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Hi Sheila, welcome to the Critique Gallery! You've been on ePHOTOzine a few weeks, I see that this is your first upload. I hope that you are enjoying the site.
You ticked the critique box, I hope that was intentional. It has the effect of disabling votes and awards but invites more in-depth comment. I hope you will find that useful.
First of all I know the Roaches well, and the ruined buildings there are regular subjects on the site. This captures standard Roaches weather, bleak and windswept. You have mentioned the contrasting textures of stone and grasses, it's also about that sense of isolation, emptiness.
A few thoughts that come to mind viewing this. Settings first. I'm not a landscaper, so not a specialist... You used shutter priority, whereas many here would advocate aperture priority. On the Roaches the wind can gust unpredictably, affecting stability, so a relatively fast shutter speed is quite important. But you didn't need 1/2000 second. So you could have used your lowest sensitivity setting, ISO 200. And looking towards the sky like this, I wonder why you used a minus exposure compensation? The grass in particular could do with a bit more light.
At 24mm full-frame equivalent you are going to get considerable depth of field so the aperture that the camera gave you, F6.7, is fine. But most people would recommend aperture priority to arrive at it...
Next, what processing have you applied? There is a much harder edge along the horizon than I would normally expect either the human eye or the camera to see, so I'd like to know if you have worked on this, or possibly used an in-camera effect?
The image needs a small clockwise rotation, if you look at the verticals in the building. It was just about the first thing that I noticed, and once the viewer sees something like that it rather tends to take over.
And then composition / placement. You have placed the building off-centre, which is good, it makes it more a suggestion than a statement. But I would like to move it further right, and then concentrate on getting some light on the grasses to show up the textures.
By ticking for critique you enable members to download the image and work on it, and then upload modifications. I hope that a modification will appear soon, under the blue Modifications button.
Back soon...
Moira
Edit - Ivor has been working here while I was typing, his mono modification is the sort of crop that I have in mind...
You ticked the critique box, I hope that was intentional. It has the effect of disabling votes and awards but invites more in-depth comment. I hope you will find that useful.
First of all I know the Roaches well, and the ruined buildings there are regular subjects on the site. This captures standard Roaches weather, bleak and windswept. You have mentioned the contrasting textures of stone and grasses, it's also about that sense of isolation, emptiness.
A few thoughts that come to mind viewing this. Settings first. I'm not a landscaper, so not a specialist... You used shutter priority, whereas many here would advocate aperture priority. On the Roaches the wind can gust unpredictably, affecting stability, so a relatively fast shutter speed is quite important. But you didn't need 1/2000 second. So you could have used your lowest sensitivity setting, ISO 200. And looking towards the sky like this, I wonder why you used a minus exposure compensation? The grass in particular could do with a bit more light.
At 24mm full-frame equivalent you are going to get considerable depth of field so the aperture that the camera gave you, F6.7, is fine. But most people would recommend aperture priority to arrive at it...
Next, what processing have you applied? There is a much harder edge along the horizon than I would normally expect either the human eye or the camera to see, so I'd like to know if you have worked on this, or possibly used an in-camera effect?
The image needs a small clockwise rotation, if you look at the verticals in the building. It was just about the first thing that I noticed, and once the viewer sees something like that it rather tends to take over.
And then composition / placement. You have placed the building off-centre, which is good, it makes it more a suggestion than a statement. But I would like to move it further right, and then concentrate on getting some light on the grasses to show up the textures.
By ticking for critique you enable members to download the image and work on it, and then upload modifications. I hope that a modification will appear soon, under the blue Modifications button.
Back soon...
Moira
Edit - Ivor has been working here while I was typing, his mono modification is the sort of crop that I have in mind...
Back again, I've uploaded three modifications. Here's what I did: I rotated a bit clockwise, then undid that minus exposure compensation. That I think really improves the grasses! Then I softened the horizon slightly, the result is more natural to my eye.
I cropped using your aspect ratio, to place the building further over to the right. Like that I think it balances the grasses better. Then I tried a totally different crop, placing the cottage on the left so that it is facing into the frame, rather than out of it. Please do look at the difference that makes.
Then a really contrasty b&w, worked in Nik Silver Efex. This for me gets to the real character of the landscape - but I do tend to see the world in b&w…
Check out all the modifications, they show the great range of possibilities that can exist in a single frame.
Moira
I cropped using your aspect ratio, to place the building further over to the right. Like that I think it balances the grasses better. Then I tried a totally different crop, placing the cottage on the left so that it is facing into the frame, rather than out of it. Please do look at the difference that makes.
Then a really contrasty b&w, worked in Nik Silver Efex. This for me gets to the real character of the landscape - but I do tend to see the world in b&w…
Check out all the modifications, they show the great range of possibilities that can exist in a single frame.
Moira
And welcome from me, too, Sheila.
I won't repeat all the good advice Moira's given. I will suggest that centre-weighted metering is not the optimum - matrix is probalby better, applying all the camera's intelligence to the exposure across the whole image. (Different makers have different names ofr this metering pattern - but it's not spot, average or centre-weighted.)
And the more you can tell us about what you did, why, and whether you like hte outcome, the more we can help you...
I won't repeat all the good advice Moira's given. I will suggest that centre-weighted metering is not the optimum - matrix is probalby better, applying all the camera's intelligence to the exposure across the whole image. (Different makers have different names ofr this metering pattern - but it's not spot, average or centre-weighted.)
And the more you can tell us about what you did, why, and whether you like hte outcome, the more we can help you...
Yes, Moira's mods are fine, I immediately imagined she would come up with version 5 (me too)
I know you were most interested in the colours.. so last night apart from being very tired I searched foa colourful solution, always doing the rotation mentioned above and loosing the irrelevant bits.
So I tried the conventional thing, a mono as I like it including a bit of darkened sky and an antique version as befits the object.
I know you were most interested in the colours.. so last night apart from being very tired I searched foa colourful solution, always doing the rotation mentioned above and loosing the irrelevant bits.
So I tried the conventional thing, a mono as I like it including a bit of darkened sky and an antique version as befits the object.
Welcome from me too.
A good location and subject, and I'm sure there are many other angles and compositions to be had there and you could easily take up a whole morning or afternoon.
Often, in overcast lighting, the result can be flat, but as the mods show, some tweaks in post processing can work a treat.
Keith
A good location and subject, and I'm sure there are many other angles and compositions to be had there and you could easily take up a whole morning or afternoon.
Often, in overcast lighting, the result can be flat, but as the mods show, some tweaks in post processing can work a treat.
Keith
Not sure where to reply as new to this but thank you for all your constructive comments and alternative suggestions to the finish. I was in fact trying out a possible new camera a friend has lent me so was over eager swapping lenses and setting and not fully in tune with the camera but pleased to date with what it produces will slow down and put my brain in to gear on my next outing thanks Sheila
Thanks for coming back to us. The Critique Gallery does work best when we get a dialogue going, and when people describe the circumstances for a shot and what they ae trying to achieve. I hope we shall see more from you!
Regards,
Moira
Regards,
Moira
New cameras are fun, and the Olympus models are compact and competent.
I'll second what Moira said - both the thnak you, and the helpfulness of full information.
And the way that you responded, with a single post here, is fine. We all tend to come back to see hwat's happened in the Critique Gallery, and htere's no need for a separate comment to respond to each suggestion. A compendium is fine!
I'll second what Moira said - both the thnak you, and the helpfulness of full information.
And the way that you responded, with a single post here, is fine. We all tend to come back to see hwat's happened in the Critique Gallery, and htere's no need for a separate comment to respond to each suggestion. A compendium is fine!
