Old Appliance Building

[greenroomsessions]

I like this picture but I am wondering how the composition is? Is the tree a distraction? Is the focus OK? I did straighten the image a little, does that look good? I have been trying to learn how to read my histogram and I was wondering if I got the exposure and the white balance correct?



Exif:
Nikon D40X
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 20 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

[lerabu]

Hi!

This is a really nice subject!

I am new too, so take this all with a grain of salt from a technical point of view

Your exposure looks fine to me, as for white balance the only place where I have a little issue is the grass because it is a little funny colour to me, but then again, you were there and you know what colour the grass was.

Compositionally what I would do is move a bit to the left so as to have more of the front face of the building which is very interesting and I would have the side of the building going into the perspective's vanishing point to the edge of the photo. I would have moved a little further away and maybe photographed the subject kneeling down and perhaps tilting the camera towards the floor a little so as to capture the road also and have a way of leading the eye into the building. I think the tree works nicely as a last point of interest towards the back / top of the photograph.

You could also photograph so as to have more of the shadow of the building in view and try to play with that. There are really alot of possibilities depending on what it is you wish to shoot

The sky is very interesting and the blues are fantastic! I would maybe slightly crop it on the top, or maybe even not.

It appears you were there at 11AM or 1PM? The sun seems a bit harsh, I wonder what it would look like in early morning on at dusk when the light is softer and golden? It would allow for less abrupt and emphasised shadows.

I think this is a great subject! Great work!

[dlambert]

As lerabu mentioned, time of day (and ambient lighting) will make a big difference to photos like this. Composition-wise, I think there are elements right around the building that make a difference in how it appears -- if you didn't see stuff like a TV antenna or a concrete sidewalk, you could picture this building in a completely different setting. Even the building on the left seems like a huge contrast to this one -- much more well-maintained. I think I'd like to either see those elements cut out (to not distract) or featured more prominently (as a contrast to the old building).

Can you play with some different views of this building? There seem to be some fantastic textures here that might really pop in a closer framing of some of the windows, doors, signs, and so on. The low-angle shot that lerabu mentioned could work well, too.

[greenroomsessions]

Originally Posted by lerabu

Hi!

This is a really nice subject!

I am new too, so take this all with a grain of salt from a technical point of view

Your exposure looks fine to me, as for white balance the only place where I have a little issue is the grass because it is a little funny colour to me, but then again, you were there and you know what colour the grass was.

Compositionally what I would do is move a bit to the left so as to have more of the front face of the building which is very interesting and I would have the side of the building going into the perspective's vanishing point to the edge of the photo. I would have moved a little further away and maybe photographed the subject kneeling down and perhaps tilting the camera towards the floor a little so as to capture the road also and have a way of leading the eye into the building. I think the tree works nicely as a last point of interest towards the back / top of the photograph.

You could also photograph so as to have more of the shadow of the building in view and try to play with that. There are really alot of possibilities depending on what it is you wish to shoot

The sky is very interesting and the blues are fantastic! I would maybe slightly crop it on the top, or maybe even not.

It appears you were there at 11AM or 1PM? The sun seems a bit harsh, I wonder what it would look like in early morning on at dusk when the light is softer and golden? It would allow for less abrupt and emphasised shadows.

I think this is a great subject! Great work!

Thanks lerabu you have some good ideas. I actually took the picture at about 4:30 pm and I thought the sun might be a little harsh but that was when I was able to take the photo so I took it.

[greenroomsessions]

Originally Posted by dlambert

As lerabu mentioned, time of day (and ambient lighting) will make a big difference to photos like this. Composition-wise, I think there are elements right around the building that make a difference in how it appears -- if you didn't see stuff like a TV antenna or a concrete sidewalk, you could picture this building in a completely different setting. Even the building on the left seems like a huge contrast to this one -- much more well-maintained. I think I'd like to either see those elements cut out (to not distract) or featured more prominently (as a contrast to the old building).

