Hradcore stuff: Composition and lighting

[S_Sanyal]

I witnessed a most unusual thing today...it is documented in this set.
Calcutta Contradictions01: Man Sleeping - a set on Flickr
I shot enough for a 150 plus frame short movie..selecting soundtrack currently

Partly want to share and also need a critique on the one I think is the best of the lot, which is this:


Nikon D90 with 18-200mm nikkor
Exposure 4
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 22 mm
ISO Speed 125
Exposure Bias -4/3 EV


Need to know whether the lighting and composition are ok,

as well as the definition of the main subject ...somehow there are more than one in this image)..

if thats the case you choose what it (subject -s) is/are, this was a very complex scene. is having more than one subject a bad thing here?

I handheld this at 4 sec, is there too much of a perceptible shake?

last but not least, is this picture the best of the set according to you, or are there any better ones? (sorry moderators, this is on the fence as far as critique guidelines go, but not that bad right? )

Thanks in advance.

[tomdinning]

You're right, it is a complex scene. So make it simpler. This does require you to identify the various components and establish a relationship within the frame. The person laying on the white blanket is a good start. His/her relationship to the standing person and the person behind the cage can be quickly established by their proximity. Grouping these people in the top right quadrant will do nicely.The immediate surroundings of the curb, cage, sign and grid establish a nice theme or story and bind the people into a defined relationship.
The next thing is to use their shadows coming from the bottom left to draw the eye to the subject. Eliminate the bright lines from the image completely. They serve no purpose, just a distraction.
The monochrome colours are fine. The mood is established well with this.
You have done well to hand hold at that shutter speed. Some days we do with what we have to get the shot. Next time you are in such a situation, send the ISO up to 800 or even 1600. The D90 won't complain too much. Or go buy a tripod. You shouldn't leave home without one. The same with clean undies and money for a phone call home.

[S_Sanyal]

Wow! thanks for the feedback, tomdinning.

Are you really sure...i thought the light trails were very important to the scene...! anyway, i'll try a crop and see how it feels then....till then, lemme see what others may also have to say

as far as the tripod bit..i was a bit well, unprepared, was at work stepped out into the balcony and had less time to set up the shot than to shoot ...i'm usually prepared, but this was well, just another day at work, and i was lucky enough to have even the camera on me. Going by Murphy's laws, somehow I have seen that the best photo opportunities present themselves when we;re least prepared for them

[tomdinning]

Hi Again. Do they call you Sapi. I have a friend in my home town with the same name and that's what we call him.
I don't know what was going through your mind when you were confronted with the scene so I can only go with what I see in the image. For you to take a successful photo you ned to re-enact what you were thinking and feeling at the time. If the passing traffic was important, and I can see how it was, wouldn't it be great if we as the viewer could see the traffic in some real sense. How about with the bright lines ending in a slightly blurred image of the passing cars. You can do this if you use rear curtain synch with your flash or use a slow synch mode with the flash. This would then become the predominant feature of the image and the lesser subject would be the people and the cage at the curb. The problem here would be the viewers eye would follow the predominant bright lines and be led out of the picture and the sleeping person would become almost irrelevant. The shadow would dissappear and the image impact would be lost.
Its worth playing around with the composition to find out what works. You'll know when it works becuase it will tell the story to others and they will see it.
If you want a rule to work with here's a simple one. 'Never leave the house unprepared. There are images everywhere waiting for you to capture.'

[S_Sanyal]

Well, "Sap" actually! Its a shortening of my name that has stuck through since college

I studied what you wrote Tom, thanks again. I think in hindsight, the traffic is quite important.. maybe more than the men standing, and so is the shadow falling across the sleeping man.

If we just stick to that thought as our "choice" would we be able to say that this one's communicating it better... ( i know this is too much analysis, but series of exposures while i learn gives me the option of selecting and differentiating, which I consider as important to my learning; as it is essential in the editing process IMHO)



(settings same) The cars were stopped at start of duration of exposure and subsequently moving. I somehow think that given the dynamic light in the scene, in this particular case, the shadow's stronger too..let me know what you think.

Thanks for looking.
P.S. I wasn't too happy with the crop

[tomdinning]

Hi Sap.
There's lots of ways you can approach this scene and we've covered a couple of options. The trick is to look, see, then see as the photographer. The photographer sees differently like the story teller uses words differently. Knowing how to use compositional elements to bring out your story is what makes the image. Lines, colour, form, shapes, focus, movement, camera position, use of space are your tools to tell the story. Learning how to use these tools is like the story teller learning how to use the right words in just the right way. It takes practise, hard work and above all, enthusiasm.
I'll be watching.

[Eileen D]

One of the many things I love about DPS is the opportunity to learn by having the opportunity to listen in on this kind of exchange. Thanks to both of you, Sap and Tom, for your observations and responses!

[S_Sanyal]

Thanks Tom, for the very deep insight. Its nice to have people looking into the pictures I make. Its helped me come a long way.. and since I have a much longer way to go , this kind of feedback is invaluable.

Eileen, thanks for looking and the encouragement you always provide. It helps newbies like me to keep going