How would you improve this picture?

[SongMi]

A good photograph tells a story. Unfortunately most of us here (forum) with very expensive equipment are horrible in making good photographs. MOst are mere snaps - kinda like telling a joke and forgeting the punch line and the listeners are left confused and just hanging, wishing they not even listend in the first place.

If you are a writer, you know that composition is fundamental; just as in photography. Many photographers just "throw words around" without making a single sentence, if you know what I mean.

In this photo, the story is half told! Or, the turkey is half cooked!

I don't get it.

This is ART ! You're SUPPOSED to ponder it. Seems like it worked.

We dont know why she's looking up the tree.

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

--
Have a good day!

 

[Dave Deacon]

She seems to be admiring the tree. How big and beautiful you are... There could be a phallic connotation. Think Cadbury's Flake (UKers), think cars..

It should be cropped to the woman and the tree with more tree at the top to suggest size etc.

--
http://www3.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=3626

 

[DavidP #28649]

You must not like movies that "leave you hanging", then.

The story IS told. You just have to come up with your own ending.

In this photo, the story is half told! Or, the turkey is half cooked!

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

 

[Stephen Eastwood]

I am giving some serious consideration to becoming a photographer in the future well once the modeling career goes anyway.

I like what you've done to it here



--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

--
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.nyphotographics.com

 

[SongMi]

Gee, I didnt realize this was a foreign film (non USA). I suppose this could be a French photo or an earlier Chinese photo influenced by the French.

This photo does not just leave you hanging, it leaves you haning upside down underwater and I don't think the shooter intented to leave us drowning.

The story IS told. You just have to come up with your own ending.

In this photo, the story is half told! Or, the turkey is half cooked!

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

--
Have a good day!

 

[DavidP #28649]

Sure, it'd be GREAT if there actually WERE a squirrel sitting up there in the photo. But that'd be a different picture.

Hmmmmm, if this lady had been looking at the camera (like a typical portrait shot), what would the "story" be? "I'm sitting here looking at you, 'cuz that's what everybody does for a portrait" ????

Gee, I didnt realize this was a foreign film (non USA). I suppose
this could be a French photo or an earlier Chinese photo influenced
by the French.

This photo does not just leave you hanging, it leaves you haning
upside down underwater and I don't think the shooter intented to
leave us drowning.

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

 

[DavidP #28649]

Another great portrait.

Who says you shouldn't use wide angle for potraiture? Love it !

I also like how you did NOT crop the picture of "tree lady" so that she (as somebody phrased it) "had somewhere to look up" in the picture.

I, for one, am fully capable of imagining somebody looking OUT of the picture frame, when necessary.

In this case, she seems AWFULLY interested in what's up that tree. Almost like it's RIGHT THERE.

Since it's not right there, you can't exactly show that in the picture. Destroys the illusion.

By cropping it close, I can just imagine a squirrel (or maybe her cat) sitting in that tree just above her face.

Dang -- who'd have ever thought they'd hear an ENGINEER say such things? LOL.

I am giving some serious consideration to becoming a photographer
in the future well once the modeling career goes anyway.

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

 

[J. Roberts]

I

What would you do in a similar scenario?

I wouldn't press the shutter. This is the most absurd pose I have seen this week.

J. roberts

 

[DavidP #28649]

Now THAT'S tact if I ever saw it.

I wouldn't press the shutter. This is the most absurd pose I have seen this week.

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

 

[melvin sokolsky]

This picture was taken in a very late afternoon almost at sunset.
The amount of daylight was low.

I used D60 with 70-200IS:

ISO 200
F-Stop 2.8
Shutter speed 1/10 at 70mm

What would you do in a similar scenario?

I like the mood and feeling of the picture.... what the woman is doing is a moment between you and her which should not be questioned or compromised by your audience. You either like it or you don't.

All of the color changes merely made the photo look like a canned commercial image robbed of all spirit.

Asking questions that reveal insecurity will only impede your progress as an image maker. Keep up the good work and believe in your self.

All you have said about digital being ugly I'm suprised you shoot with a D60.

I believe that the strength in digital is that you can dial in a mood and spirit that is harder to effect with film.

Best,

Melvin

Thanks.

http://www.photographypage.com

--
jrisc

 

[Igor59833]

It was on. I am actually amazed by IS at 70mm and 1/10 of the sec with F-2.8, it turned out to be sharp.

Please don't take this question as a dig or as extreme criticism of
your photo or your model. This comment is not directed against you
or her. I am simply looking at an image and responding to the
image.

I think the model is a beautiful woman.

I think the pose makes her look like she is acting like a squirrel.

Something doesn't fit. (wink)

I may be one of the only people willing to say this honestly to
you....but the tree is an unnecessary element for a portrait of
the woman, and as she is posed hugging it...it is a distraction
from the woman herself.

