Grain elevator B&W

[IABoomer]

Co-op by the river by IABoomerFlickr, on Flickr

Camera Nikon D5000
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 800

I shot this just as the sun was setting behind me. My original intent was to get there about a half hour earlier and shoot this closer with the sun creating some long shadows and warm tones on the elevators. Missing the sunset had me improvising.

Ignoring the title, do you get a sense of a well-defined subject or is it more an overall scene?

Does the leading line of the bridge/road on the left help, or did it not register?

What do you think of the conversion? Too flat? Too contrasty? Not enough contrast (unlikely )

Are the reflections of the trees in the water distracting or intriguing?

Any other comments or questions are welcome.

[Benrocky]

I like the image but i would like to see more reflection of the water as the sky isnt very interesting (lack of defined clouds). Maybe can you post up a pic with say 1/3 sky and 2/3 foreground?

[IABoomer]

Originally Posted by Benrocky

I like the image but i would like to see more reflection of the water as the sky isnt very interesting (lack of defined clouds). Maybe can you post up a pic with say 1/3 sky and 2/3 foreground?

Thanks. One of the problems I ran into was, from the location I was shooting, that's all the water that was available. Just below the frame, there's a sandbar which I found distracting and cropped out.

The other problem was, to get down to the water level required a walk down a very muddy slope and I wasn't prepared to get that dirty to salvage a missed photo opportunity. If I was closer, I could have framed it differently, although I might not have been able to get a clear view of the elevator from down there.

[Czrich86]

I agree with Benrocky and would like to see only 1/3 skyline and 2/3 foreground. However, taking into concern your problem with the terrain (limited water, muddy walk) an option could be to crop it.
From your description it sounded like you want the grain elevator to be a main feature of the shot. If you frame the shot so the elevator is more centered, you could get the effect of the road and trees converging at the subject. I know that idea wouldn't fit with the rule of thirds, but hey, rules are meant to be broken.
I do really like how you captured the texture of the deadwood on the shoreline.
Keep it up!

[IABoomer]

Originally Posted by Czrich86

I agree with Benrocky and would like to see only 1/3 skyline and 2/3 foreground. However, taking into concern your problem with the terrain (limited water, muddy walk) an option could be to crop it.
From your description it sounded like you want the grain elevator to be a main feature of the shot. If you frame the shot so the elevator is more centered, you could get the effect of the road and trees converging at the subject. I know that idea wouldn't fit with the rule of thirds, but hey, rules are meant to be broken.
I do really like how you captured the texture of the deadwood on the shoreline.
Keep it up!

Thanks. I suppose I could center the elevator more. That might be worth trying when I go back.

I did shoot a vertical and color version, which puts the elevator closer to the center. You can see why I wasn't terribly anxious to go down the slope to shoot lower. Does this work better, or is the additional foreground detail now more distracting?


Elevator by sunset light by IABoomerFlickr, on Flickr

Camera Nikon D5000
Exposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 1600

[Benrocky]

Hmm i like your first one better. Less visual clutter. Maybe you could go back and take the first one again, when there is some dark forboding clouds in the sky? Keep the composition the same due to your limitations.

[Tokenbill]

I am new at this but I am not sure hat your main subject was? are you aiming for the reflections on the lake or the cranes on the left. I feel it is a little confusing with both. Maybe crop to square or close to it on the cranes. I liked the way the bridge lead to these.

Still a cool pic though

[IABoomer]

Originally Posted by Tokenbill

I am new at this but I am not sure hat your main subject was? are you aiming for the reflections on the lake or the cranes on the left. I feel it is a little confusing with both. Maybe crop to square or close to it on the cranes. I liked the way the bridge lead to these.

Still a cool pic though

Thanks for your comments. I agree, there isn't a terribly well-defined subject. I've played with some crops to get a sense of how I could compose it differently next time. I think I'll borrow the 55-200 lens from my in-laws and shoot tighter so I can really lock in on the elevators.

[Czrich86]

You've got the right idea with moving to the 200mm for this shot. I like the framing on the upper 2/3 of this shot, but as the others had mentioned, the very bottom is a bit too busy. I think you'll really nail it with the zoom lens.

[crockny]

When I was scrolling down your portrait/color version I had stopped right below the pink reflection in the water and liked it quite a bit - have you thought of cropping the portrait version to a landscape version right under that reflection and maybe a little off the top? Or a square crop?