Farm Country

[LePetomane]

I took a little road trip through farm country for some B&W with my new lens, a Fujinon 23 mm f/2.

#1


#2


#3


#4


Comments and critique appreciated.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Mike Buckley]

Nice compositions and conversions.

Consider paying attention to when you want and don't want perspective distortion. That type of distortion is particularly effective as a means of depicting height. As examples, that distortion is a good fit with photos #3 and #4. The distortion doesn't work as well for me in the first two photos because there is no strong sense of height in either compostion.

Notice in photo #3 that you're displaying the far left silo vertically though the far right silo is leaning to the left. That's probably because the original image has some perspective distortion and that you corrected it either in the capture or the post-processing to make the silo on the left appear straight. The image would look much better if the perspective distortion was either eliminated to make all silos look vertical or equally applied to the silos on the far left and far right.

The foreground in photo #3 is large enough that it would be more interesting if you used post-processing to create a wider range of tonalities in the snow. I would do that by selecting the foreground snow and pulling the center of the tone curve toward the lower right corner of the graph. Consider also eliminating the two vertical objects sticking up in the lower right corner of the scene.

[LePetomane]

Thanks for the critique. I will get to work on them.

[Wavelength]

I like the mood of images...Is that wooden house a bit inclined, in addition to the perspective distortion?

[LePetomane]

Nandakumar, the house is tilted. I did clean up some distortion.

#3



#4



Quick question, is the vertical line in #3 artifact from the circular polarizer? Thanks.

PD

[bje07]

#4 in color looks better than B&W version which seems too gray, due to original colors

[Mike Buckley]

It's an interesting lesson to learn for me that the composition in the fourth one makes the tall structure stand out even better than in its original. I agree with Jean that it works better in color than as a monochrome.

The vertical lines in photo #3 appear very natural now. Well done!

[madcrow]

Advice taken and put to good use. Well done on your images and PP.

[LePetomane]

Thanks for the helpful tips and comments.

[IzzieK]

I have not read the comments of others yet, maybe one day I will so I will tell you my observation.
#1 needs a bit of holding the Ctr button then straightening the structure a little bit to the left. Before doing so, grab a guide if you are using Photoshop. It will help.
#2 is the same, need a bit of straightening and also please remove that unattached branches from a tree at the upper right hand side of the frame.
#3 and #4 suffers from the same distortions but you have corrected them nicely in Post #6. Not bad...I like the colour version of #4 though. Somehow the blue suits the background more than the black and white. But then, that is just me. I love colour.

[Black Pearl]

I like the idea of this lens as it would give me a virtual X100 so I very much look forward to seeing what you produce with it.

[LePetomane]

Robin, the advantage this combination has over the X100 is that the 23mm lens and the XT-1 are weather resistant. I know that the X100T is not and I don't think the X100F is either.

[LePetomane]

Here is another one from today.

[FootLoose]

Nandakumar, the house is tilted. I did clean up some distortion.

#3





Quick question, is the vertical line in #3 artifact from the circular polarizer? Thanks.

PD

I don't know what that line is, although it is curved so probably something related to the lens?

[Dave A]

Nice series. I'm a sucker for farm buildings.

Dave

[Rainforest]

I learned a lot reading this post - thanks. I am rather partial to your first shot Paul. I'm wondering if you can bring out anymore texture in the sky? #4 does look great in color. Lucky you, new lenses are always such a good motivator to shoot, shoot, shoot ;-)

[LePetomane]

Susan, Thanks for the kind comments. I find myself using two lenses (23mm f/2 & 32mm f/1.8) more. The vertical curved line in #3 must have been from the CPL because i don't see it in some pictures I took yesterday.

[IzzieK]

David or Paul... I love this last one of the farm shot. I kinda echo the sentiment of Dave A -- me too am a sucker for farm buildings. I know it is part of the environment, but it will be nice if you can remove the structures at the right side to give this shot a bit of breathing space...? I like the shape of the curve at the front (side?) of the building and the shapes of the tree branches on the left side (door?) I am battling in my mind whether you should remove the hanging in the air part of the tree at the top left hand side of the frame and leave the mind for your audience to form the mystery of where those shadows came from...there is so much to see here and ponder...lots of possibilities for the drama of a single shot. Just my opinion.

[John 2]

Nice compositions and conversions.
The distortion doesn't work as well for me in the first two photos because there is no strong sense of height in either compostion.....................

Mike, I have to say that I have the opposite view (just to be awkward ). The structure in the first two images is plainly rickety and the distortion enhances the effect nicely. However, I do agree about the tonality of the snow and the perspective correction of the silos in no.3. I you have PS, the shadows/highlights tool reveals a lot more of the detail that is currently lost in the snow.



(I will remove this Paul if I have over stepped the mark.)