Last Tuesday, I submitted two photos in our monthly Honor’s Night at Bay Area Photo Club. The monthly assignment was “Rhythm.” I must admit, I never really thought that I understood what rhythm meant in photography and the photo that I submitted was, at least to me, more a pattern photo, not a rhythm photo. My submission was, more-or-less, a throw down photo—a case where I wanted to submit something, but really did not think I had achieved what the assignment required.
The second photo I submitted was to our “Open” category. Again, I did not consider this photo to be “portfolio” material, but I was reasonably pleased with it. The judge that spoke about my photo had some very nice things to say about the photo as did most of the members with whom I spoke after the meeting. But, to me, the photo was a completely unsuccessful image.
Why? Because no one seemed to grasp what I was seeing and intended to convey in the photograph. What I saw was a father and daughter waiting for “mommy” while the rest of the world moved pass them. I carefully composed the image so that the lines on the payment pointed to my two subjects and used a shutter speed that blurred most of the other people walking in the photo. I purposely waited until the ferris wheel was stopped and I had people entering and leaving the area.
What most people saw was a striking image of a ferris wheel and other carnival rides against a dramatic sky.
I will admit that there are several elements of the photo that I wished I had a “do over” on. I should have shot the photo a little wider so that I got all of the lines painted on the payment in the frame (I wanted them to direct the viewer's eyes to the subjects) and I should have shot several frames so that I had an options on where the moving people were. Finally, I should have taken a photo in which the father and daughter were a little better exposed (they are too dark in the photo as presented to make sure they stand out) in order to combine it with the original photo.
I wanted the image to have a 1950’s post card look so my post processing used two of Topaz Adjust presents—Photo Pop and Sketch—Dark Charcoal.
Enjoy.
Camera settings: Nikon D3, Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 at 40mm shot at ISO 200, f/9.5 and 1/15th of a second.
Post Processing:
Lightroom—Set black and white points.
Photoshop—used Topaz Adjust Photo Pop present to bring out details in the scene and then added layer in which I used Topaz Adjust Sketch—Dark Charcoal present at 35% opacity to reduce the saturation of the colors and give the image a aged-look.
Like I mentioned at the club - I like this shot a lot. I think I would have liked the scene even if the people were'nt in it at all because of the composition and post-processing. That having been said I do also believe that the shot is much stronger and more interesting with the people included. I suspect others, including the judges, probably thougt that too - even if they didn't say so.
ReplyDeleteIf this is an unsuccessful photo, please teach me how to take unsuccessful photos. The second I saw it, I thought "WOW"! The photo has great impact. The composition, even without your explanations, is fantastic. You did really well with this one.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with making the viewer "see" what you saw in your photography boils down to the limit of the media: you only have one frame, one split second of stopped time to do it. That is hard. Especially hard when you have a complex scene like this one.
The Professor
A very carefully composed photo. Trying to convey your message in this one would be difficult because of how small "your" subjects are in relation with the overall scene. They just are not that prominent in the scene. Making your point is important, but not the only criteria that you should use in judging whether the photo is successful.
ReplyDeleteAnne
The photo does remind me of a 1950s post card both in the color toning and the subject matter. I consider it to be a successful image.
ReplyDeleteMel
I like the feel of the photo. The style makes me forget about the individual elements and concentrate more on the total scene.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
I think this is an example of a photograph that is "successful" on a different level than what the photographer intended. There are so many great elements in the image and it evokes a pretty strong response in the viewer and while we may not fully understand your intention in taking the shot, we can appreciate so much about it. You do have a lot of lines leading to the father and child and we should be able to realize that those 2 are your subjects, but there are so many interesting things for us to look at that we don't stay on your intended subjects for long. Bad for you, good for us! It is so ironic that most of the figures in this shot are dressed in dark clothing except the child and still my eye looks at the dark shapes more than the tiny child, probably because of her small size and that she gets lost in front of the designs on the booth. This is such a great image with lots of impact, so that has to be a certain kind of success, right?
ReplyDeleteEverything that Cindi said plus you gave us so much to look at that I find myself studying all the different parts of the photo. Good work. It is a success but just not what you wanted.
ReplyDeleteTed
I agree it is an unsuccessful photo. It does nothing for me.
ReplyDeleteCharles M
I believe you are over thinking this one. It's a photo of a ferris wheel and some people on the midway. There is interest in two areas: the background of the ferris wheel and the foreground of the people. Where you look depends not on what you want me to look at, but what I am interested in looking at. You only control what photo you take and I control what part of it that I look at.
ReplyDeleteSya
Personally, I do not like this photo. It seems too manufactured for my taste. I do, however, agree with Sya about it's up to the viewer to determine whether the photo is successful or not. I believe your blog brings out the basic good in a blog, stimulating discussion, with the possible except of Charles M. Not sure what he adds to the discussion.
ReplyDeleteAlice