graveyard tree

[hollybug]

I would like any comments regarding the composition. I have not done any cropping to the image. I did, however, tweak the exposure and saturation a bit in photoshop. I personally like the underexposed and oversaturated look for this photo, but I would like to hear comments from others regarding this. Thanks for looking!

PS: I am new to all this. Just got my first DSLR about a week ago! I have been shooting mostly on auto focus, as I haven't learned the ins and outs of the other settings yet.



Canon DIGITAL REBEL EOS XS
December 3, 2010
Shutter Speed: 1/160sec
Aperature: f/4.5
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 35mm
Flash: Fired

[hollybug]

seeing it in a smaller size here, though, makes me think the exposure should be increased though......however, in a larger size, I tend to like it. Oh well.....I'll wait for others' opinions before I start tweaking again.

[cristen]

Originally Posted by hollybug

seeing it in a smaller size here, though, makes me think the exposure should be increased though......however, in a larger size, I tend to like it. Oh well.....I'll wait for others' opinions before I start tweaking again.

hmm.. chanced upon your photo, hollybug. it looks surreal after you tweaked it, but the colors are nice. the tree is right at dead (pardon the pun) center. maybe you could have taken it a little bit from your right so that the headstones would show more angles. couldn't do anymore comments other than these, coz you know... i am not even familiar with my own gear yet even if i have had that for more than a year now. finding dps, i hope, would help me a lot.

[curelightwounds]

I think the contrast is a little too much. However, if you were going for surreal, then you've achieved it quite nicely.

My only other concern is that I don't know what your subject is. The headstones and tree take up about the same amount of space and the same prominence in the photo so I don't rightly know what I'm supposed to be looking at.

[Browno]

Having read the other comments they're probably right (but hey how would I know I'm a noob !) but I like the picture all the same. The angle is very good. I would have probably got too low down and spoilt it but you got it spot on.

[hollybug]

Is this a better version?...as in, the tree is more obvious as the subject? The dark tree branches in the foreground on the top right bothers me though. The small tree in the foreground on the bottom left also bothers me a little, but not as much. Does that bother anyone else. Cropping that out though takes away from the yellow tree and I end up with the same problem as the other photo.

I tweaked the contrast a bit differently this time...but still like the amount of contrast, as I do like the surreal feeling for this particular photo.

[navcom]

The scene still looks pretty busy. There's too much in the image to figure out a definite main subject. There's the headstones, the spreading tree, and a lot of long grass that confuses the eye as to where to look.

Try to eliminate as much of the clutter as you can. In this case, it might be good to get really close to one of the headstones, say in the lower 1/3 of the image, and then have the tree in the background in the upper 1/3...or something like that.

Hope that helps!

[hollybug]

navcom, I agree. I also feel like there is too much going on in the photo, especially the second photo, which is why i like the first photo better....although, I guess there still isn't a focus in that one either. Oh well, I'm still fairly happy with the first shot, being I'm new to the world of photography.

Thanks for the comments!

[Michael_2010]

I kind of like it. There is a fantasy appearance about it that makes me think of some illustrations I've seen in books.

It might have been a good idea to take several shots with the focus on different aspects of the scene. By playing around with DOF you could have had sharp focus on the gravestones and used the tree as a backdrop. Alternately, you could have done the same by shifting focus toward the tree, etc.

One thing that is causing a little visual conflict is that the gravestones are creating leading lines that take the viewer away from the main tree. Not sure if that problem could be addressed in the field. Worth exploring though. Strong directional light (early morning or late afternoon) could also help you emphasize the tree as well.

[curelightwounds]

You know what? I love the second version. Do you have it higher res?

Draining the color out of the stones really brings up the tree and that's fantastic. Great work.

Only critique now is that it's crooked :]