St Monans Church, Fife

[Daisy Mae]

All comment very welcome.

[Donald]

What I'd like is for others is for others to say whether or not they would want to 'correct' the perspective distortion and make the verticals vertical.

The reason I say that is because I think this image has artistic merit. But if that had been mine, I would have wanted to 'correct' that perspective distortion. Why, I ask myself. It sort of strikes me that that is the difference between the really creative mind and my rather conservative, unimaginative thinking.

So, has Sharon got it all wrong and the perspective needs corrected? Or am I just a boring old f.... who lacks imagination and creativity?

[dje]

Hi Sharon and Donald

I had a look at this with perspective correction and came to the conclusion that it didn't make a lot of difference. But I think I prefer it as it is. The cloud pattern really adds to this image which has a lovely sense of darkness and mystery.

Dave (A self-confessed boring old f.. with no imagination or creativity)

[RockNGoalStar]

What I'd like is for others is for others to say whether or not they would want to 'correct' the perspective distortion and make the verticals vertical.

Personally I like it as it is. I think it adds a certain amount of dynamism to the shot. It looks quite imposing and rather daunting.

I really like it.

[kdoc856]

I like the perspective as is: it contributes to the surreal impact, and I think also contributes to an interesting triangulation between the large tree leaning to the right, balanced by the church verticals, the stones and the diagonal shadow from the right leading the eye to the steeple and the interesting clouds. I personally am not offended by perspective distortion out of hand, but think it just has to be noted and then decided if it adds or detracts. What doesnt add, detracts.

[Daisy Mae]

Just want to thank everyone for their input.

[Polar01]

Sharon: beautiful church, love the image with that light and sky.

Cheers:

Allan

[arith]

It is the stuff of nightmares; I can almost hear the wildlife and uneasinness in the air in anticipation of encroaching darkness. It fooled me to think it was already night but it will be soon.

Then the residents come out to play.

[Daisy Mae]

Thank you Allen and Arith,

Well Donald, you asked the question so tell me...........are you surprised by the responses?

[Donald]

Well Donald, you asked the question so tell me...........are you surprised by the responses?

No, I don't think so. The quality of the image could be seen and I think the perspective distortion contributed to its strength. What I need to do is tell myself that, for artistic reasons, maybe verticals don't always need to be vertical.

There's a lovely little Scottish folk song (couldn't find an online copy to link to) about a child being berated in school for using imagination and being told that grass must be green and the sky must be blue and that it can never be any other way. When the child complains that what he did was interpret how his mind saw the grass and the sky he is told, basically, not to be stupid. So he buries his imagination and his creativity and unhappily paints the grass green and the sky blue - just like everyone else.

I don't want to be that wee boy, but wonder if somewhere in the past I was told that the grass had to be green and the sky had to be blue.

[Daisy Mae]

I don't want to be that wee boy, but wonder if somewhere in the past I was told that the grass had to be green and the sky had to be blue.

Acht Donald...not ye!

When my husband was five years old the class were reading 'Dick and Dora' and were asked to draw 'Nip' the dog. Nip being a white Highland terrier. Stephen drew 'Nip' as he was asked..literally..as he says I wasn't asked to draw Nip on a background of fields..just draw the dog, and the dog was white ..so he drew a white dog with a white crayon on a white piece of paper.

My view...is play, tease a picture. invert it..put it through a million procecesses and laugh at the ridiculous images you get and gasp at the ones that are suddenly 'something brilliant'.........you learn what works.

I know so many toggers that are all puffed up on ...'it's straight out of camera'...Wonderful but we have sophisticated editing now and the final image is surely the important thing...no? Well the competition thinks differently.
I think we are kidding ourselves to think otherwise with all those glassy lakes and soft foggy water shots out there.

I am sure you know that church at St Monans Donald..so ye know I was backed down a steep hill with a small dyke between me and a beeg fall. I can't remember if I was being braced but it is likely it was as a Titanic moment.

[oldgreygary]

I don't think the perspective worried me it was more the black rectangle to the left of the church that dragged my eye and attention away from the church. I found that quite distracting. Perhaps, if the image was a tad lighter then this would reveal this and make the image more balanced? But, there is something broody and atmospheric that the image portrays in an interesting way.

Cheers for now

Gary