It doesn't strike me as an effective way of showing the beauty of
the model (assuming that is your interest). It looks very
contrived and appears to be 'posed' for the sake of a pose.

Suggestion: Avoid having models hug a tree.

Hope that helps,

Sincerely,

Steadman

This picture was taken in a very late afternoon almost at sunset.
The amount of daylight was low.

I used D60 with 70-200IS:

ISO 200
F-Stop 2.8
Shutter speed 1/10 at 70mm

What would you do in a similar scenario?

Thanks.

http://www.photographypage.com

 

[Igor59833]

Melvin,

Thanks for your comments. I think you confused me with Igor R, the gentleman who for some reason started the thread about Fred's photoshoping and 1Ds nose nonsense.

I am not Igor R. I am just Igor and as a matter of fact I love digital equipment and long ago stop using my 35mm Minolta gears.

Igor.

http://www.photographypage.com

This picture was taken in a very late afternoon almost at sunset.
The amount of daylight was low.

I used D60 with 70-200IS:

ISO 200
F-Stop 2.8
Shutter speed 1/10 at 70mm

What would you do in a similar scenario?

I like the mood and feeling of the picture.... what the woman is
doing is a moment between you and her which should not be
questioned or compromised by your audience. You either like it or
you don't.

All of the color changes merely made the photo look like a canned
commercial image robbed of all spirit.

Asking questions that reveal insecurity will only impede your
progress as an image maker. Keep up the good work and believe in
your self.

All you have said about digital being ugly I'm suprised you shoot
with a D60.

I believe that the strength in digital is that you can dial in a
mood and spirit that is harder to effect with film.

Best,

Melvin

Thanks.

http://www.photographypage.com

--
jrisc

 

[Igor59833]

I like many things about this shot... color, exposure, processing,
model... just about the only thing I don't care for is the models
attention. Looking away from the lens is one thing.. looking up a
tree is another. In a way, the pose is somewhat playful, the tree
partially "protecting" her. What a great time for her to be playful
with the camera, eyes squarely in the lens with a clever smile on
her face. As such, her attention is away from us and, as others
have noted, the most natural place to expect she might be looking,
when hugging a tree, is, well, at a squirrel.

Hopefully, you did many other shots during this time and perhaps
one is not of her looking up. One thing that both a seasoned model
and photographer realize they must do is to get many subtle
variations of a single idea, and not just many unique poses and
shots.

Again, there's some very nice work here. In fact, I'm far more fond
of your processing effort than any of the so-called "improvements".
Very natural and pleasant looking. Only the direction of the
subject's attention bothers me.

Good luck

M

 

[T B Gray]

The second is what I was getting at in my earlier comment about setting up a 3/4 profile.

 

[Michael Thomas Mitchell]

David, David, David....

If she were looking at the camera [photographer], the story would obviously be "It's cold as heck out here... don't you want to go inside and warm me up?"

Maybe, I'M the odd one, but that seems more interesting than "I hope that little squirrel up the tree doesn't take a dump on me!"

M

Hmmmmm, if this lady had been looking at the camera (like a typical
portrait shot), what would the "story" be? "I'm sitting here
looking at you, 'cuz that's what everybody does for a portrait" ????

Gee, I didnt realize this was a foreign film (non USA). I suppose
this could be a French photo or an earlier Chinese photo influenced
by the French.

This photo does not just leave you hanging, it leaves you haning
upside down underwater and I don't think the shooter intented to
leave us drowning.

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

 

[Mishkin]

What would you do in a similar scenario?

I'll PS a squarrel in

http://www.photographypage.com

Fantastic photos, Igor!

 

[aevoegels]

And I'm amazed how many prople feel like buying expensive equipment would help them with the story...

If you are a writer, you know that composition is fundamental; just
as in photography. Many photographers just "throw words around"
without making a single sentence, if you know what I mean.

In this photo, the story is half told! Or, the turkey is half cooked!

I don't get it.

This is ART ! You're SUPPOSED to ponder it. Seems like it worked.

We dont know why she's looking up the tree.

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

--
Have a good day!

 

[DavidP #28649]

Personally, I prefer leaving it up to my imagination.

It's like reading a book. It paints a picture, yet it does so in words. Then the movie comes along, and looks NOTHING like what you imagined.

You all GOT the story, whether it was intended to be the story or not. LOL.

Mishkin wrote:



--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

 

[dave veneri]

my pants are wet.....lolol you get first prize!

What would you do in a similar scenario?

I'll PS a squarrel in

http://www.photographypage.com

Fantastic photos, Igor!

 

[Tom Boucher]

Igor.

Those are stunning. Absolutely stunning.

Great work.