This assignment was particularly challenging, since we don't get a lot of "Sea" here in St. Louis. However, the professor had said, "If you live well inland and would prefer to visit a waterfall or brook with moving water, that would work too."
I wound up visiting a river, a spring, a stream, AND a waterfall before I felt like I might have the type of shots the prof was going for.
We were supposed to consider the Photos of Edward Weston, especially the ones he shot at Point Lobos (see them here).
What kind of light did he photograph under? How did he move in and compose what ever he was looking at? For each photograph, consider the point of view Weston and the camera position. Weston got down, got close to these rock forms on the beach. I want you to do the same.
You are to visit the beach, and look carefully at form, light, composition and line. Examine tidal pools, rock formations and sand patterns with the curiosity and freshness of a young child, say a toddler. Move in close, fill the frame
Well, I did my best. I'm not sure I hit the target though.
The final instruction was to submit your best 2, then post 6-8 more on Flickr.
I chose this as my #1 "best":
I think the composition is strongest with the edge of the stone, the ripple in the water, and the veins of the leaves. I'm not sure it has the depth of contrast Weston's work shows, and I think the dark forms in the upper and lower left are distracting from the over-all composition. I didn't want to go too far in post though, so I decided to leave it.
I chose this as my #2 "best":
Again, I think the composition is solid, with the organic shapes and the tones pulling the eye through and up. I don't know though...there's something lacking. Maybe a distinct point of visual interest. I'm just not sure.
Here are the rest:
While I was out shooting, I captured this shot as well. It doesn't meet the parameters of the assignment, but I think it's my best shot of the week!
Nice photos Teri!! :-)
ReplyDeleteCompare your #2 to this one: http://www.edward-weston.com/edward_weston_point_lobos_4.htm
I think you needed to fill the frame a bit more and lose the soft focus on the top left corner of the rock (not photographer...sorry if I'm butchering the terms!) I think the subject matter was a good choice and getting above the rock a bit more would have helped - similar to how you did "Channel". The subject for #2 is nice - I like that rock. :-) Of course the rock changes form it looks like and is cracked on one side and smooth on the other...hmmm...Maybe going even tighter on the cracked face of the rock - make that dark spot in the bottom the bottom left of the photo and looking up to the right a bit...hard to say since I haven't seen the rock in person. :D
On Ripples, since the focus of the assignment is on composition and lines,etc, I'm not sure what is in the top left corner (whirlpool?) but I could see two photos from this - one that's focused on the water around that corner, and another shifted a little to the right that's just the ripples. With both the object in the corner and the shift from light to dark as you go from left to right, it loses me a little. Actually, just cropping the left 1/2 off I think I like the ripples more - not a photog, so ...zoom in more for the photo itself? Not sure how much post work you're allowed to do.
Love the photos Teri!! Favorites: Leaves Submerged, Dead Tree (I keep looking at this one!), Meramec Reflection (want this on my wall - whatever scummed the water on the far left is annoying me!), Rocks and Ripples, and your Purple Leaf (awesome photo and what in the world plant IS that?!). I don't see anything wrong with the others other than whatever is happening in the top left corner of Alge.
I agree with everything you said 100%! The soft focus that you mentioned on #2 is actually depth of field. The rock was at the edge of a stream in a shady forest area so I had to crank my aperture really high just to get the shot. Side effect of that is shallow depth of field (soft focus on things in the distance). Unfortunately the only way to get it sharper would be to revisit at a time when the rock was lit better (since we can't use flash). But you're exactly right, deeper focus depth would have totally made that shot better.
ReplyDeleteI must have stared at Ripples for ten minutes trying to decide whether or not to crop it differently. May revist that one. I chuckled a bit when you said "zoom in more" since I was laying on my belly about 4 inches from the water. Any closer and I would have gotten wet. But point well taken. Your recommendations definitely would have made a stronger image.
I struggled with not picking Dead Tree as one of the top 2. It lures me in too! TY!
Meramec Reflection...you would not believe the amount of muck I had to retouch out of that photo. I could probably get some more of that out, or just crop it.
Top left corner of Alge...would be sunshine. Light is one of the key things I'm supposed to be chasing after. :D
Thank you soooooooooo much!