Down the Garden Path

[Penny]

Hello All

I don't often shoot anything much bigger than a single flower ( or "happy snaps" of family and other animals) so I'm finding it hard to judge whether this picture has any merit in its own right, or if I like it because I took it! All comments and constructive criticism would be welcome.



Shutter speed: 1/13 sec
Aperture: f2.8
Focal length: 7mm

Shot in the early morning of a partly overcast day.

[Isilwen]

I'm only going to comment because I've taken two similar pictures to this that were both published and I was told *why* they were chosen. These are purely asthetic comments since I don't know a thing about focal length or any of that... take them with a grain of salt!

First, you don't appear to be dead center in the path. That was immediately distracting to me. I saw a tutorial once that explained how this sort of shot's perspective works as opposed to an off center shot. It's super important to be spot on center or you lose the punch.

Second, the signage (tree and shrub explanations maybe?) was distracting. Out of your control, but possibly cropable?

Third, the forefront greenery is really dark. I don't know what the technical perspective on that is, but it makes the picture feel uninviting. I also think it loses some of the detail in the shadows. You might be going for that look though, so who knows!

That's just my two cents. I'm eager to see what the people who know what they're talking about have to say... LOL

[Penny]

Highbrassduo - Thank you for a very detailed response - I have learned a lot from it. Will bear those points in mind when I'm up there again and have another go. (You sure sound like you know what you're talking about! )
Penny

[melanie2457]

Generally when you're shooting a "down the path" kind of shot, you either want to be dead center so that the left and right sides of the frame are symmetrical, or you want to be way off center so that the path is coming in from one of the corners and into the center of the frame.

Also, the signage is very distracting but as you're probably in a public garden of some sort can't really be removed. Try moving past them down the path, or try to find an angle that hides them behind foliage.

I find it best when doing shots like this, try to take the same photo from 3 or 4 different views. Just stop and see what you can see. Something might open up to you that you wouldn't normally see by walking around.

[Penny]

melanie2457 - Thank you for your comments. I appreciate the time taken! Will try this shot again sometime soon. Learning by the day
Penny

[xxpinballxx]

Penny, I think the picture is a nice start. Crop a bit to center the path and lighten a bit to show some more foreground foliage. Clone out the signs......
I tried a go at it real quick to just show what I am talking about. Its a rough go at it but here is what I came up with....

[Penny]

xxpinballxx - That makes a tremendous difference thank you so much!! It's kind of you to take the time to demonstrate your points so clearly!

[Isilwen]

Originally Posted by xxpinballxx

That's much better! It's still dark to me, but no longer looks uninviting.

I also think the original was a good start. I apologize for not pointing out the positive in my first reply

[ToddC]

It's a nice shot, but I have a few suggestions. For the sharpest image, I would recommend using the smallest aperature on your lens.

Second, you might try a square crop. The trees on the right are more interesting, so I would crop away a portion of left side of the path. This will shift the path to the left and thus move it away from the center of the photo.

Third, you might want to make some adjustments to the color. I detect a red color shift in the trucks of the trees. It's hard to say without looking at an actual print.

Last, I agree with pinball, remove the signs. They are distracting.

Hope that helped.

Cheers, Todd

[Penny]

ToddC - Thank you for your input. I will try your take on the shot and see what I come up with.
Penny