At the beach, phone in hand

[whited3]

Hi all.

I've been absent from CiC for some time but I'll try to post and interact more often going forward.

Recently I've been trying to improve my phone photography as I don't always have the 5Ds with me and sometimes I'm just too lazy to get all my gear together for a formal shoot.

Here are some of my recent efforts for C&C, shot on an S24 Ultra in RAW at 50mp. PP in ACR and PS.

[Round Tuit]

Welcome back.
You have some nice photos. My top pick would be the fourth. I find the washed up ship and the man on the beach to be rather distracting in the first two images.

[Geoff F]

For me, you have a few composition problems with the first three images. Not really your fault; sometimes the world doesn't cooperate with producing ideal scenes.

With #1 I would try a substantial crop from the left side to leave the figure just on the left side of halfway and a similar amount from the bottom.

#2 has similar issues with a gap of interest in the middle section. Sometimes, I just shrug my shoulders and walk on when the scene isn't working well.

#3 is an impossible scene with that over exposed strip of sunlight. Working with my best equipment I occasionally have a go at similar situations but do a merge of bracketed exposures and expect a lot of rejects.

The Limpets work OK (as Andre mentioned) and the image appears like an alien landscape

[whited3]

Again with the S24 this morning..

[MaxwellSevier]

So beautiful.

[whited3]

S24 again.

Why the B&W? No idea other than to say that some photos seem to ask for the treatment. Is it the high contrast that the eye sees in some photos?

[Manfred M]

I like how you are going about your work, but I feel that you need to work on your composition. The first image in #6 is not as strong as it could be because you have enough material there for 2 separate images. They are stronger by themselves than the single image you have posted.

[whited3]

Manfred,

C&C appreciated. Agreed that composition (or even PP cropping) is something I have to finesse. I'm not an artist of any description and so find it hard to "see" these things in the field.

I like how you are going about your work, but I feel that you need to work on your composition. The first image in #6 is not as strong as it could be because you have enough material there for 2 separate images. They are stronger by themselves than the single image you have posted.

[Geoff F]

I am of the same opinion as Manfred but maybe if you cropped the footprints from the bottom to give something like a 4 x 5 ratio you could still have both the people and the footprints in the same image?

In the boardwalk and clouds image you have a halfway horizon line. This is always a tricky area where two subjects are fighting for importance. Which is most important to you; the boards or that nice looking cloudy sky? Reducing one of them should produce a stronger image.

The same thing applies to the underside of the boardwalk where you have a halfway vertical split.

ps. If you want to continue producing unusual black & white images have a look at the work of Kaskais. For example

Emoldurado

I don't always agree with his compositions but he always makes me think.

[whited3]

Wild and woolly on the Sunshine Coast this morning. Rain jacket on, hood up, lots of lens wiping...

Again these with the S24 and some quick editing, mainly in ACR with BW conversion in PS. Lots of the warp tool in the first one.



I wasn't the only crazy out in the rain.



I like the BW on such a bleak day but that purple stands out for me.

[billtils]

A nice series and I agree with the comments others have made. My only addition is inregard to the "purple jacket" shot, where it may be worth making the purple stand out a little (and cropping at the left, or extending at the right in Photoshop, to give the subject more space to walk into).

[Round Tuit]

A nice series and I agree with the comments others have made. My only addition is inregard to the "purple jacket" shot, where it may be worth making the purple stand out a little (and cropping at the left, or extending at the right in Photoshop, to give the subject more space to walk into).

I agree that the purple jacket could use a boost. As for cropping, I would crop from the right to create tension and make it look like she is moving away.

[Geoff F]

I agree with the previous comments about the figure being too central. Cropping from left or right would work, although I tend to place my main subjects a bit tighter on the left side.

Otherwise, these images look good to me.

[Dave Humphries]

Hello Mark,

I enjoyed the series, well done.

I think others have cover specifics on several of your shots sufficiently.

As this is a continuing series, may I challenge you to shoot from a different height?

I have a compact camera with a screen that tilts, making this easier for me, but if you are agile (and perhaps not in the rain), can you get a lower viewpoint? (looking up)

This will help avoid having the horizon across the middle of your compositions, and with a careful choice of foreground interest, you can really bring a shot to life. Alternatively, if you get the lens close to an edge, you can create a shot with 'leading line(s)', these usually work well coming in from one of the lower corners of a composition, leading to a subject in the middle distance.

Happy shooting,
Dave

[whited3]

As this is a continuing series, may I challenge you to shoot from a different height?

Dave, 100% agree but............bad knees and lower back mean that while it's possible to get down, it's bloody hard (and sometimes embarrassing) getting back up.

Am saving up for an R5, primarily for the articulated display that the 5ds does not have.

[whited3]

At heart I'm a landscape photographer so the concept of people in my shots is some what a work in progress re placement, why are they there, etc.

If I've interpreted the comments correctly, then something like this?

The crop is a quandary for me. I want to keep the reflections in the floor boards but maintain something close to the rule of thirds for the horizon/hand rail. I keep thinking that post needs to be centre......

[Manfred M]

We typically leave space in front of where the person (or animal or vehicle) are moving towards. The visual balance generally works better that way.

[Round Tuit]

At heart I'm a landscape photographer so the concept of people in my shots is some what a work in progress re placement, why are they there, etc.

If I've interpreted the comments correctly, then something like this?

The crop is a quandary for me. I want to keep the reflections in the floor boards but maintain something close to the rule of thirds for the horizon/hand rail. I keep thinking that post needs to be centre......

This is exactly what I had in mind. Manfred has illustrated placing the woman on the left of the frame. Notice how his version creates a more balanced composition of a woman out for a stroll where as placing the woman on the right and close to the frame disrupt the balance and creates tension; as if she were hurrying to get home. It is a different story and both stories are different than having the woman close to the centre of the frame. As the photographer, you need to consider the various options and pick the story that you want to tell.