Woophy - Any judgement would be nice! :)

Forum < The Good, the Bad and the Ugly < Any judgement would be nice! :)

Author	Message
Cloudbuster Member	# Posted: 13 Jun 12 12:23 - Edited by: Cloudbuster Reply Hi all! I am hoping for some serious feedback on this photo. For those of you who can take a brake from football, or just feel like slaughtering a photo, feel free to do so! Positive feedback is also welcome if you have them. My only wish is this: Be constructive if possible Ps. The photo is ment to be seen in full size Try this short cut. URL
Martin de Rijk Member	# Posted: 13 Jun 12 14:03 - Edited by: Martin de Rijk Reply In my view this is a fine shot of an artistic part of Oslo. There is lots to see, the vintage VW, the girl heading for the pub with her guitar (is she going to play later on?), a mixture of old and young men drinking their beer, the man and the girl behind the car having eye contact (he seems to be pleased). So I must say this is a good street shot with a lot of stories, one you see more the second time you look. To focus even more on the people a small crop on the bottom and top could improve the shot imho. It would give the picture a more panoramic view if you see what I mean Btw, the b&w is well choosen, a must for oictures like these.
Abílio Silveira Member	# Posted: 13 Jun 12 14:29 Reply I didn't read Izydor and Martin's oppinions, because I wouldn' want to get any influences from them. I see a fine street scene with some guys chating and drinking, a girl near a VW and an old lady arriving with a guitar bag (I suppose). This could be any moment in the life of a city and I don't really catch any particular interest in it to deserve a photograph. Maybe we could have a story: the man with the black jacket is expecting the girl that's leaving the Beetle or maybe they were once in love and got separated and by chance they met again in the precise moment Vidar Sandnes was passing by and they are about to fall in each other's arms, but that old lady (assuming she is old) passes in the middle of the couple and the magic disappears and the girl from the Beetle notices that the black jacket man is not the one she left some years ago. Yes, this could be the story, but the picture doesn't show it, sorry. Maybe a tighter crop showing only the black jacket man, the lady with the guitar bag, the girl and the Beetle... Maybe it would help the viewer to build a story.
A.Miguel Oliveira Member	# Posted: 13 Jun 12 17:30 Reply Hi, friends! [and it's amazing that I know you 3 personally!] First of all, let me say you managed to make me eat my lunch at 2.40 pm after noticing this challenge! Being at home in a day without school work (oops, finally; but back tomorrow ), and waiting for the football tragedy in a couple of hours, I really enjoyed to watch and re-watch at this photograph and its two previous comments by Martin and Abílio. So: 1. I love Oslo and couldn't remember (so, so far away...) that horses went through these amazing old style roads/pavements (also typical in portuguese cities; interesting that I ever thought we have so many things in common with Norway... well, not the fact that your politicians walk to the parliament and the portuguese prefer the high-end german cars!). 2. The photograph caught my eyes: I really like its b&w mood, its "moment", its contrast, ... 3. Reading Abílio's, I thought: this guy waked up with his ass turned up! He can't "read" a story in it and forgot to mention the only negative remark I'd make: the pic is tilt, a bit, to the right. And Abílio NEVER lets this, even by one millimetre, without his remark [sorry, guys, he knows what I'm talking about] 4. After watching again and again, I came to the conclusion Abílio has "a kind of a reason": Vidar's photograph appears in what I would define more as a cinematographic looking. Cropping it as also Martin suggests, may improve it, getting closer to the language of a photograph, concentrating our attention in a shorter "story". 5. For me, the question was: how much to crop? I felt free to make 4 versions and present them here, right Vidar? [all with a - 0,40 degrees tilt correction, in Photoscape measuring] Finally, my favourite was D.. It concentrated my eyes in one possible story: the mature lady (not that old, Abílio) was leaving her girl friend and her Beetle (oh, I love "half"-VW Beetles!) to the hotel, and the playboy on the left, enjoying his beer and latenight dreams, couldn't even give her an handsome help!... 6. I really enjoyed this challenge, the photograph, the comments, and my late meal, getting me closer to the footbal tragedy time... Big hugs for the 3 of you!!! A. B. C. D.
Jan Hemels Moderator	# Posted: 13 Jun 12 23:16 Reply posted by Jan Hemels on June 13th, 2012 7:24 pm Constructive....ehhh. Critic is seldom seen as constructive on Woophy. Still I give it a try, like the others I agree there is very much to see in this street scene. Yet this is also a disadvantage. There is so much to divide your attention to that the eye gets worried. What are the the passsers-by adding to the scene?? As I generally take the viewpoint that less is better I would crop the left part just left of the second window. A crop between the 3rd and 4th window could even be better focusing on the lady that just left the VW to visit Herr. Nilsen. Contrast and sharpness could be better , I can hardly make out a face.......... maybe owing to a correction of the lens distortion as Izydor is suggesting ??? Thanks Miguel for visualising, great job!
Abílio Silveira Member	# Posted: 13 Jun 12 23:50 Reply I would also vote for option D. Another remark: street photography is not easy, it is very difficult indeed. It is the moment that counts and the difference between an extraordinary picture and a so so picture can be as short as a fraction of a second. Anyway, it is my favourite kind of Photography and I would like to be a great street photographer (but I suppose geert geenen's shadow would always obscure me, eh eh!).
