Travel Salamando

Steven Chain · 02-04-2014, 08:09 PM

I tagged this as a travel photo. It was taken in Eureka Springs where I live and which is a tourist town. The photo is a bit soft as it was taken with the K30 kit lens (18-55 mm) at 1/8 second,18 mm and hand held. I was walking around town and found that this shop was in the process of stripping the paint off the doors and the job was half done. The mail box contained a big white envelope which I removed with PS Elements and recreated the interior of the box. I used Filter/Other/High Pass to sharpen the image and also darkened the selfie that can be seen in the center of the photo as a reflection in a mirror in the shop. Those and some cropping are the main edits to the photo.

Attached Images

j2photos · 02-04-2014, 08:19 PM

It is a very well composed shot. I would almost be inclined to crop the corner of the sign out of the bottom left corner because I seem to keep staring at it Other than that I really like it, maybe darken the shadows. I am really reaching here

ausmoose · 02-04-2014, 10:33 PM

Nice shot!

Thanks for sharing - I love the composition too. I'm not sure you need to darken the shadows - it looks great to me!

Steven Chain · 02-05-2014, 06:55 AM

I agree that the frame in the lower left is a distraction. However, cropping it out cuts off the bottom of the doors which is a bigger distraction. Its one of those best choice compromises that all we photographers have to make. If my skills were better I might try and clone it out but my skills aren't better. Thanks for taking a look and offering ideas.

**Miguel** · 02-05-2014, 09:23 AM - **1 Like**

I'm sure the shop has a lot of visually compelling items including colors.
Unfortunately I'm failing to grasp exactly what the subject of this photograph is.

The lighting is erratic, so it's hard to determine what matters in the frame. The asymmetrical framing includes the mailbox and some other thing on the left which seems so random and distracting. If the goal was to capture one painted door vs an unpainted door, perhaps you could have simply closed both a little more to make the entry more enticing. Beyond the ceramic horse (which has flash-glare on it that should be cloned away), the remainder of the store's interior is too poorly lighted to let the viewer clearly see additional items of interest. The choice of a too-wide focal length makes viewing the interior even more challenging. And not using a tripod at this slow shutter speed makes everything a little fuzzy as well.

To me the idea of shooting this store is a good one. A serious photograph requires preparation of one's tools, any associated people who can help you, and the actual site itself. Fortunately, since you live there, I would think it is relatively easy to coordinate a better, more intentional session for shooting the interior with the shop's owner. I'd recommend setting up interior lights that will evenly illuminate the cool stuff there in a complementary color. I'd also work on lighting the entry way to make the interior inviting to the eye, so the viewer would want to step into such a neat place. Also take a broom to the floor.

Hope this helps.

M

Steven Chain · 02-05-2014, 09:58 AM - **1 Like**

This was a street shot. Some things are as they are, a cluttered, quirky shop with dirty floors and mismatched doors. Relax a bit see and enjoy the world the way it is.

**Miguel** · 02-05-2014, 10:04 AM

Originally posted by Steven Chain

This was a street shot. Some things are as they are, a cluttered, quirky shop with dirty floors and mismatched doors. Relax a bit see and enjoy the world the way it is.

This is a critique forum. If you cannot handle non-flowery comments about your photograph then perhaps a different forum would serve you better.

M

Last edited by Miguel; 02-05-2014 at 10:17 AM.

j2photos · 02-05-2014, 10:12 AM - **1 Like**

deleted post

Gregory_51 · 02-05-2014, 12:16 PM

A street shot of a quirky store. The doors aren't the subject, they frame it. They aren't in focus, the focus is the jumble of items in the store. The sign Salamando is what is dominant and the eye gravitates toward. However it's dark in the store compared to exterior doors and the eye will go to bright areas. Reworking the lighting would help draw the eye to the interior. I would correct the barrel distortion and the slant of the doors. Some pp would make it much stronger I think. I imagine some figure street photos shouldn't be altered but since you cloned out the letter you aren't adverse to fixing it.
I did a quick edit to show what I mean and posted it here for consideration.
alternate edit on right of photo by Steven Chain | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cheers
Greg

Blue · 02-05-2014, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by Miguel

This is a critique forum. If you cannot handle non-flowery comments about your photograph then perhaps a different forum would serve you better.

M

Rather than deleting this post, I see it as a teachable moment. Keep in mind the written work can be constructively criticized as well, In fact, constructive criticism is a skill that must be practiced and should focus on theory, method, structure and style, and can be done with professionalism and civility rather than snide comments such as "go to a different forum."

