Taj Mahal Flowers

[fotugraphy]

Hi, going forward on my photography venture I stopped and clicked another shot. Can you please review it and let me know what exactly is missing for it to make it much better?

It is an image of Taj Mahal and I clicked it when I was very close to Taj Mahal. I couldnt sit down and frame it using view finder and there was a lot of physical disturbance because of huge rush around me.

I'm not sure if this composition of Taj Mahal is aesthetically good or not but i really liked the flowers. I framed it quickly using Live View in Bright Sunny Afternoon I'm aware that the frame is little bit out of symmetry and i'm not sure if this perspective distortion works here or not.

I have darkened the sky & made the image a little bit on a vibrant side as i wanted to increase the color contrast between flowers, Taj Mahal & sky. Please share your views if this works here or not.

Thank You.

[Downrigger]

It's got appeal, Raj, and lovely color and light. Leaving it mostly as it is you might want to take the rightward lean off the Taj Mahal.
More fundamental is that this photo, though successful, presents a problem that I encounter all the time... You want to do an image of "x" with "y". But it is unclear in the end whether the subject is "x" or "y" and often rather than enhancing each other, they compete, and disunify the image.
I think you made a good attack on this problem by getting down the flowers from a low perspective and not including all of the building. It is pretty successful. I'm not sure if there was an even better way to accomplish your goal.
I usually can't find the creative wherewithal to solve this common problem but I do see it done by excellent photographers. A lot of the time the Nat Geo photos have to show a subject in an image that makes clear the place or setting of the subject (as a second objective of the photo). And they succeed. Worth looking at places like that for ideas.

[Wavelength]

i really liked the image; i say this is an image of Taj Mahal only; flowers are just like its ornaments; What was you f number for this image? Here to there every thing is in fine focus

[Polar01]

Raj I do not know with what lens you shot it with, it looks like it might have been a wide angle. One thing I find very useful is a bubble level that mounts on the camera's hot shoe this will allow me works in the problem areas you state above. This way I can lower the camera to any height I want, ankles to knees or waist while keeping both roll and pitch level. So what if I have to pound out 5 or 6 shots to get the composition. Now live view can work as I have bad knees I have a hard time getting down and up so with the camera low to the ground it does not work for me.

Cheers: Allan

[Shadowman]

Nice alternative view of the Taj Mahal.

[fotugraphy]

It's got appeal, Raj, and lovely color and light. Leaving it mostly as it is you might want to take the rightward lean off the Taj Mahal.
More fundamental is that this photo, though successful, presents a problem that I encounter all the time... You want to do an image of "x" with "y". But it is unclear in the end whether the subject is "x" or "y" and often rather than enhancing each other, they compete, and disunify the image.
I think you made a good attack on this problem by getting down the flowers from a low perspective and not including all of the building. It is pretty successful. I'm not sure if there was an even better way to accomplish your goal.
I usually can't find the creative wherewithal to solve this common problem but I do see it done by excellent photographers. A lot of the time the Nat Geo photos have to show a subject in an image that makes clear the place or setting of the subject (as a second objective of the photo). And they succeed. Worth looking at places like that for ideas.

Thanks a lot for the review & for your kind words.

[fotugraphy]

i really liked the image; i say this is an image of Taj Mahal only; flowers are just like its ornaments; What was you f number for this image? Here to there every thing is in fine focus

Thanks for the review and m glad you like the image. I must admit that i forgot to change the aperture to F14-F16 in excitement. Aperture used was F8 using Tokina 11-16mm UWA at 11mm. Luckily i got most of them in focus.

[fotugraphy]

Raj I do not know with what lens you shot it with, it looks like it might have been a wide angle. One thing I find very useful is a bubble level that mounts on the camera's hot shoe this will allow me works in the problem areas you state above. This way I can lower the camera to any height I want, ankles to knees or waist while keeping both roll and pitch level. So what if I have to pound out 5 or 6 shots to get the composition. Now live view can work as I have bad knees I have a hard time getting down and up so with the camera low to the ground it does not work for me.

Cheers: Allan

Thanks a lot for the review and for the information about the bubble level. I'm using Sony A57 which has inbuilt electronic leveller for front -back tilts & horizontal shifts. I have switch on that mode while taking this shot.



I'm not sure how good it is compared with the physical one.

