Rock Formation

[Eric]

Here's another one of my shots from Joshua Tree National Park. I love the color of the sky in CA! (amongst other things!)
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[Nieton21]

one of things that I really like about this shot is how everything builds to the pinnacle of the rock formation. I also like the smoothness of the sky and how it lets teh rocks really stand out. With that said I think that this shot would be more dynamic if it was taken with softer light this seems a tad harsh to me. The rock formation as a whole stands out but I wish something within that formation somehow stood out even more and made the rocks more memorable. I really liked the perspective and the smoothness of the sky overall good shot.

[Triglav]

I agree..i like it too. By the looks of it you shot this one in the middle of the day. Might be worth to go back at sunrise/sunset...

[Saralonde]

Nice color (incredibly blue sky!) and in sharp focus. Really interesting textures.

[sana]

Nice pile of rocks. I like the way it gradually grows from foreground to the top. The only thing that bothers me is the ratio - somehow puting the top of the pile arround the center of the picture doesn't feel right (and you're breaking the rules, BTW ). I think it would be better to keep it in the 1/3 and leave the rest to the sky, with some wider perspective on the formation, so you don't lose the interesting slope in the foreground.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by sana

Nice pile of rocks. I like the way it gradually grows from foreground to the top. The only thing that bothers me is the ratio - somehow puting the top of the pile arround the center of the picture doesn't feel right (and you're breaking the rules, BTW ). I think it would be better to keep it in the 1/3 and leave the rest to the sky, with some wider perspective on the formation, so you don't lose the interesting slope in the foreground.

Sana,
Thanks for the feedback (and everyone else too!). Isn't life about mixing it up and breaking some rules! I totally get what ur saying. I chose to go against the rules here to be a little different and to show the gradient of the sky...it's so amazingly blue here in CA.
Thanks again, you guys rock! (No pun intended!)

[betocisneros]

hope you like this

[sana]

"Breakin' the rocks in the hot sun
I fought the law and the law won..." (I fought the law - The Clash)

Originally Posted by Eric

Isn't life about mixing it up and breaking some rules! I chose to go against the rules here to be a little different

Yep, but you see, you stumbled on another one. The object placed in the center is always confronting the viewer. It's like a gaze fight, and the stronger survive. The central object must be strong enough to endure and leave the viewer in awe. And the top of the formation just isn't. So, as the slope guides you to climb from the foreground to the top, the moment you reach it, it is being confronted, loses the game and gets despised. This game is true for all motives placed in the very center of the picture.

Generally, when all you have in the picture is a weak object in the center - that's really boring. In your picture it's not that obvious since you have a really interesting foreground, but still has that taste. So, in most such cases you have a bad effect, unless you plan for your central object to be defeated. Maybe it would be really interesting to completely desaturate the picture, make it boring gray (forget about the blue sky!) and maybe even lower the contrast. Then it would almost say something like: Life is a lonesome and painful climb - and at its peak it's empty and it's over. Put some good title to it and you can frame it for an exhibition!

What do you get if the top of the formation is on the lower third of the frame? You start climbing as described above, then you reach the top which is well balanced giving you firm ground to settle down and from there continue to look up and marvel at the sight of a beautiful Californian sky!

Generally, I don't believe in breaking the rules. These rules are natural and good. They are not imposing themselves as something we must obey, something that isolates and entangles us; they are just the tools for our own expression and freedom. And there are quite enough of them to provide everything we might need to achieve what we want. We can combine and mix them (every combination has a different effect, and on each spot there's some other rule to deal with!), play with them and truly enjoy all that. I'm a swimmer and I know that if you want to really enjoy yourself in the water, you need to love it, to be dedicated to it and respect its nature and its rules. Then you will be able to conquer it and experience the true freedom trough the personal expression. Trying to, for example, freely breathe under it won't take me anywhere. There are also bad rules that we all hate, imposed by some sick control-freak people or systems aiming at the opposite direction. I like throwing down these. I just don't want to throw away the good rules with them, and sink because of that.

In photography, first I try to play by the basic rules, then I move outside of them, to see what effect I get (I observe how it feels, usually). That helps me determine which composition to choose for certain effect. For example, if I want a chaos, my composition MUST avoide rules of thirds and golden ratio which provide well balanced, static picture. So, it's another rule just arround the corner! For me all this is such a great and exciting game to play.

I think I'm saying all this philosophy because I've heard many photographers bragging about breaking the "rules", for the sake of freedom I guess. I am seeking the freedom and full personal expression myself but I don't believe I can achieve that by producing a crap. I may only end up "Breakin' the rocks in the hot sun.."

I tried to help you realise some of these things, but, I guess I also reacted to the common opinion of many photographers, so please don't take some of the tough stuff personally. Your photo is so close to be perfect and I would suggest you to go and work on some of the rules and have fun!

[Eric]

Hey Sana,
No offense taken!!! I really appreciate your candid opinion of this photo and of photography in general. I have not taken any photography classes at all (maybe it shows?) but I am confident that I have a great eye for photos. I just may need some training to help master my craft. I do admit that I have some to learn and it's probably best that we DO follow the basic rules of photography or we risk quality (for the most part) images.
Thanks!!!