Cloudbuster Member	# Posted: 14 Jun 12 00:33 Reply He-he... First of all, good people Thank you! It is late, and I´m still working because of a huge "city party". Lots of photography to do, but nothing exiting (Bands, people etc.) I´ve read your comments with huge pleasure, and I will read them again, hopefully tomorow to get everything sorted out. Then I will thank gratefully and seriously think about cropping, tilting etc. About the tilting. I believe the street is a little tilted, but the photo is also shot with 16mm. Therefore the tires on the beetle does not look completely round, but tilted is tilted, and I will take a closer look at it For now, thank´s and I will tak e a closer look very soon
Abílio Silveira Member	# Posted: 14 Jun 12 09:18 Reply I knew it. While some of us were having a brain storm trying to make an interpretation of a photograph, others were having a huge city party...
Cloudbuster Member	# Posted: 14 Jun 12 09:40 - Edited by: Cloudbuster Reply I´m not really partying, Abílio. Somebody has to work http://www.rb.no/byfesten/article6105399.ece The good thing is. There´s time for having a look at your comments Gimme 15 mins or so Okay. Not really 15 mins, but still working on it
Cloudbuster Member	# Posted: 14 Jun 12 10:37 Reply Martin, hi! "There is lots to see" is what made me shoot this photo. I will certainly try a wider crop. The pavement shows too much and the second floor is uninteresting. It will also be different than most other street shots. "Second look". No doubt. I did not even notice the two persons on each side of the woman looking at each other. Thank you very much for your comment, Martin! Abílio, hi! Good to see you again even if it is without sangria Good imagination, Abílio! Yes. It is a guitar case, but she is not old. (Not that it matters ) I did not even notice the couple on each side of the lady, and it actually does not bring any good to the photo as it is now. What first drew my eyes was everyone watching the musician and her car. I feel like cloning the woman behind the beetle away Cropping away everything except the two people and the lady may also be a good idea Thank´s Abílio! Miguel, Hi! Why do I get another glimpse of sangria....? Any idea? He-he... Lunch at 2.40 pm? You ate lunch??! You´ve obviously spent a lot of time on this photo, and I thank you very much for it (All of you have. Thank you!) There are not many horses around in Oslo any longer. Only the police and on rear occasions weddings etc. Some politicians use their feet, but not all of them I saw one yesterday in a huge Audi. Yup! German luxury Abílio did not mention the photo being tilted, but then again. It may not be. The street is a little tilted and the building is old To be honest, it was shot at 16mm with Nikons 16-35 and at that wide angle there are no straight lines before correcting. I may have corrected it, but don´t remember. Four versions to look at and let us see..... A. It does loose a big unnecessary part of the photo and looks better. I guess this is what Martin suggested? B. he story is cleaner and more focused. It is getting better than my version C. Closer, and revealing what I find wrong with the photo. The woman behind the beetle. I think she has to go somewhere else. It should be abut the musician. The half beetle is okay. Everyone knows what car this is anyway D. The story is now about the couple, and the lady with the guitar is a distraction. It is amazing what cropping can do to a photo! Your versions shows this very well. It used to be (At east in Norwegian culture) "A photo tells more than a thousand words" or "A photo does not lie".... He-he.... Thank you and hugs, Miguel Jan Hemels, hi! "Constructive....ehhh. Critic is seldom seen as constructive on Woophy". I know, Jan. I know very well, but in this kind of forum, it works excellent! your try is also excellent Your bold crop may actually work very well. Only in a smaller photo since it is still just digital, but it is very interesting and I will give it a try just to see how it works The lens should be very sharp, but I agree and I may not have added any extra sharpening as should have been done. My thoughts was the opposite of less is more this time, but I see what you mean and as long as there are multiple stories, it only gets messy. Thank you, Jan for your very constructive comment Street photography is very much fun, as Abílio says. It is also difficult to get the really good photos, but there is only one thing to do about it, and we all know what it is. Remember your cameras people Again, to all. THANK YOU for your very fine time and help! Vidar (Going back to work)
Abílio Silveira Member	# Posted: 14 Jun 12 14:00 Reply Vidar: next time, you should invite us to give suggestions about tiltings and croppings on other kind of pictures your website publishes, like this: http://www.rb.no/fotball/fotball-em/article6104571 .ece Yes, football is what matters now.
Cloudbuster Member	# Posted: 14 Jun 12 23:40 Reply You´re very naughty, Abílio I don´t shoot that kind of photos. (Sadly.... Maybe later ) I´m not shooting football before wednesday, and as usual it is the audience I hunt I think you would find those photos boring to edit. Only dust removal, cropping and color/light adjustment are allowed.
trudy tuinstra Member	# Posted: 15 Jun 12 00:17 Reply I cannot explain it very well, there for I made a kind of collage. If you are a bit creative you could try to make differen pictures from one picture and the fit it to gether, like telling there is a lot to see, and the way you look at it has a lot to do with how you want to look at it. I made a small example, but there is a lot more to create, this picture has high potentional. I like the mr. Nilsen, but it has to do with the fact my son is called Nilson. You made an excellent picture!!
Cloudbuster Member	# Posted: 22 Jun 12 12:04 Reply Trudy, thank´s! Sorry to be late but it has been very, very busy days. Huge amount of work! I see what you mean by dividing into different stories and especially the two bottom parts work very well The top part needs to be ripped out of the original photo It describes very well what is need and not. The next few days will (probably) be much calmer, and I will add another version in my attempt on creating something good!
Cloudbuster Member	# Posted: 24 Jun 12 20:03 Reply Thank you for all your help, good people! This is the final version of this scene. The lady behind the car was edited away, the lady with the guitar changed position, the windows at the top was unneeded and the scene has been narrowed a bit. Removing items that did not belong to the scene. Yes. It is a another photo from the same scene, but the lady was still present behind the car. She had to leave the picture. It is sharpened, balanced according to the sign above the entrance. The street is falling a bit to the right side of the photo. Not much to do about it except accept it for what it is A black frame was added to get more focus on the scene (A matter of taste)