A Hopping Dinosaur in the Dragonland

[Yoyo Szeto]

What do you think?
yoyo

[PlantedTao]

Very good color shot. I like how the dino stands out from the green background. I also like the sweeping roof to help give connection to the area it was shoot at. That sign is a little distracting, but doesn't bother me too much.
I think an improvement would have been to capture a person walking by, used a slow shutter speed to give the impression of fleeing from the dino...just a thought.
Overall a good use of color and the composition is pleasing to the eye.

Cheers.

[Asylum Steve]

Yoyo, on paper I think this shot is very good... :thumbsup:

Compositionally, you divide up the frame in a very interesting way. Your visual elements are grouped into halves and thirds of the frame.

There's a nice mix of symmetry (small fence) with asymmetry (nearly everything else), and organic (foliage, scattered leaves), with man-made (buildings, fence, walkway). There's a wonderful assortment of textures and even a bit of whimsy (purple dino!) thrown in.

However, IMO there are some things that I think would make this shot even better...

One, I'd like to see the background a bit more asymmetrical and the foreground fence more perfectly symmetrical. The easy way to do that is to simply include more of the scene in on the right. Make sure the small fence is parallel to the top and bottom of the frame (the way you shot it, it's just a tad off), and include another fence "post" on the right to mirror the one on the left.

This would also mean including more of the scene at the top on the right, and would automatically place the spot where the brick building meets the wooden structure off center, which I think would be better.

I also would like to see what this this scene looks like in a different light. Your overhead soft directional light is ok, but my guess is this shot might look better with a more specular light.

Finally (and this is very subjective), I'd darken the edges of the shot, even to the point of giving the pic a slight vignette. That would focus the viewer's attention more center, as well as add to the overall style...

[Yoyo Szeto]

Hi PT, Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate your suggestion but I seldom carry a tripod with me. It is a good suggestion anyway. ;)

Hi Steve, Really appreciate your detailed comments. I am very glad that you have mentioned a few worries that I have in my mind. Your suggestion of vignette is refreshing as I have not thought about it before. I will definitely pursue it in the future. ;)

yoyo

[Seb]

What do you think?
yoyo

Yoyo in colors? Ay carumba!

I think that the dinosaur pop out of the scene in a fairly spectacular way. It looks really tridimensional and its purple color offer a strong contrast with everything else without being overly flashy. The only thing that disturbed me when I first saw the picture it the bright empty sky but there is probably nothing to do about it other than reshooting at a different time of day when the sunlight is softer and the sky isn't cloudy.

Actually, I think that the dinosaur looks quite out of place against the architecture in the background and that makes the scene very interesting.

Steve brought interesting ideas. I have also thought about a crop which I think works well (altough it is very different from your original composition and might not fit with the aesthetic you were aiming for...). I actually croped all the buildings to only keep the foliage at the top (and turn the scene into a pano) and thought that the effect was quite graphic. Just an idea...

Seb

[McMadCow]

Yoyo, this is a very entertaining shot.
I can only really think of one suggestion to improve it for me, and that would be to do a crop from the top and the right-hand side, maintaining the same aspect ratio. As it is, the peak of the roof forms a really distracting triangle up in the top-right corner. Cropping in closer would eliminate that AND make the dino ever so slightly more dramatic.
Nice shot!

[Overbeyond]

Hello Yoyo
I think the the eastern type roof is needed to justify the 'dragonland' title but photographically I feel a crop from the top down as far as the top of the red building, makes for a better and entertaining composition because more emphasis is then given to the wonderful dino (who is laughing and saying "who is next to be gobbled up") and his surroundings.
Tom

[Asylum Steve]

do a crop from the top and the right-hand side, maintaining the same aspect ratio...

Actually, that's an even easier (as in not re-shooting) way to imprve the shot the way I suggested. It will in effect make the small fence symmetrical, eliminate that distracting roof element, and make the bg asymmetrically balanced.

[Yoyo Szeto]

Hi Seb, Thanks for the comments as always. Your suggestion of the cropping is good. It seems to be from an XPan. The feeling is totally different.

Hi McMadCow, I did not notice the triangle until you mentioned it. Thanks for sharing your perspective.

Hi Tom, I had a difficulty in the original cropping as I wanted to include the roof. Now I realise it may spoil the composition. Thanks for sahring your thoughts.

Hi Steve, Thanks again for your interest in the shot. Much appreciated!

yoyo