Abandoned

[kcoppock]

Hello,

First time posting a critique here, but I took this photo today, and other than a few problems (I had Auto ISO on, but for some reason it picked 1/4000" and ISO-560 rather than a lower ISO and slower shutter speed, and I wasn't paying attention) I liked the way it came out. I just wanted some opinions on the composition and the choice of depth of field, and also whether or not the vignette detracts or adds to the image.


Abandoned by Kevin Coppock, on Flickr
ISO: 560
S: 1/4000"
A: f/1.8
F: 50mm
Nikon D80 w/Nikon 50mm f/1.8

Thanks!

[alphavalues]

I'm no professional photographer, and all my education is in hard science and computing rather than art and design theory, but here's what I think about your concerns:

I'm not a fan of the vignetting in this photo. The rose is already the ONLY focal point, so there's no need to draw my eye towards it. I think the sense of "abandoned" would be heightened if the bricks were leaving the frame unencumbered - as it is now, the feeling is more "coccooned".

Also the blurring seems uneven - the top and bottom 25% of the image seen blurred, but the sides are still in focus. IMHO, it creates a sense of artificiality - it screams "This image was heavily PP'd", which in turn makes me think this was a staged image. As a casual viewer, reading the title "Abandoned" and seeing the rose laying there, I'd rather believe that you came across a lost and forgotten bouquet or boutineer. But again, that's just me.
Color-wise, I like the saturation and contrast. I think the detail in the bricks adds to the beauty of the flower.

TFS!

[kcoppock]

Thanks for the thoughts, alpha!

I think you're right on the vignetting, I'll attach a version without it. The blurring is actually totally natural, no PP involved with that. The only PP added was just basic RAW adjustments and then the vignetting.

[ArmySoldier777]

kcoppock,

First of all, I'd like to say that I really enjoy this image. I love the angle that you took with the bricks; everything being diagonal as opposed to a boring horizontal or vertical. Even though they're not the subject in this scene, I think that simple decision played a huge part in how this photo turned out.

For the original image, I agree with alphavalues opinion. The vignette was just a little too much for it. As for the blurring in the second image, I love the sort of natural vignette that it brings. I believe that worked out perfectly, especially for something you weren't even trying to obtain. Sometimes things that we don't think about just happen though, and it brings character to our photos.

So, like I was saying before; Overall, this is an amazing image in my opinion. I really look forward to seeing more posts from you.

David

[kcoppock]

David,

Thank you very much for the compliments.

To be honest, I actually hadn't really considered the angle of the bricks until now -- I can see how it would make a huge difference were the angle different. I wish I could say that was intentional, but it was purely coincidental, haha. I've realized lately I need to start paying a lot more attention to composition (although the blurring actually was intentional in this case). I was lucky this time around.

Again, I really appreciate your thoughts on this photo, and I'm glad you like it!

[ArmySoldier777]

Kcoppock,

Honestly, I probably wouldn't have considered the angle of the bricks while I was composing the shot either. I'm usually so worried about getting the lighting and the angle of the actual subject right, that sometimes I tend to forget other things that play a part in the overall image. Then when it comes time for post-processing, I start noticing all the things I should have seen in the first place. Sometimes they're things that add quality to the image, other times they're things that really should've been avoided lol.

David

[kcoppock]

Haha, true that, David. There are so many variables to keep in mind while shooting, it's hard to keep track of them all. I just hope that, with practice, some of them start becoming second nature, so that I can focus on the rest.