Glassblower at work

[Eileen D]

I took this at Simon Pearce Glassworks in Vermont last spring. Does the background distract from the focus on the face? Does the black and white conversion work? Any problems with composition? Thanks for any comments!




Camera Canon EOS 50D
Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture f/6.3
Focal Length 135 mm
ISO Speed 1000
Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

[becksjd]

Hi,
I like this shot! I don't find the background too distracting, but I do think it would have been a bit easier to look at if it were darker in the background and he stood out a bit more. Maybe you could bump the contrast up a bit... I even think a thin vignette framing the picture would be nice, but I am a vignette lover, haha.

[Eileen D]

Thanks for the comments, becksjd. I'll see what happens when I work with the contrast a bit. I have to say I haven't tried a vignette before but I will see what effect it has!

[mykadog]

I had to look for a while to get past the face through the glass. Though I like it like it is, how would it have looked in color?

[DravensHalo]

As soon as i noticed the face in the glass - i actually found it very hard to look away from there, so the background didnt really distract me - but if you are worried try playing with the contrast and if if you can darken a bit...

[Eileen D]

Originally Posted by mykadog

I had to look for a while to get past the face through the glass. Though I like it like it is, how would it have looked in color?

The original colors were distracting to my eye, though I did like the orange tone in the molten glass. I'll go back to it and give it another look! Thanks!

[Eileen D]

Originally Posted by DravensHalo

As soon as i noticed the face in the glass - i actually found it very hard to look away from there, so the background didnt really distract me - but if you are worried try playing with the contrast and if if you can darken a bit...

Thanks for the comment, DravensHalo! I'm glad that the face in the glass captures your attention as it does for me. I did work on the contrast in the background -- it was originally much brighter -- but I didn't like it when it was too much darker. I'll keep playing around with it! Thanks again.

[LMAshton]

I found the face in the glass to be distracting, but not in a good way. I wonder what the photo would look like if the blown glass were off to one side instead? I think I'd like to see more of the glass blower's face.

The background is a bit distracting for me. I suspect it would look better if it were more even all the way across or perhaps more blurred.