a look into the past

[srobb]

Well, as a newbie, figured I would go ahead and throw myself to the wolves so to speak. This is a shot I took earlier in the year at the Red River Gorge Area located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. This cabin is the only existing original structure of the area now. It was restored several years ago. I decided to go with a sepia tone for this shot.

[Chunk]

Well done. The contrasty image and tone give a real old timey feel. I like the placement of the wagon and cabin in the shot.

I rode through that area on the way back from visiting with Oldtimer last month. What beautiful surroundings and great crooked roads.

[mjs1973]

Very nice!! I love the comp. and the color treatment! The image looks like it could be an illustration from and old western novel.

Well done!

[srobb]

Well done. The contrasty image and tone give a real old timey feel. I like the placement of the wagon and cabin in the shot.

I rode through that area on the way back from visiting with Oldtimer last month. What beautiful surroundings and great crooked roads.

Thanks for the compliments. I think I took like a whole roll of B&W of the cabin inside and out while I was there. It is a very beautiful area to go through. I still want to go back some more to go over more of the trails there.

[srobb]

Very nice!! I love the comp. and the color treatment! The image looks like it could be an illustration from and old western novel.

Well done!

Awwwww shucks. Thanks so much. I think that is one of most favorite shots for myself and others that have seen it. I have sold a few copies to family and friends even. Guess I am doing something right since this is the reaction I want form people when they see my pics. I'll have to see what else I can find to post here.

[Old Timer]

Very nice image. The sepia tone gives it even a more old time feel. I like the elements of the composition very much. Since this is critque, a couple of things that I would suggest that may have enhance the image IMHO are, an angle a little more to the left to give a bit more horizonal seperation between the wagon and the cabin, a slightly wider angle to include the tops of the hills behind and to include the rest of the wagon tongue. (This is a horizonal composition in which the primary element are vertical.) These are just a couple of observations and in no way suggest that your image does not work as is. Good to have you aboard and posting on the boards. If your first couple of photos are any indication, it would appear you have a lot to contribute here at PR.

Red River Gorge is one of my favorite places by the way. I use to take the family camping there a couple of times a year back when the kids where still little and liked to to that sort of thing.

[srobb]

Thanks much, Larry. This is critique and that is what I want. It helps since sometimes I am not sure about my talent level being that high. I will keep the different composition in mind for whenever I get back down there again. I have another shot of the same cabin with another old piece of equipment in front of it. I will have to try and dig that one out. I sure fell in love with the area when I went there earlier this year.

[dbutler]

I'd like to see the tops of the hills as well, but absolutely love the composition and the color. Really nicely done!

[bubblesxx19]

WOW! That's amazing.
I love everything about this picture, especially the sepia tone which gives it the added age.

[srobb]

Thanks to all of you. There are times that I am a little hard on myself as far as believing in myself and my talent. It feels really good to have all of these wonderful compliments. I do have some shots with the cabin and the hills behind it, but did not include the wagon in there. That may be something I try to do next time I get up there.

[srobb]

Really did not see the sense in starting a whole new thread so here is another shot of the cabin from a different angle with what I think is part of an old hay mowing machine in front of it. This one I did not sepia on this version.

[F-15_Flyer]

Wow srob, these are very nice photographs both of them, i like the first better. its composition and tone is perfect. The second photo is pretty good as well, but i think if the seat was in the space around the cabin instead of right on it it would be better compositionally.

very nice job though, when i first opened the post i thought that photo must have been at least 50 years old.

edit: had 5 years. meant 50..doh

[Kam]

very nice pics, both of them. as everyone has said, the sepia really looks good on the first one. now just some random thoughts from the peanut gallery in my head, barely worth the 2cents. i think i like the first one better because it has more of a definite composition. the second one everything kind of is lost together. that's one of the biggest problems i've had with b/w in composing a shot, which a director friend of mine suggested as a help, is a contrast viewing glass. it lets you see what blends in with what. in the case of the second picture, everything kind of blends in together because there is a lot of similar grey scales going on. in the second one, the cabin kind of dissapears in to the trees and the one thing that stands out, is the seat pole as the darkest thing, it brings it all in to there. maybe if you went further back and zoomed in to get an extremely shallow dof, that would separate the hay mowing thingy from the cabin. or maybe even the reverse, if you set up super close to the wheel of the haymower, and looked through the spokes at the cabin so it'd be out of focus in the foreground and use the haymower to frame the cabin, that could be another idea.

hope it help! i know staring at my own photos it all turns into white noise and i lose all perspective of what i coulda/shoula done.

[srobb]

Thanks for the comments Flyer. Yeah I am thinking I need to schedule another trip down there to try and get more pics with from a different viewpoint. Right now, it's a little on the chilly side around here.