A Bit Image Heavy to be Taken Seriously, but....

[Adzman808]

Here's a few that I conceptualised start to finish in B&W*!

Critique welcomed, I realise that by posting so many that I'm not just oversaturating the PP

Jokes aside, I went some where new today, and with no idea what to expect, it quickly become a day of shape and texture!

(*I 99% shoot B&W in camera, then frequently go with colour when viewing the jpegs images side by side with the RAWs)


Signals


There's Lady who's sure....


Black on White


Chewing the Fat


Back to Work


King of Sand

[Mike Buckley]

All are very nice conversions. I tend to like simple compositions the most, so the first, second and last images are very appealing. The three images with the reflections and the clothing are complex enough that I have a difficult time determining the subject. In the last image, consider allowing the top of the crane to be displayed or crop at the top to accentuate the pile of sand or whatever it is.

[Shadowman]

Nice series, I like the reflections best.

[RobFellows]

I like number 2 best, interesting layering of the scene. Can you drag any more detail out of the shadows or is that going to make it look a bit flat?

Well spotted with the reflections too.

[IzzieK]

I like #3 -- it may be complicated for Mike to understand that but as woman who used to hang clothes (we used a rotary clothes line called "Hills" I can relate to that image. I like the ones with the reflections too...the first one of it looks like the meeting of the minds, then back to work.

[NorthernFocus]

I also like the second shot and the one with the reflection. Nice eye.

[Adzman808]

Thanks very much one and all!

I've made some edits to some of these and added them to my blog! Particularly Rob's suggestion about the steps.

I've also taken on board Geoff's suggestion (to me on a different thread) that learning tone curves really needs to be in my toolbox... Early days and baby steps with that tho!

I haven't done anything with the reflections ones yet, as I'm debating a couple of things (perhaps colour and leave them quite wide or keep BW and crop in closer), and besides they didn't really fit with the piece I wanted to write around them

I do have to say how much I've been enjoying my time here at CiC, I'm finding the feedback sincere and useful.

Anyway, I've linked the blog post below in case you want to see the fruit of your suggestions (@Mike, not much I could with the crane one I'm afraid, it's already at the top of the frame) there's an extra one on there that I didn't share here, and they're all on flickr too!

http://adambonnphotography.bonncl.co.../01/27/shape1/

[Geoff F]

Firstly, while I am thinking about it, Adam. There is good advice on using Curves, etc in the CinC Tutorials and a lot more on this linked site which goes into the whole subject in quite a bit of detail..

http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/c...1/curves-1.htm

With regard to the photos in this thread.

#1 is well captured although I do wonder about having the pole vertical and the wires at more of an angle?

#2. Reducing the sky a little would make the steps appear longer.

#3. For me, the main area of interest is the washing, so I would consider reducing the bottom a little. Which means a different size ratio or also losing a bit from the left. As an alternative composition, I could accept just a little more sky if that was possible.

#4 & 5. Both look good although I am slightly distracted by the man with a small white strip on the back of his coat. Obviously not your fault.

With the last image, it would have been nice to see the tip of the crane jib if that was possible; and to have the wall beneath the crane vertical. Are some of the trees naturally leaning a little and you have regarded them as being straight? Compare with the verticals from the distant building.

But these are very minor points about some excellent shots with good focus and exposure.

[Adzman808]

Thanks (as ever) Geoff,

I did read the CiC topic on curves, but a re-read never hurt... In certain aspects I'm in that awkward zone of beyond new, but not really advanced (if that makes sense?)

I'm finding curves can serve me better applied to local parts of the image at the moment

Here's an alternate view of the washing (different shot entirely)



Might be a little closure to what you were suggesting?

The stairs ended up looking like this!

There's a Lady Who Knows... by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

More PP than I first showed on here, less stair (which were a bit OOF in the foreground once I'd got some detail in them, still are in fact, but now it's a sliver not a whole step!!) but more sky, with more sky PP to balance (possibly a touch too much, but seems to look ok... YMMV)

Here's a different telegraph pole orientation, I've just done this now and not really looked at it yet! (initial thoughts are it looks perhaps a little cramped)



The tip of the crane is currently not available, so I might have to reshoot that one

Still debating the reflections one... might end up in colour... that might end up in a separate post!

[Geoff F]

That is a nice bit of sky above the washing; it deserves to be seen.

There is a little more detail on the alternative pole shot but, yes, I agree it does appear a fraction tight on the left side, but I prefer having the wires a little more diagonal, as in this shot.