Morning Commute

[escape]

I took thid photo not to long ago. I like this photo, perhaos because I can relate to it. I would like to know if it works. Comments apreciated. Daniel

[lovelife65]

Well, Daniel. I do like it. I think it's a photo that we can all relate to, and it certainly made me give pause and and an "UGH" and a continued look.
That's part of what makes a photo work, at least for me.


The only minor quibble is the lights on the bus are a tad distracting, yet it doesn't really ruin the image as they are such a small element.
It's also a bit small, I'd love to open it up in lightbox into a bigger form.
Nice work

[escape]

Hi Sharon. I croped about half the photo, including the area just above the head lights which was blown out. Thank you for your coment and compliment.

[Manfred M]

The main issue with this image is the position of the bus head lights.

The human visual system is keyed to areas of brightness and contrast. As the lights are located at the edge of the image, our eyes will tend to be pulled there and right out of the frame. The high contrast areas of the reflections of the lights in the puddles somewhat counteracts that, but while these areas are significant, they are not as bright as the lights. The man with the umbrella gets passed right by; if he is your main subject, the image is not really designed to get the viewer's attention there.

[Shadowman]

The photo works as an exercise in capturing the rain, portraying an experience of commuters during poor weather, and leaves the viewer wanting to see more.

[DanK]

A nice concept, but this implementation of it doesn't work for me. I agree about the headlights. There are instances in which bright things along edges that aren't the subject work fine, but I don't think it works here. The headlights really overpower everything else, and you almost have to will yourself to look away from them. It's compounded by the fact that they dominate the horizontal dimension, with the part of a main being pressed into 25% of the frame. These combine to make the bus the main subject, rather than the silhouette of the man.

[escape]

Manfred, John and Dan: I spent time thinking about your responses and reviewing the photo. For me, the main subject is the weather. It's what distinguishes this commute. If I had seen the commuter as the main subject, I would have named it "Early Commuter" I do tend to think the viewer's eyes go from the bus/headlights to the wet pavement reflecting the headlights. Then on to the commuter.
I noticed that the top left corner of the wet pavement reflecting the headlights, bordered by the curb, points to the commuter's hand. The bumper of the bus is also in line with the commuter's hand. I don't think that it's visually strong enough to guide a viewer's eyes. But I find it an interesting aspect of the photo none the less.
Thank you fot your comments. They were well received and apreciated. Daniel

[Manfred M]

I do tend to think the viewer's eyes go from the bus/headlights to the wet pavement reflecting the headlights. Then on to the commuter.
I noticed that the top left corner of the wet pavement reflecting the headlights, bordered by the curb, points to the commuter's hand. The bumper of the bus is also in line with the commuter's hand. I don't think that it's visually strong enough to guide a viewer's eyes.

Let's test that hypothesis by more or less removing the headlights from the image.

When I look at it now, I notice two areas of the image at around the same level of engagement; the bus and the person. The mass of the front of the bus is still where my attention goes, but I do come back to the person. The splash of light on the ground is more prominent, but there still is no real connection between the elements of the image, even though the person and bus are visually connected.

[escape]

Manfred: I think my bubble just popped.
Thank you for helping me to view and understand this photo on a technical level. Much appreciated. Daniel

[mugge]

I like the idea very much, Daniel.
Cheers Ole

[escape]

Well cheers to you too.

[Manfred M]

Manfred: I think my bubble just popped.
Thank you for helping me to view and understand this photo on a technical level. Much appreciated. Daniel

I'm not trying to "burst your bubble", but am trying to get you to learn how to analyze your own work to understand what works and what does not. Unfortunately, this takes time (experience) and hard work (improving your image taking, analytical and post-processing skills).

Unfortunately, with TinyPic gone, I can't see your previous postings, but if I remember correctly your images looked like they were "grab shots" rather than planned out images (yes, that approach is important in street photography, not just other genres). Plan your shoot and then follow your shooting plan.

P.S. - A "grab shot" is a sceve that caught your eye and you then took the shot. A planned shot would be a case where you had decided to shoot commuters waiting for a bus in the rain. Grab shots are often "one offs", whereas a planned shot would be a situation where you have a series of related shots, often at the same location and /or subject.

That doesn't mean grab shots don't work, but it requires a lot of experience and practice to pull off a very good one.

[escape]

I'm not trying to "burst your bubble", but am trying to get you to learn how to analyze your own work to understand what works and what does not. Unfortunately, this takes time (experience) and hard work (improving your image taking, analytical and post-processing skills).

Unfortunately, with TinyPic gone, I can't see your previous postings, but if I remember correctly your images looked like they were "grab shots" rather than planned out images (yes, that approach is important in street photography, not just other genres). Plan your shoot and then follow your shooting plan.

P.S. - A "grab shot" is a sceve that caught your eye and you then took the shot. A planned shot would be a case where you had decided to shoot commuters waiting for a bus in the rain. Grab shots are often "one offs", whereas a planned shot would be a situation where you have a series of related shots, often at the same location and /or subject.

That doesn't mean grab shots don't work, but it requires a lot of experience and practice to pull off a very good one.

Hello Manfred. I think you and others perhaps might have miss understood my comment about having my bubble popped. Let me explain. I think we all view things from within a bubble. It colors what we see and keeps us from seeing clearly. So when I said you popped my bubble, I was expressing that the information you provided got through the barriers. In other words, I understood. A step forward for me. I know some people don't like to have there bubbles popped, but I do. It's an experience of realization, understanding and seeing a bit more clearly. I reread my post and I can see how it could be misunderstood. I hope I clarified my statement.
Yes, it was a grab shot. I have been taking test shots for several weeks of commuters going up the stairs of an elevated subway line in the early morning. Looking at it from different points of view. Thinking about the lighting, and the main subject beyond the old ornate stairway.
I will try at some point to put the photos I posted in an album.
Kind regards, Daniel