what would you have done differently? critique please

[jann1033]

not sure what the final decision was on that type of thread but

just a landscape, i liked the clouds and the wheat or what ever that is in the foreground that made the row of brown and green. I read a suggestion of trying to take a yrs worth of shots of a single subject..this is the subject since it's easy to get to. i actually ended up doing it in b&w but wasn't sure since that was pp what to post ...
1/160 at f16, iso400( oops forgot i changed in and first shot of the day)
28 mm so my 28-135 Is canon lens, rebel xt camera
about 6-6:30 pm
i put it low cause i liked the clouds dwarfing the farm house. cloned out some white building in the treeline since they stuck out like well white buildings against dark trees.
here is a ? what would you have made straight /called the horizon... the trees or the field beside the farm ?both are bumpy and sloping since this is on a hill and tapers down to the road and the fields behind it.

 

[DVC Jen]

I like it a lot - the ONLY things that I can even think of - the first was I probably would have tried it with a circular polorizer to really get the sky blue and make the clouds pop. Other than that - and I dunno maybe you DID do this and I just can't tell. I may have tried to get lower to the ground.

I like it a lot Janet - I think the horizon looks fine the way it is. I wouldn't change anything with that.

 

[Suburbanmom]

Janet, I really like it too and being from Ohio, myself, I have several similar shots, but none that I like better than yours. I, also, thought that the sky could be a little more blue and little more contrast in the clouds. I also might have bumped the saturation in the green a tad...like 5%...and only I would notice the difference

As far as your question about what should be straight...I would have focussed on the silo and made sure it was vertical. I wouldn't have worried about the rest of it.

 

[dr_zero]

I like the sky but its a little tall for me and the circular polarizer would be cool also.

Have you tweaked it any? If not go ahead and lets see what it might look like.

 

[jann1033]

i think i did use a cp on it...now that you mention it of course i can't remember for sure but i know i had it on when i left the house and this was the first photo(?) there is a fence right below the view which i might have been able to shoot through to get lower...i'll have to see next time as right now i can't remember if it's barb wire or chicken wire. good idea about the silo.. duh for me and i think by straightening the trees i made it crooked i'll check that.

ok i applied what i could ( ie couldn't get any lower by pp) upped stat in green and yellow, darkened sky with the brush tool in lightroom, cropped a little of the sky out, straightened the silo

and personally i think you were all right I like it better with the added ommph
this is as big as i can make it and stay within the 800
i wonder if it is due to the beta, i lose my exif all the time and can't figure out when.. i'll have to see if i need to adjust something to keep it with the photo

 

[DueyDooDah]

It would have been nice if the image were larger. It's hard to make out the details at this size. At this size, the fence distracts me - it looks like part of the watermark on my screen.

I too like the photo but feel a CP and a crop off the top would have been nice. I understand you desire to capture the clouds. I too like doing that. This time it just seems a bit overwhelming.

As someone stated before, maybe ad just a little saturation for that pop effect.

Composition of these types of photos is difficult, at least for me. I think you did a bang up job.

It's strange but I get almost no EXIF data on this image.

 

[Quicklabs]

You make Ohio look great! (I live in the Buckeye state as well, right down the road from Suburbanmom). Wonder what it would look like if the top layer of cloud came off and the sky were bluer. I might like to see that farm just a little bit closer, I think. Great job!

 

[wenrob]

Looks plenty big to me. (the picture that is)

Love the pop, just the right touch. For me, I'd still crop the top third of the clouds out, it doesn't feel like my eyes have anywhere to rest. It's a gorgeous photo!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I like the composition of the picture. I think it really shows the midwest - farms, fields and lots of sky! I spent the past week in my place of birth (MN) and had a great time heading out in the evenings and taking a few photos like this - though nothing quite as nice. The extra pop of color that you've done in PP gives a very nice boost to the pic and really adds a nice definition between the crop field in the foreground and pasture grass area behind it. Myself I wouldn't crop off the top as I think it portrays the bigness and being able to see for miles that you feel in that part of the country.

I agree that in this instance the silo should be the focal point for level.

 

[Quicklabs]

The changes you made look great. Having deepened the blue of the sky, the red of the farm really pops now, and my eye goes right to it. You made a good decision on removing just a little of the sky. Nice balance of the "big sky" and the solitude of the farm.

 

[webshark3]

Great Pic Jann. Sauturation can be adjusted to taste (as shown). The only thing I would do:

The top layer of clouds is a little boring. I'd crop off the top 1/3 and create more of a panoramic view. It'll help draw the eyes to the farm and great detail in the lower layer of clouds. Great shot either way.

 

[DueyDooDah]

Nice changes. Now you're talking. Looks great. It might also look nice as a pano, as suggested, but I think you have got a keeper now.

 

[jann1033]

hmm kind of like the pano idea as well...

thanks everyone for the good ideas and glad mark thought of this kind of thread..

it is very helpful to get some ideas from others .

along those lines, i was just reading a book that encouraged you to look at other's work and critque since it's easier to see other's areas that need improvement since you don't have the emotional attachment to the photo...seems like these threads will help not only the original poster but the other posters as well.

 

[fitzperry]

The pano suggestion is a good one as the lower clouds are the more interesting ones. I also live in the midwest (though in the burbs, not the country) and need to get more inspired to photograph my everyday surroundings. I find the places we travel to so much more interesting in that regard and get stuck in a rut at home. I think you've done a great job here--the colors are lovely and I like the way the clouds and sky dwarf the farm. Nice work!

 

[DVC Jen]

I love the changes you made. Great job!

 

[dr_zero]

Would you be miffed if we posted a pic with any changes we would have maybe made?

I know we have our own taste when it comes to stuff and I'm not trying to take away from your thread.

 

[pjacobi]

According to the "Rule of Thirds", the horizon should be either 1/3 or 2/3 into the photo, usually not at 1/2.

In this example the horizon is a little lower than 1/3. You might be able to fix this photo with the right crop, otherwise you might want to remember the 1/3 guideline on your next attempt.


-Paul

 

[Michele]

I love it now, with the changes. Especially the added 'gold/brown' at the bottom. I hardly noticed it in the 1st pic. The added saturation and 'pop' in the sky are great.

 

[jann1033]

Would you be miffed if we posted a pic with any changes we would have maybe made?

I know we have our own taste when it comes to stuff and I'm not trying to take away from your thread.

no that's fine change to your heart's content...it is supposed to be a learning experience right?

According to the "Rule of Thirds", the horizon should be either 1/3 or 2/3 into the photo, usually not at 1/2.

In this example the horizon is a little lower than 1/3. You might be able to fix this photo with the right crop, otherwise you might want to remember the 1/3 guideline on your next attempt.


-Paul

actually i didn't forget it , like i mentioned in the first post i put it lower on purpose. and one of the main points of interest (to me anyway, the lowest bank of clouds) is pretty much dead on the lowest "line"

 

[dr_zero]

I kinda like it like this