C&C on my chair!

[manthos]

Hello all! I took this photograph about a month ago when I first started shooting and i would like to hear your opinion.

The subject is the chair. I see that it is out of focus but does this ruin it? Can the composition be improved and become more intense?

All C&C on composition, technique and whatever you think important is more than welcome!

[ktuli]

First off, this chair is much too hard. Where's the second that I would expect to be much too soft? And then the third that should be just right... Sorry - couldn't resist.

On a more serious note, I do find the chair being slightly out of focus to be distracting. If that is your main focal element of the shot, it really needs to be crisper than it is.

As far as composition goes, I do see a couple other issues. First, the wall on the left takes up over a third of the frame, and since it is the brightest part, my eyes keep drifting over that way. I would crop in and remove about half of that wall. Additionally, because the chair is your main subject, I find the boards against the wall behind it to be distracting too. I can't even make out what they are, but because they overlap with the chair for space, then it fights for my attention.

I think the best bet for this shot is to potentially reshoot it if you can. Try and reduce the space you give to the wall on the left, and try and eliminate the convergence with the chair and that background wood.

The concept of the shot itself is very interesting though - the rough stone wall with the old weathered chair is very appealing. I think it just needs a few tweaks to make it really draw me in.

- Bill

[Donald]

I would endorse everything Bill has said.

Your imagination for an image and the vision to see it is very much in evidence. So you're already well on the ladder. The technical bits can be studied and learned.

[manthos]

Thank you very much!

So i guess i should have paid more attention to the details on the background and the proportions of things in the picture. It seems i didn't give it much thought...

[jiro]

...or you could wait for that moment where the light is giving the right drama to your shot. Usually it's the lighting that either makes or break an image, as well as the composition of course. I'd say pursue this concept more as this is a very interesting subject to shoot (for me, that is).

[Donald]

So i guess i should have paid more attention to the details on the background and the proportions of things in the picture. It seems i didn't give it much thought...

And that is the wonderful thing about being involved in a constructive forum such as this - you can be very confident that, after this discussion, the next time you are contemplating an image such as this, you will be much more aware of all that is in the frame.

[manthos]

That is very true. I've been looking at some photos I took over the last month and most of them have annoying things popping up that I didn't notice when I shot them.

And about the light that Jiro mentioned, I am starting to understand that it is a major factor towards the success of an image.

The more I look at the chair, the less i like it as it is. It certainly doesn't look like what i saw at that moment. I knew that from the beginning, but couldn't really tell exactly what bothered me (apart from the focus).

[Donald]

And about the light that Jiro mentioned, I am starting to understand that it is a major factor towards the success of an image.

Giannis

It is THE factor. It is the beginning, middle and end. It is everything.