Western Saddle

[Weird Girl]

Please comment even if you hate it. I took this the same day as my guitar post and since I got feedback that the lighting looked flat in that one, I was wondering how you feel about this one. I tried to give it a rustic look since it's an older western saddle. I know the baseboard and rug are distracting but I do not have a seamless backdrop yet. Does this photo interest you? How is the sharpness, clarity, and lighting? Any other comments welcome. Thanks for looking!

Nikon D5000
18-55mm lens
Shutter Speed: 1.160
Aperture: f10
Focal Length: 22mm
ISO: 500
Strobes fired- 2 light system
Edited in Lightroom

[Weird Girl]

What is it about my photos that has so many people looking at them without commenting... it's hard not to be discouraged

[Peach]

My butt hurts just looking at this. I can feel my riding instructor smacking me across my shoulders with the carrot-stick while barking at me to straighten up as if I were in an English riding class.

The sharpness is really good, in my opinion. The only thing I would have liked is a BIT of light on the stirrups. To me, and it may be the work computer I'm on, they're near totally black. I would have liked a bit of light on them, not much, but enough pull them out of the shadows a hint.

I didn't notice the baseboard, to be honest. I do like the wall for a backdrop though.

[ridley19]

I actually like the temp/colour of this shot. I agree w/Peach regarding stirrups.
I'd try improve this shot by shooting it just on the wall somehow instead of including the carpet & cornice.

[Semjaja]

Originally Posted by Weird Girl

What is it about my photos that has so many people looking at them without commenting... it's hard not to be discouraged

i had the same feeling when i posted one for critique.

i like the color, it doesn't so much evoke a feeling of rustic in me, but more of something from a 30's side show (this is meant as a compliment, i have a bit of a thing for that era).

let me put it this way, if you'd given me that saddle, it would not look half as good.

[joep]

I gotta tell ya...........clarity is good.
As far as the photo itself..........not interesting at all, nothing to grab you, that says "Look at me"

[Hill Country Hack]

I feel you did a good job on the saddle except the stirrups are a bit dark. I'm not a personal fan of vingetting. I can live with it if subtle and for me, yours is a bit much. I ignored the baseboard/carpet and as I stated on your other pic, the wall is a great color. I do wish you had put a blanket over the saddle stand, it takes away from the great looking saddle.

[Weird Girl]

Ok thanks everyone! I will see of I can do anything in pp to improve this shot. As far as it not being interesting, I literally grabbed what I could to photograph... What would make a saddle more interesting do you think? Thanks again!

[Hill Country Hack]

Originally Posted by Weird Girl

Ok thanks everyone! I will see of I can do anything in pp to improve this shot. As far as it not being interesting, I literally grabbed what I could to photograph... What would make a saddle more interesting do you think? Thanks again!

A different background, care in the set up to get rid of distractors, changing perspective, differing DOF, different lighting.

I say try it again while taking the above into consideration. Digital is cheap. Try something and if it doesn't work out, learn from it and delete the files. It is all about practice.

[Doug Sundseth]

I really like the lighting on the leather and the post-processing you've done here. I really don't think the aluminum tube rack and the interior shot work well with the rest (which is pretty much what you've already been told, of course).

Get this same lighting on the same saddle with it sitting on a beat-up old fence and even a fairly pedestrian background, and it's a winner. Get a really interesting background, and it's better than that.