Can you play with some different views of this building? There seem to be some fantastic textures here that might really pop in a closer framing of some of the windows, doors, signs, and so on. The low-angle shot that lerabu mentioned could work well, too.

Thanks dlambert. It was a little hard because it is the only building around there that is older and the other building are fairly close but I will see what I can do.

[Krusty79]

Your exposure looks pretty good. To me, the problem is the lighting. The front of the building is the most interesting part, but it is in the shade. Is there a time of day when the front will not be in the shade? I would second the recommendations to experiment with different angles also - that way, you should be able to get rid of that tree.

Boy, if that building was in the Bay Area, all those windows would have been broken by now. I can't believe they are still intact - we must have a lot more vandals out here!

[greenroomsessions]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

Your exposure looks pretty good. To me, the problem is the lighting. The front of the building is the most interesting part, but it is in the shade. Is there a time of day when the front will not be in the shade? I would second the recommendations to experiment with different angles also - that way, you should be able to get rid of that tree.

Boy, if that building was in the Bay Area, all those windows would have been broken by now. I can't believe they are still intact - we must have a lot more vandals out here!

I am going to go back tomorrow morning and try and get some different angles and see how the lighting is. Mariposa is a small town and we don't have much vandalism here unless it is at the local skate park and they are trying to lock the kids out after hours!

[mosgood]

Hi Greenroom,

I would definitely try shooting this in the morning. Also off to the right, behind the old building is a more modern structure with an antennae on it. That should be cropped out...looks out of place. If you have a flash unit, you could use that as well to brighten up the front of the building if it's still in shadow. Other than that, I like the lighting. Did you use a polarizer? There's nice pop in the blue sky & clouds.

Love going up to your area. My family lives nearby in Coarsegold. Great photo ops all around.


Marla

[greenroomsessions]

Originally Posted by mosgood

Hi Greenroom,

I would definitely try shooting this in the morning. Also off to the right, behind the old building is a more modern structure with an antennae on it. That should be cropped out...looks out of place. If you have a flash unit, you could use that as well to brighten up the front of the building if it's still in shadow. Other than that, I like the lighting. Did you use a polarizer? There's nice pop in the blue sky & clouds.

Love going up to your area. My family lives nearby in Coarsegold. Great photo ops all around.


Marla

Thanks Marla. I don't have a polarizer I just used my sunglasses that are polarized. I'm not too far from Coarsegold have to pass through to get to Fresno. There are a lot of photo ops around here. I see you are from Ontario. I grew up in Escondido and used to go to Ontario for music comps and basketball games, lots of fun!

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

Your exposure looks pretty good. To me, the problem is the lighting. The front of the building is the most interesting part, but it is in the shade. Is there a time of day when the front will not be in the shade? I would second the recommendations to experiment with different angles also - that way, you should be able to get rid of that tree.

Boy, if that building was in the Bay Area, all those windows would have been broken by now. I can't believe they are still intact - we must have a lot more vandals out here!

+1 on that. I think broken windows would have added to the derelict feeling.. Krusty is right, this is a superb building for experimenting with.. And there's some lovely shapes with the clouds in the sky.

Something I read recently was this.. There's hundreds of "ok" subjects out there, and only one or two really nice photogenic examples. So when you find the one subject among many, don't waste your efforts on the many, shoot lots of photos of that one subject. Too many people stand there, see something they like, move the camera to eye level, click, then move on. Try to use different angles, different focal lengths. Try different filters etc. Learn to find what works with that subject and then try and apply it to similar situations. It's a real shame to let a photogenic opportunity go with a single photograph that you intend to fix later, rather than getting the picture right at the time.

The article was in relation to Landscape photography, but I think it equally applies to Cityscapes.. You've got a good subject here, there's lots to photograph.. Close ups of certain angles and so on.. Don't click and move on, click and then click some more.