Church in Silhouette

[Downrigger]

Thanks for viewing and sharing your thoughts, Jimmy and Mark.

Mark, your considerations are certainly thought provoking and to some degree universal, I think. Time, experience and "photographic maturation" lead each of us where they will according to our personal constitution and comfort with experimentation and our resolution of how much (if any) obligation we have to the original. Much depends on the circumstance of the shot, the audience, and whether the circumstance constrains the creativity of the shot. I agree with you that it is mysterious and that mystery breeds fascination.

Your helpful comment gives me permission to remain in mystery about this a while longer. It rings true. Thanks much.

[William W]

Unplanned shot, while on a freeway noticed a dramatic sky and a church in the distance. Turned into a high speed chase of the light because I didn't know how to get to the church and I was afraid of losing the sky.
I exposed it primarily to feature the sky, but originally had some detail in the church. I decided to go with full silhouette as the church detail seemed only to detract. I framed and cropped to include some of the large tree on the right because I thought the leafless branches added some drama and the volume of the tree helped balance the weight on the dark clouds in the left upper. Doing the conversion and then the silhouetting rendered some nasty haloing that I had to take out at the pixel level.
I'm interested in your thoughts- does it work, any suggestions in processing, composition or cropping?

I just came across this. Hope you are still reading the feedback.
I like the idea, very much.

*

• It might have been an unplanned engagement - but one still has to look for The Purpose. What you initially saw and that which initially piqued your senses, might give a clue.
  
  
• The Sky and the Church are the two juxtaposed main Subjects. They require equal weight.
  
  
• In the original shot, the Sky is winning the battle - way too easy and I don’t think that works at all. It is an interesting shot of "The Sky", but in so doing, the Church is rendered meaningless – it might as well be "just any skyline." You need to make the Church and the Graveyard work a lot more for you, in this shot: after all, you did write:
  "noticed a dramatic sky and a church in the distance. Turned into a high speed chase of the light because I didn't know how to get to the church and I was afraid of losing the sky.
  
  
• Balancing the weight which you allocate to the Sky and to the Church will mean cropping.
  
  
• Also, the Church needs to stand erect and the pitch of the roof straight. You have Convergence of Parallel Verticals, caused by the camera viewpoint 'looking up'; that can be easily remedied. It is fortunate that from the Camera’s Viewpoint, the Church is higher than the Graveyard – that is favourable to the scene and to the battle.
  
  
• I also suggest bumping the mid-tones, to get a better register and a fuller range of grey tones. Pull out those streaks of light. The second version which you posted makes some progress in these two respects - but you need to go further IMO.
  
  
• The big black negative space at top left is un-necessary and very distracting to the viewer’s eye and detracting from the Church – get rid of it.
  
  

*

Consider this as an option for better rendition of the battle which is going on: the 'version 2' original, is on top. The Aspect Ratio of the edit is 2:1. I have loaded a big file, for ease of interrogation.





WW

[kdoc856]

Bill,

Thanks so much for your detailed and tremendously helpful feedback, that I can apply not only to this shot but add to my assessment skill universally. I am a sponge to your murmurings

[William W]

. . .I am a sponge to your murmurings

Thanks for the nice comment - it made me smile - BIG!



You're welcome, Doc - it is a good shot.


I was most serious when I noted that what you initially "saw" was indeed: 'the shot that you needed to make'. that's the core of it as I see the situation -


Only guessing here - - - BUT - I just think that (sometimes) you might consider a less procedural and less diagnostic approach to the Craft.

If the accident patient is bleeding to death, just shove your hand on severed limb and apply pressure, there's no time to wash up and don the green dressing gown, boots and gloves . . .

You have an eye for it - just make the shot.


CU 'round.


WW