Critique this watershot?

[Grace E Armstrong]

Some critiques of this close up water movement shot?

It's of water from a tap running off the bottom of a wine glass.

Canon EOS 1000D
f/5.6
ISO-400
1/200 sec.
Focal Length 55mm

I also used CS5 to make it Black And White

I'd like to improve. I can also post the original colour version but it's not much different, just a little lighter.

[harrins]

I'm absolutely no expert, but I think thats an incredible shot, its so clear it looks like glass!

[dakwegmo]

Technically the shot is fine. The exposure looks good. Focus seems to be in a good spot, though I wonder if it might have been better with a bit more or less depth of field. That's hard to say, though, because I'm not really sure what it is you're trying to convey with the image. As it is the image is fine, but it's not something that's going to grab a lot of people's attention or create any sort of emotional impact. So, what is it you want to say with this image?

[mathgeek]

I agree that as a picture it looks awesome, but I also agree that the purpose is not obvious. Therefore, I'll critique from multiple points of view (and no, I do not have multiple personalities)

1. If the goal is just to create a cool looking picture, then 100% done; I can critique nothing. Everything from lighting to DOF is perfect. My daughter wants it for her computer wallpaper (if that's okay).

2. If the goal is to convey motion, then you might drop the ISO and drop the shutter speed so there's a bit more blur. Lighting is still very good, balanced between light and dark at the corners.

3. It's not calm enough to bring serenity, yet not aggressive enough to spark emotion.

I hope this gives you food for thought.

[Grace E Armstrong]

Originally Posted by mathgeek

I agree that as a picture it looks awesome, but I also agree that the purpose is not obvious. Therefore, I'll critique from multiple points of view (and no, I do not have multiple personalities)

1. If the goal is just to create a cool looking picture, then 100% done; I can critique nothing. Everything from lighting to DOF is perfect. My daughter wants it for her computer wallpaper (if that's okay).

2. If the goal is to convey motion, then you might drop the ISO and drop the shutter speed so there's a bit more blur. Lighting is still very good, balanced between light and dark at the corners.

3. It's not calm enough to bring serenity, yet not aggressive enough to spark emotion.

I hope this gives you food for thought.

Thank you for your critique. By the way, she may use it as a wall paper, you can get a downloadable high res version from my dA, here: Glass by ~WillyWagTail on deviantART

[NotQuite]

I think you captured water's flowing nature quite nicely. There's a certain oxymoronic feel to this picture. like a moving stillness. my only critique is that without some sort of colour it makes the water seem lifeless, water by nature is very alive and is the conduit of life. i wouldn't mind seeing what the photo looks like with a with a cooling blue-gray colouring

[JKfromMI]

I'm a total beginner, but I agree with NotQuite, I'd like to see this in color. Very cool image, though.

[WayneW]

Hi Grace,
I agree with NotQuite. I'd like to see you experiment with color. The water blends with the glass a bit too much for me, although I have to keep in mind that you were searching for "water movement".
It would be fun to experiment with some color and a faster shutter speed and increased depth of field, although I am steering you away from "movement". Maybe you could play with that for a different project! Here are a couple of links that can open up some thought processes about water:

How to photograph Water in Motion
Liquid Pour and Splash Photography Technique Using Continuous Light

Wayne