Old 09-19-2007   #1 (permalink)
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Lacking something

I feel this picture is lacking something could you help me out

http://forums.biorust.com/photopost/data/2/1912.jpg
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Old 09-19-2007   #2 (permalink)
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Hmm, when I looked at it, my eye wasn't drawn to any one single point in the picture. The "color" is all very uniform and I can't see anything standing out. How to improve it? I don't know...
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Old 09-19-2007   #3 (permalink)
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I agree it is compositionally challenged... my eye is drawn to the centre because it is the lightest spot in the photo, and the boy in the foreground to the left gets lost....

If the boy were 1 body width to the right, placing his head on the opposite side of the window, he would be on the rule of thirds.... but you may still want to darken the background a bit... and the hanging lamp isn't doing much, so you may want to fade it or remove it altogether...

Very interesting subject though... Coal House? circa 1930's?

Mike
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Old 09-20-2007   #4 (permalink)
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I think Mike is on the right track when he mentions the so-called "Rule of Thirds", but I think the image here would benefit from complying with a related compositional device known as "The Right Third". Basically, this guideline states that an image usually looks better and is more successful when the primary subject(s) are in the right-hand third of the composition. It's natural for the eye to "enter" the space of an image from the left and flow to the right. Soon after entering the frame, the eye searches out a resting place, preferring it to be on the right most of the time (although, as with all compositional guidelines, this is not a hard-and-fast rule). If you moved your primary subject (the boy) to the right third of the image, the composition would feel more "natural".

The other thing that doesn't feel quite right to me about the image is that the presence of the boy seems too ambiguous - the difference in colouring and sharpness compared to the background mean that he seems "separate" from the background, but the difference is not strong enough to give the impression that the separation is deliberate, so he just seems to be randomly placed there for no real purpose. But maybe that's just me...
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Old 09-20-2007   #5 (permalink)
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Thanks for the tips. I will try them out. The original picture is of a Penslyvania coal breaker and the year is 1911.
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Old 09-20-2007   #6 (permalink)
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There is a block or something on the top right that you might want to think about cropping out. It is a bit distracting.
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Old 09-24-2007   #7 (permalink)
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I fixed it.
http://forums.biorust.com/photopost/data/2/1912_3rd.jpg
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Old 09-25-2007   #8 (permalink)
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This fix that you posted is an improvement in terms of balance, but there's something about the boy in the foreground that doesn't quite fit yet in my opinion. I think it's a depth issue that's making him look out of place. Either the photo is too focused on him or it's too focused on the background. I don't know if it'll work out right, but it may be worthwhile to put just a slight blur on one or the other. And I don't think the soft edges on the boy's outline are helping you any either. Just my $.02.
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Old 09-25-2007   #9 (permalink)
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Keep in mind that if this is a vintage photo form 1911, they just weren't what we are used to today...

Definately an improvement!

Mike.
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Old 09-28-2007   #10 (permalink)
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the new post is definitely an improvement but maybe you could try to add a little more contrast between the boy and the backgroud crew. I would probably try using the shadow/highlights adjustment but, im inpartial to my favorite toy so....

but deffinetely a compositional improvement, and an interesting/unique(?) concept. Keep up the good work.
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