Your Best Photograph from the Previous Month - Critique and Discussion Encouraged

[DDrake]

Great thread—one of the best I've read here. Since May was my first full month taking large format pictures, it's more a case of selecting the previous month's 'least bad' than 'best.' There's plenty of technical faults with this photo, but I welcome the opportunity for critique.

A little background: the area where I live is something of a photo destination, enough so there's a typical look and feel to pictures of the Palouse. (Mostly B&W images of old barns and farmhouses or super-saturated color photos of rolling hills.) All due respect to that tradition, as a local I'd like to make images that acknowledge more complications and contradictions within the landscape.

Wednesday evening. Sunshine Road.

DIY 4x5 / Fujinon 90mm f/8 / HP5+ dev. in Xtol 1+0 9 min.

Thanks in advance for the input.

[Ken Lee]

Wednesday evening. Sunshine Road.

DIY 4x5 / Fujinon 90mm f/8 / HP5+ dev. in Xtol 1+0 9 min.

Thanks in advance for the input.

This is another photo which in my humble opinion contains several fine subjects, several photos in one. Giving greater emphasis to fewer themes might be a helpful exercise.

[Ulophot]

I agree with Ken. Wide angle views of this kind often present a challenge with the respect to the foreground and what is happening in it, because it is disproportionally emphasized. We do get a sense of the countryside here; the tonality is rich; and there is a compositional relationship of the curved horizon with the upper cloud, and with the curve of the lower right grasses to the horizon on the left. However, I fell that the story it has to tell has only been presented in the most general terms. I could see it working as an opening to a further study of the area, though, in my view, there is a lot of sky that, although it has a certain character, adds little to the image as a whole.

[Corran]

There's a famous quote usually associated with street photography by Robert Capa - "If your photos aren't good enough, then you're not close enough."

I find it equally useful to think about that with landscape photography, especially using wide lenses.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Here is a subtly updated version. I am still on the fence about the rock. I think I am going to leave it and tone it down quite a bit. I like the bush on the right as it is very dark as is the left bottom of the frame so it sort of funnels you into the image from the bottom to the top. As for the rock it is distracting, so I do need to radically tone it down without it becoming garish.

As for the slight blurriness of the image due to the windy conditions that day, it is the mood of the image that drew me to this and the fact it was as sharp as it was given the crazy wind. For me, the mood of the scene is the driver and not how tack sharp or the lack thereof. I think given the way I feel about the image a 16x20 would work as the intent is not being razor sharp, but how it makes you feel. As a side note:

I listened to Vangelis while I worked on the new version. And as strange as this may seem to some, the music brought the image to life and I could feel the mood of the image and how it was affected by the changes I made as well as the ones I undid as I listened to Vangelis.

If you crop the right side off omitting the rock and foliage, you end up with a very strong vertical.

[DDrake]

Ken Lee, Ulophot, Corran,
Thanks for the thoughtful critique. Sorry it took a few days to acknowledge--work and daughter's HS graduation got in the way.
Had a chance to get out and shoot four sheets yesterday, and tried to take on board your input. Negs look decent; I won't post here (unless one turns out to be my best for June), but will post on another appropriate thread.
Again, thanks.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Still thinking about the previous suggestions. But here is another one to ponder. Quite a bit different from my last several postings.

Abandoned Chevron gas station on I-10 in CA around Chiriaco. Tmax100, f/22 I believe, red 25A filter, 210mm (have to check my notes to be sure). This could have been 90mm and no filter.

[Bernice Loui]

Another view..

Using the widest angle lens available (Think you've got a 75mm & 4x5) and bag bellows, place the camera very low to the ground where the empty cup is located using the cup pointing towards the abandoned gas station as an expression of emptiness. Rotate the composition 90 degrees to vertical making the empty cup as large as possible while reducing the size of the abandoned gas station against a empty sky. Apply camera movements to keep the lines straight on the pumps, gas station while adjusting tilt as needed to hold the cup and gas station in focus.

This would be the basic concept of the image, the technical aspects are fitted into the needs of this image concept.



Bernice

Still thinking about the previous suggestions. But here is another one to ponder. Quite a bit different from my last several postings.

Abandoned Chevron gas station on I-10 in CA around Chiriaco
.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Interesting thought on composition. I don't remember if I used any tilt, but my goal on this was to keep the camera as level as possible. Next time I pass by here, I will consider your thoughts on the composition.

[Bernice Loui]

Consider what one is trying to say or express before considering any image to be made. There are countless voices out there waiting to be heard, challenge is trying to hear what they are saying then interpreting them into an image or other artistic means of expression.


Bernice

Interesting thought on composition. I don't remember if I used any tilt, but my goal on this was to keep the camera as level as possible. Next time I pass by here, I will consider your thoughts on the composition.