[pjthiel]

I took a number of shots this weekend standing at the edge of tall grass, looking out to the stormy skies. Shot is hand-held, kneeling at "grass height".

Thoughts on composition, execution and end-result would be great. Thanks in advance!

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Last edited by pjthiel; 05-21-2011 at 10:04 AM. Reason: update photo tag

[pjthiel]

So these pictures are either so good as to not warrant any critique (highly unlikely!), or so poor as to not warrant any critique (sadly possible).

Which is it?

[shooz]

One is the best one.
Subject is in focus and aligned well with the rule of thirds.
It's a little under exposed though and that takes a lot away from the photos effectiveness.
Try a larger aperture to help blur the back ground and give it around +1 ev, or if you want to preserve the sky, use a smaller aperture and shoot it from the other side, so that it's better lit .

This might also have worked better as a vertical.

Second is pretty much a loss, as it has no subject.

[pjthiel]

Thanks shooz!

I too prefer the first, for the reasons you cite. I particularly like that the image has a focal point and the stem of the grass leads the eye in to the picture.

In terms of bokeh, I tried a wider aperture, but the skies simply "blurred to grey"; so I closed down again to F8 to keep some sense of the detail. But you are definitely right about the exposure -- it's kind of lost somewhere between a silhouette (which might have looked good) and being properly exposed. I was shooting in multi-point metering and as I am still new to photography, this is something I tend to forget to check/change.

I suspect I might be able to improve this picture a little (exposure etc.) in Lightroom, without detracting too much from the overall effect. I'll give it a whirl at the weekend.

[pjthiel]

One is the best one.
Subject is in focus and aligned well with the rule of thirds.
It's a little under exposed though and that takes a lot away from the photos effectiveness.
Try a larger aperture to help blur the back ground and give it around +1 ev, or if you want to preserve the sky, use a smaller aperture and shoot it from the other side, so that it's better lit .

Ok shooz ... weekend is here and I've tried to improve the photo along the lines discussed. Of course, there is only so much PP can do to an image, particularly when you want to selectively change the exposure and bokeh; but here's my attempt.




I've boosted the overall exposure as suggested, and I have increased the fill light a tad to help bring out the grass-ear details. I also boosted the blacks just a little to add some contrast to the detail.

To keep the moodiness of the sky, I added a graduated exposure filter to preserve the original skyline exposure.

Finally, to increase the effect of bokeh on the background grass, I reduced the clarity, washing out all but the sharpest, most contrast detail. I also boosted the saturation a little, warming the grass color and setting a pleasing harmony with the blue/grey of the sky.

From my own perspective, I like it, a lot. BUT ... it is now an entirely different picture and does not quite capture the moodiness of the original. At the end of the day, I think that was always going to happen, but it was a great exercise and I learned a lot.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks.

[shooz]

It's a big improvement over the original.
Learning PP is almost as important as getting the exposure and composition.

Keep fine tuning your exposure to get the moodiness you're looking for.
I look forward to more of your work........

[pjthiel]

Keep fine tuning your exposure to get the moodiness you're looking for.
I look forward to more of your work........

Thanks so much!! I really appreciate the advice and comments.

[pjthiel]

Ok shooz ... I couldn't let this go. I kept looking at the latest changes and couldn't help but feel it was little bland, losing too much of the moodiness of the original.

Here's my final attempt and bringing it back.

In this version, I've increased the exposure on the graduated filter applied to the skyline (its now at ~ -1.5ev), but also reduced the saturation to bring out the grays and drop some of the blue.

I also boosted the split tones on the shadow side, picking a hue to gently warm the grass a little more, while not so much as to again detract from the primary subject.

Hope you like the final cut ... I think it's my favorite.

[volthord]

I quite like the first one (originally). I sometimes wonder if my screen is not a bit too light because I always tend to prefer pictures other people find underexposed. I'm not a big fan of the second one though.

[Wombat]

Mate, I think you're being altogether too "nice" with this shot. The first attempt has some of the mood that appealed to you enough to want to capture it. Your other renditions seem to me to be trying to be politically correct rather than true to what your heart saw and admired. If it was dark and sombre, make it dark and sombre, even if you lose a little detail. Push your sliders to the limit, be a little wild with it, feel the image and give it some guts. You'll be much happier, if I read you correctly.

[Wombat]

Here's one I took a while ago which might give you an idea of what I'm suggesting.https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/41-photo-critique/93416d1307023446-landscape-grass-stormy-skies-grasses5-xtreme-.jpg

[pjthiel]

The first attempt has some of the mood that appealed to you enough to want to capture it. Your other renditions seem to me to be trying to be politically correct rather than true to what your heart saw and admired

You are at least half right. There is something about the dark overtone of the original shots that I do still feel captured the mood of the shoot. That said, I did (and do) agree that improvements could be made, although not without changing it into a different picture.

I am pretty new to PP, and the exercise taught me a lot, forcing me to explore and use features I'd not touched to that point. And I really do like the final version ... a lot. It is a good balance of detail, color and mood. None the less, I still like the original too... I even like the second picture, despite it not having "a subject".

Thanks though ... I really appreciate the reminder that photography is as much about enjoying what you've captured as it is creating "the perfect picture".

[pjthiel]

Here's one I took a while ago which might give you an idea of what I'm suggesting

Nice!

[Wombat]

I even like the second picture, despite it not having "a subject".

I like it too. There's a nice sense of foreboding in the sky and background. I'd love to see you have another go at it.

[smf]

I prefer the two images in the original post. In the first image, the only element which bothers me is the very shiny appearance of two or three leaves at approximately the 2 o'clock position.
Best wishes.