Something different ... for me.

[Donald]

My recent absence from the forum was explained, partly, by being in the north-west of Scotland to shoot the 25th anniversary celebration of the Assynt Crofters Trust buying the North Assynt Estate. This was the first time that people living on the land cast off the centuries old practice of all sorts of weird, often absent, landlords buying up huge tracts of land and using it as their playground, with no regard for the people living on that land.

Scotland's land legislation is amongst the most unfair and outdated law anywhere in the world. Land Reform is happening slowly, but not fast enough for some of us.

Anyway, Assynt Crofters were the first to break the mould and I was honoured to be asked to photograph the events in a week-long celebration.

This image is from the final, Friday-night ceilidh (party, or a gathering)

Shot at f2.8 and 6400 ISO on my Canon 5DMkIV with the 24-70 L Lens. Shot at 3 minutes before midnight.

The idea was to capture the essence of the week. Any comments are welcome.

[george013]

My recent absence from the forum was explained, partly, by being in the north-west of Scotland to shoot the 25th anniversary celebration of the Assynt Crofters Trust buying the North Assynt Estate. This was the first time that people living on the land cast off the centuries old practice of all sorts of weird, often absent, landlords buying up huge tracts of land and using it as their playground, with no regard for the people living on that land.

Scotland's land legislation is amongst the most unfair and outdated law anywhere in the world. Land Reform is happening slowly, but not fast enough for some of us.

Anyway, Assynt Crofters were the first to break the mould and I was honoured to be asked to photograph the events in a week-long celebration.

This image is from the final, Friday-night ceilidh (party, or a gathering)

Shot at f2.8 and 6400 ISO on my Canon 5DMkIV with the 24-70 L Lens. Shot at 3 minutes before midnight.

The idea was to capture the essence of the week. Any comments are welcome.

Definitely not your best image. I do think you didn't succeed in capturing the essence of the week either. If the text should have some explanation, I can't read it.

George

[rpcrowe]

This is an extremely difficult image to capture with the band of bright light separating the dark band of tent tops and people. I am wondering how an HDR image would have looked (might not have been successful with the movement of the people). I am thinking also that some flash fill at a very low power might have opened up the people. I love using my Demb Flash Diffuser Pro with the FlipIt portion of the unit directed at about 45 degrees forward towards the subjects in circumstances like this.

I played with the image a TAD using NIK Viveza - what do you think? Even with Viveza, I could not tone down the sign (image left) so I can read it...

[ccphoto]

Maybe open up the shadow areas a bit more??

[Donald]

Thanks Guys.

Not keen on opening the shadows as described. Kills the atmosphere.

But thanks for commenting.

[Donald]

Definitely not your best image. I do think you didn't succeed in capturing the essence of the week either. If the text should have some explanation, I can't read it.

Oh well.The people who commissioned me felt that it did. And they were there.

[george013]

Oh well.The people who commissioned me felt that it did. And they were there.

That's exactly the difference:they where there and I not. What is the purpose of the picture. Being used by the people that where there or for others like here? That you must question yourself.

George

[Donald]

That you must question yourself.

I know the answer already.

[Stagecoach]

I think you have captured it well Donald and it conveys your intent.

If it were mine (I've had a play with it) I would lift the shadows 'the minutest amount' in a graduated band across the full width at a distance up of a 1/3 from the bottom. Not affecting those sat with their backs to you or those in the tent.

[DanK]

Sorry, but I don't find this compelling. First, I don't know what the image captures; I just saw it as a bunch of people standing in the dark in front of a well-lit tent, with more inside. That doesn't convey much to me. However, my guess is that it would be evocative for people who were there.

I can see why lightening the shadows could ruin the atmosphere, but personally, I would dodge parts of the bottom, although less than Chris and Richard did.

I'd also crop from the top, as Richard did. The tent is centered vertically, and the sky isn't interesting. The combination makes the image less interesting.

[Shadowman]

Nice effort, just looks like the effects of light leaks around the edges of the composition.

[MrB]

For me, the atmosphere of the evening becomes stronger by moving in on the main tent.

Cheers.
Philip

E.g.

[Cogito]

Donald, don't you think your image is a bit too blue?

[JBW]

I'm wondering why you went with colour? A centuries long injustice could be portrayed in B&W. But the overthrow of the injustice might well demand colour.

[Donald]

I'm wondering why you went with colour? A centuries long injustice could be portrayed in B&W. But the overthrow of the injustice might well demand colour.

This was celebrating the overthrow, Brian.