Law Library at Night

[thekevinmonster]

This is the entrance to the University of Michigan Law Library at night:



My main question is: does the tree in front of the entrance ruin the shot? It's very hard to not get a tree there and still get the nice diagonal angle...

Second question: Should I have moved the whole shot upwards?

It was a walkabout shot - I plan to revisit it with a tripod and a wider angle lens, along with some manual focusing. Curse my lack of a split prism viewfinder. Luckily, this is really easy to re-shoot - the Law Quad courtyard isn't going anywhere, plus fall leaves are coming and it will be prettier anyway.

[jdepould]

The fact that it's in Michigan ruins the shot. Er . . . did I say that?

But yes, the tree in front of the entrance does kind of kill it. Also, you might want to play with moving your horizon further down in the frame.

[wyndhydra]

thekevinmonster,
I really like what you were getting at with the shot. I do agree with jdepould that the tree does kind of ruin the shot of the building. Additionally, I think that if you had framed it a little higher you could have avoided that dead black space in the bottom. That said, I find myself completely drawn to the main lights of the building. After that I loved noticing the sprinklers that were watering the lawn, a great touch for this capture, and the very inviting pathway with its diagonal composition. Give it another go and see if you can't find a slightly better way. Keep them coming!

[thekevinmonster]

Originally Posted by wyndhydra

thekevinmonster,
I really like what you were getting at with the shot. I do agree with jdepould that the tree does kind of ruin the shot of the building. Additionally, I think that if you had framed it a little higher you could have avoided that dead black space in the bottom. That said, I find myself completely drawn to the main lights of the building. After that I loved noticing the sprinklers that were watering the lawn, a great touch for this capture, and the very inviting pathway with its diagonal composition. Give it another go and see if you can't find a slightly better way. Keep them coming!

It was so dark, I was concentrating on actually *getting* the shot. Yay for shake reduction and 1600 ISO. (That shot would have required a tripod with my old camera - even at 400 ISO, the output looked like pixel soup.)

You know, I was actually crouching on top of a sprinkler. I'm lucky it didn't turn on with the others.

[clockdoc]

I like your shot. Did you shoot after a rain as the ground appears wet and adds to the overall effect. The tree is a tough one. I guess your only option is to reposition the camera. Nice work in spite of the tree.

[thekevinmonster]

Originally Posted by clockdoc

I like your shot. Did you shoot after a rain as the ground appears wet and adds to the overall effect. The tree is a tough one. I guess your only option is to reposition the camera. Nice work in spite of the tree.

No rain. Sprinklers!

[kirbinster]

I carry one of these in my camera bag, don't you???

[peeperita]

your exposure in this shot is sooo nice....but, yes, you nailed it....find another shot where the tree will not be blocking the door and the sidewalk/parking lot won't be eating up a lot of valuable space....

peeper

[windrider86]

Your colors and clarity are right on the money. Hard to find anywhere in Michigan without a tree in front of it. I know.............

[Robin Sarac]

It's a beautifully exposed photo. I really like the lighting and how those trees are lit from the bottom. Without the tree, it would be gorgeous, but it's still great! Even if you moved so the tree was a bit to one side of the door...

Great photo regardless!