[fotugraphy]

Nice alternative view of the Taj Mahal.

Thanks for the review & appreciation.

[Pappadi]

This is a beautiful image.

I think Mark's view is appropriate for many images, especially when the intention of the photographer is to draw the viewer's attention to a particular object and if needed to a secondary one too. That is the usual design of many images in NG, which is surely appropriate in that situation. The image has to be in consonance with the intention of the text. You can see many images where no such emphasis is given to any element, but an overall invitation is made by which the viewers are free to make their own meaning, which again may also be the intention of the text writer.

I also sometimes feel a bit disturbed when the different objects as Mark points out "disunify the image." It has made me think about it in a way so as to abrogate the established law. Why not think about an all pervading melody above a multi harmonious succession of tones? An overspread which can also be beautiful and meaningful too!

A discerning eye may find slight asymmetry in your image, but imho, it is not very distracting. But you can attempt a correction if you feel it sufficiently disturbing!

Those flowers are beautiful and so also the Taj. I am sure that when you were taking in the beauty of the flowers, you were not pushing the beauty of the architecture and its colour away. I think you felt the beauty of those flowers worth pondering because that backdrop was there. 11mm and f8 would give that dof which was sufficient in this situation. f14 or 16 wouldn't have made much difference here because there are not much objects beyond the building.
I don't know how that Front/back tilt indicators can be effectively used. I doubt if it is as useful as a tilt (and shift) lens. Allowing that it is, why should you have a correction in the first place? You can attempt a pp in that direction. I would bet the result would be a disappointment. The slanting-back-Taj is very powerful here, irrespective of whether you intended it so or not at the time you shot it.

I am sorry this has become a bit lengthy, but I was just thinking loud.
I accept, talking of these things is easy but putting them into practice is difficult or downright impossible. But you need not be a chef to point out that your steak is over grilled.

[Clive Kirby]

I think it's a great shot, interesting and colourful. I think the colour of the the flowers works well against the architecture, as does the blue sky. I don't know whether the out of camera shot was level and balance but the final shot looks fine to me. As you know the symmetry is fine and as to whether it's aesthetically pleasing you think it is and at least a few of us here do.
Clive

[fotugraphy]

This is a beautiful image.

I think Mark's view is appropriate for many images, especially when the intention of the photographer is to draw the viewer's attention to a particular object and if needed to a secondary one too. That is the usual design of many images in NG, which is surely appropriate in that situation. The image has to be in consonance with the intention of the text. You can see many images where no such emphasis is given to any element, but an overall invitation is made by which the viewers are free to make their own meaning, which again may also be the intention of the text writer.

I also sometimes feel a bit disturbed when the different objects as Mark points out "disunify the image." It has made me think about it in a way so as to abrogate the established law. Why not think about an all pervading melody above a multi harmonious succession of tones? An overspread which can also be beautiful and meaningful too!

A discerning eye may find slight asymmetry in your image, but imho, it is not very distracting. But you can attempt a correction if you feel it sufficiently disturbing!

Those flowers are beautiful and so also the Taj. I am sure that when you were taking in the beauty of the flowers, you were not pushing the beauty of the architecture and its colour away. I think you felt the beauty of those flowers worth pondering because that backdrop was there. 11mm and f8 would give that dof which was sufficient in this situation. f14 or 16 wouldn't have made much difference here because there are not much objects beyond the building.
I don't know how that Front/back tilt indicators can be effectively used. I doubt if it is as useful as a tilt (and shift) lens. Allowing that it is, why should you have a correction in the first place? You can attempt a pp in that direction. I would bet the result would be a disappointment. The slanting-back-Taj is very powerful here, irrespective of whether you intended it so or not at the time you shot it.

I am sorry this has become a bit lengthy, but I was just thinking loud.
I accept, talking of these things is easy but putting them into practice is difficult or downright impossible. But you need not be a chef to point out that your steak is over grilled.

Thanks a lot for the review and sharing your views about it really helpful

[fotugraphy]

I think it's a great shot, interesting and colourful. I think the colour of the the flowers works well against the architecture, as does the blue sky. I don't know whether the out of camera shot was level and balance but the final shot looks fine to me. As you know the symmetry is fine and as to whether it's aesthetically pleasing you think it is and at least a few of us here do.
Clive

Thanks a lot for the review & the appreciation.