02-04-2014, 08:09 PM	#1
Steven Chain Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 27	Salamando Lens: Pentax 18-55 Camera: K30 Photo Location: Eureka Springs, AR ISO: 400 Shutter Speed: 1/8s Aperture: F5.6 I tagged this as a travel photo. It was taken in Eureka Springs where I live and which is a tourist town. The photo is a bit soft as it was taken with the K30 kit lens (18-55 mm) at 1/8 second,18 mm and hand held. I was walking around town and found that this shop was in the process of stripping the paint off the doors and the job was half done. The mail box contained a big white envelope which I removed with PS Elements and recreated the interior of the box. I used Filter/Other/High Pass to sharpen the image and also darkened the selfie that can be seen in the center of the photo as a reflection in a mirror in the shop. Those and some cropping are the main edits to the photo. Attached Images

02-05-2014, 10:12 AM - 1 Like	#8
j2photos Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Manteca, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,653	deleted post Last edited by j2photos; 02-05-2014 at 01:04 PM.

02-04-2014, 08:19 PM	#2
j2photos Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Manteca, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,653	It is a very well composed shot. I would almost be inclined to crop the corner of the sign out of the bottom left corner because I seem to keep staring at it Other than that I really like it, maybe darken the shadows. I am really reaching here

02-04-2014, 10:33 PM	#3
ausmoose Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Sydney, NSW Photos: Albums Posts: 968	Nice shot! Thanks for sharing - I love the composition too. I'm not sure you need to darken the shadows - it looks great to me!

02-05-2014, 06:55 AM	#4
Steven Chain Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 27 Original Poster	I agree that the frame in the lower left is a distraction. However, cropping it out cuts off the bottom of the doors which is a bigger distraction. Its one of those best choice compromises that all we photographers have to make. If my skills were better I might try and clone it out but my skills aren't better. Thanks for taking a look and offering ideas.

02-05-2014, 09:23 AM - 1 Like	#5
Miguel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Seattle Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,743	I'm sure the shop has a lot of visually compelling items including colors. Unfortunately I'm failing to grasp exactly what the subject of this photograph is. The lighting is erratic, so it's hard to determine what matters in the frame. The asymmetrical framing includes the mailbox and some other thing on the left which seems so random and distracting. If the goal was to capture one painted door vs an unpainted door, perhaps you could have simply closed both a little more to make the entry more enticing. Beyond the ceramic horse (which has flash-glare on it that should be cloned away), the remainder of the store's interior is too poorly lighted to let the viewer clearly see additional items of interest. The choice of a too-wide focal length makes viewing the interior even more challenging. And not using a tripod at this slow shutter speed makes everything a little fuzzy as well. To me the idea of shooting this store is a good one. A serious photograph requires preparation of one's tools, any associated people who can help you, and the actual site itself. Fortunately, since you live there, I would think it is relatively easy to coordinate a better, more intentional session for shooting the interior with the shop's owner. I'd recommend setting up interior lights that will evenly illuminate the cool stuff there in a complementary color. I'd also work on lighting the entry way to make the interior inviting to the eye, so the viewer would want to step into such a neat place. Also take a broom to the floor. Hope this helps. M

02-05-2014, 09:58 AM - 1 Like	#6
Steven Chain Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 27 Original Poster	This was a street shot. Some things are as they are, a cluttered, quirky shop with dirty floors and mismatched doors. Relax a bit see and enjoy the world the way it is.

02-05-2014, 10:04 AM	#7
Miguel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Seattle Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,743	Originally posted by Steven Chain This was a street shot. Some things are as they are, a cluttered, quirky shop with dirty floors and mismatched doors. Relax a bit see and enjoy the world the way it is. This is a critique forum. If you cannot handle non-flowery comments about your photograph then perhaps a different forum would serve you better. M Last edited by Miguel; 02-05-2014 at 10:17 AM.

02-05-2014, 12:16 PM	#9
Gregory_51 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: London, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 343	A street shot of a quirky store. The doors aren't the subject, they frame it. They aren't in focus, the focus is the jumble of items in the store. The sign Salamando is what is dominant and the eye gravitates toward. However it's dark in the store compared to exterior doors and the eye will go to bright areas. Reworking the lighting would help draw the eye to the interior. I would correct the barrel distortion and the slant of the doors. Some pp would make it much stronger I think. I imagine some figure street photos shouldn't be altered but since you cloned out the letter you aren't adverse to fixing it. I did a quick edit to show what I mean and posted it here for consideration. alternate edit on right of photo by Steven Chain \| Flickr - Photo Sharing! Cheers Greg

02-05-2014, 02:44 PM	#10
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Originally posted by Miguel This is a critique forum. If you cannot handle non-flowery comments about your photograph then perhaps a different forum would serve you better. M Rather than deleting this post, I see it as a teachable moment. Keep in mind the written work can be constructively criticized as well, In fact, constructive criticism is a skill that must be practiced and should focus on theory, method, structure and style, and can be done with professionalism and civility rather than snide comments such as "go to a different forum."