Leafy Porch

[xepo]

So my girlfriend and I started 365 projects, and I've been really pleased with mine so far. I setup a shot the other day that I'm pretty pleased with, but I wanna know what you all think.



I was pretty close up on it, with my strobe on a rope (SB-400 on a SC-17) with a tinfoil snoot at the bottom left. I drowned out the ambient with the flash and shutter speed, then used a little PP to enhance the shadows at the corners, add a bit more contrast, and warm it up some.

Specifically, what do you think of the composition and lighting? I placed the leaf in that spot, and couldn't decide if it'd be better to distribute the hole in the wood and the leaf further apart, get the whole rule of thirds in effect there, or if it'd be better to have them more centered since it's so large. Also, I think I messed up a little on the PP, see if you all can tell me how so that I know if I'm just imagining it.

--
Camera: Nikon D60
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/13.0
Focal Length: 38 mm
Focal Length: 38.9 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: -2/3 EV
--

Thanks!
-Isaiah

[IShotTheSheriff]

I'm far from an expert on lighting but I think you've done a good job lighting the scene. The editing is nice to, but the photo doesn't speak to me. It's a bit on the meh-side of my Wow-nice-photo-spectrum. It's a leaf, a nice leaf, but still just a leaf... If you know what I'm saying.

More than anything I would choose another subject, otherwise you might want to try another angle?

[xepo]

Yeah, you're right, the subject is pretty blah. Sometimes I get caught up in the other parts of photography and forget something as basic as "Pick an interesting subject or angle" =P

Thanks for the feedback!

[Moonlighter]

may be try to get a bit closer to the subject?

[kencaleno]

I just gave it a little tweak:

[Dyfam]

Hey!

What about removing those white spots?

As for composition:

For me its too dark (also, ken, i believe your version is too "harsh"). I enjoyed the lines on the wood, and i think you should have explored it more.

the sense of "old and abandoned" is also in it.

Btw, i imagine a head when a i look at it. I see an animal, and its eyes (the hole). As for the leaf, it doesnt appeal to me.

One last thing, xepo: Just out of curiosity, what were your intentions when you shot the pic? What feeling did you want it to convey? Were you telling some story?

For you, what was the meaning of the hole, the wood, the lines, the "lichen" (sorry, is it correct?)? Why did you decide to place the leaf there? Why the leaf was in that specific place and position?

Im really curious to know what motivated this pic (just for curiosity. I wish i could stop and think about all those things when im taking a pic. But i never do ))))).

Regards.

[mgn]

I agree about eliminating the white spots, but not about the light level. Keep it dark. It's more broody. Nice job on the lighting!