in the upper right. This creates a nice path from corner to corner. It’s usually a good idea to follow the rule of thirds for framing or conventional leading lines. Always think about where you want the eyes to look in your photo. The eyes should naturally look at the subject and not have to guess.
Your first image, in my opinion, struggles a bit in that regard. There doesn’t seem to be a particular subject matter in the frame, which makes me unsure of how to interpret it. It is possible to make good images without a “subject” but you should still use compositional rules to direct the eyes somewhere. Images like this containing busy patterns are difficult to interpret at first glance. I thought the thin green leaves might’ve been the subject, but they aren’t prominent enough for me to be sure. I do like the soft light and color of this image though, and I definitely think tall grass like that can be used to make great images.
Hoping to see more of your posts 👍
David Thanks for the welcome and your contemplative thoughts on these two images.
The Manzanita flowers image is one of many images that morning, even some panoramas of the same theme. Along with the first flowers came the first bee sting of the season.
I glad the image of the grass made you struggle a bit it is a piece from an ongoing series of springs new green blades of grass growing through the yellow chaff of the season past. No real compositional path for the viewers eyes to move but is meant for the viewer to meander through the curves and twists of the yellowish blades contrasted by the rich green and straight leaves of the new grow. I wanted to illustrate the feeling of conflict of new and old while also showing how the old shafts coddle and nurture the new season’s shoots.
In a more basic sense compositional if you look a the whole image you might find your eye traveling from both upper corners down on a diagonal V shape till they meet almost centered bottom to where the grass meet the sand.
Once again thank you for the welcoming to the group and looking forward to submitting more material and commenting and supporting other members work.
Paul
David,
I updates the photos with compositional over layers if you are interested best viewed by clicking on them.
Later
Paul, if you modify the posted image(s) you as the OP can also alter the main text carefully (rather than use this Comments section) so it all makes sense to someone seeing your post for the first time.
Hi Paul and welcome. I hope you find the Group friendly and constructive.
To my eye, both images are equally well composed. I note David's points, and fair enough. Personally, I find the rule of thirds a good guide for beginners (no offence intended at all, David) to circumvent the beginner's temptation to plonk the subject in the middle, to stilted or boring effect. I note you use a more subtle and classical compositional guide in your overlays; I'd find this compleletely impossible to use in the field!
I'd suggest that the best guide for composition is experience and looking at others' work - not just photos, and (ahem!) certainly not just Fstoppers which overall is more geeky and favouring the image that "pops", rather than being aesthetic/artistic in its focus. I'm thinking of all visual art, and designed and natural objects of all kinds. Nonetheless "the rules" have survived the test of time, so I'm not dismissing them; I have just never found them useful.
I enjoy your first image more by a considerable margin, for the reasons you give, with its flowing curves and suggestion of whimsy. The latter is like a good illustration for a book, attractive, clear, but my eye doesn't linger nearly as long.
Hope to see more from you!
Hi Chris thanks for your welcoming message.
I appreciate your time, thoughts and advice on this my first post within Groups on Fstoppers.
I hear and agree with what you’re saying about beginners and composition. It's not that long ago where I too framed my subject dead center in the frame might as well included a bullseye mark. Or amore polite and politically correct reference the “tunnel vision” compositional method. Through listening to inapt but well meant critics I continued this way till I was enlightened “don’t center you your subject”.
At that time I began learn how to use the whole frame and recognize how to place the main subject or even a theme of interest within the frame or canvas and include and exclude elements to support and not divert from my perception. Along with learning mostly through trial and error, and the use of a quality tripod was essential. This was during the era of film, no chimping, a time before the age of instant gratification.
Turning the photograph into an art opposed to a simple snapshot for the family album. These were also the days of expanding ones mind, inner and outer exploration, getting in touch with ones feeling, the mantra of the day was Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out. Although I jumble thing up a bit, to Drop Out (discard the unimportant or the established “normal” that was not acceptable), Tune In (to the world through developing all ones’ sense), Turn On (all the being you are meant to be). Kind of hippyish maybe but what can I say, different times? One of the most valuable tool was and wasn’t the tripod but a part of the tripod, the quick-release. The tripod not only slow down the making of a composition it afforded precise placement of the camera (or film plan if I might) while fully concentrating on what appearing on the frame, the ability to stop and walk away and comeback to where you left off, or even with a quick-release disengage and explore other options.
Steve by now I’ve either lost you or close to it. But his is how I learn to compose an image no compositional overlays, and as I was learning and doing it I couldn't verbalize it, not even to the compositional principle I was applying. You know how some people when they are reading they block out everything else around them. That's how I am working on a composition. Letting go of everything, dropping out, turning on, tuning in, until I'm satisfied and release the shutter. Sometimes I’m through with the subject or I continue for a different view of the same subject. One thing with shooting film it was a now or never medium because who said it Milton I think “you can never go home” with film you can never go back to a moment unless you were successful in making the image. Sure you can return to the place but it will be different.
As to your last point I to totally agree two different subjects and even though I chose the same compositional guide they are different compositions. Yes the grasses is more loose and free form but so is the subject. As with the flowers a little more ridged and uniform. An interesting thing I’ve noticed with these compositional guide available in computer software a well composed image often more than one guide will work with the same image sometime like the grass it was basically the spiral and only in one orientation of it. The grass several guides apply well.
As far as working in the field or studio, real world application of compositional guides I feel would be more of a hinderance than an advantage. The photographer would be come a tool to the tool. The photographer has to learn/develop an ability to let go of the “rules” and look at each image independently recognizing its merits and go with the gut feels and listen to your bodies natural chemical releases dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, etc.
How was it said “The code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules.” - Hector Barbossa
Chris once again thanks for your views, input, food for thought and most of all your patience. And now I came put part of you to your work/images which I was browsing a week or two ago but didn’t have time to comments on … really enjoy you cloud studies.
Cheers!