steam off highway

[ranchermom]

This was taken on a snowy day that was warming up, there was alot of steam coming off the highway. I would love any general critique that i can get. I did convert it to b/w, is the conversion good or is it too flat? Thanks in advance for any advice ya'll can give!



Exif data

Camera Nikon D60
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 122 mm
Focal Length 123.4 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash

[ranchermom]

its alright, i'm tough!! dish it out, i can handle it!!

[sabrina860]

I really don't know how to spit it out.. but ill just comment on the b&w conversion. It does look a little flat. You should bump up the contrast and maybe enhance the blacks a little

[RecurrentNerve]

I like the low angle but I think it's just a little too low - it cuts off the poles too early. Agree with sabrina re. conversion, a little flat.

[GimliLongBow]

I like the distortion provided by the steam, but I also feel that the composition is a bit low. My initial feeling is that I'm unsure as to what the subject is: the steamy road or the power lines over a steaming road. Just a thought!

[ranchermom]

this is the original. the steam is what caught my eye, i liked the feel and the "texture" that it had. The color isnt great, but its kinda a mute shot anyway i think. i was going for a feel. maybe just feel short!

[ScottKemp2]

Crop to show the top right quarter or so and it would improve, I think. Nice moment captured.

[IABoomer]

Here's what I might do with this. Let me know if you'd like me to remove this.

Play with the levels a little bit. You can bring up the blacks and tighten up on the whites slightly which gives you some more contrast. Added a little high-pass sharpening for the poles. Cropped it to show the vanishing point, which I think gives it a more interesting look since you're leading the viewer somewhere off in the distance.

[danbaileyphoto]

Actually, I don't mind the tight crop on the telephone poles. We've already seen a few complete towers in the distance and so we already know what they look like. They're a common and repeating subject, so we don't need to see every single on completely. The crop adds to the feeling of endlessness and repetition. And the low POV gives it a really cool, surreal look. I like it!

I like the BW version for the same reason. It's more timeless. However, the steam isn't really coming through as well as it could, I'm seeing more of the heat ripples in the air more than the steam.

[ranchermom]

thank you guys for all the input, i really appreciate it!! i will play with it somemore and see if i can get more depth to my b/w conversion.