My first Critique photo

[Canuck935]

This was for a class assignment. We had to shoot in color and convert it to B&W in photoshop using various methods. This is a very rusted out truck on the side of the old Banner road near Julian, CA.

[Frog]

Why are old dilapidated vehicles and buildings more photogenic than new ones?

This is pretty good but I would change the angle to show more of the grill and get rid of the mirror frame whose lines leads one's eyes off frame.

[MB1]

I'd get closer and the focus looks a little off to me.

As Frog noted the mirror supports draw the eye away and the weeds bother me.

Just the front quarter panel and busted headlight would be enough for me.

Since that car clearly isn't going anywhere you have a great chance to get back there and try lots of angles and lines. Go for it!

[molaselake]

This seems halfway between a close-up shot and a regular shot. In order to be successful, I think you need to choose which one you want it to be and go from there. There are no patterns or many variations in size detail with what you have right now and these are important factors in creating an interesting image. With an older car that's been left abandoned, I think taking in more of its surroundings would be a better bet than getting closer. It's old and doesn't have shiny paint to give good reflections or highlights, so you'd just be left with a flat surface if you tried to do a close-up shot. I think this subject has a lot of potential and I agree that you should (if you're interested) get back out there and take different shots of it at different angles and at perhaps a different time of day.

[Canuck935]

Why are old dilapidated vehicles and buildings more photogenic than new ones?

This is pretty good but I would change the angle to show more of the grill and get rid of the mirror frame whose lines leads one's eyes off frame.

Unfortunately the grill area was blocked by some plants which you can see on the left side of my critique photo. I'm not one to do any "landscaping" to cater to my photographic needs. The mirror I intentionally included when I shot it but I see how it can be a distraction now. Thanks for the feedback.

I'd get closer and the focus looks a little off to me.

As Frog noted the mirror supports draw the eye away and the weeds bother me.

Just the front quarter panel and busted headlight would be enough for me.

Since that car clearly isn't going anywhere you have a great chance to get back there and try lots of angles and lines. Go for it!

It wasn't the focus, it was me. It was handheld in relatively low light. Again, I agree the bush is a problem but I'm not going to remove it. I may go back this weekend and if I do I'll get a shot of just the headlight and quarter panel just for you. Thanks!

This seems halfway between a close-up shot and a regular shot. In order to be successful, I think you need to choose which one you want it to be and go from there. There are no patterns or many variations in size detail with what you have right now and these are important factors in creating an interesting image. With an older car that's been left abandoned, I think taking in more of its surroundings would be a better bet than getting closer. It's old and doesn't have shiny paint to give good reflections or highlights, so you'd just be left with a flat surface if you tried to do a close-up shot. I think this subject has a lot of potential and I agree that you should (if you're interested) get back out there and take different shots of it at different angles and at perhaps a different time of day.

I actually did take a shot that included its surroundings like you mentioned. Unfortunately the vehicle was in pretty dark shade and the bg was very bright. I will have to play with it. Again, if I do go back I'll go at a different time so there's more light on it. Thanks.

[Frog]

I actually don't think the weeds are a problem. They only add to the feeling of abandonment.

[GB1]

Hmmm. It seems to have potential, but falls a little short. I agree w/ Liz that it seems to be caught between two worlds. I find myself trying to find the center of interest and am drawn to the tire, but alas, it is cut off . The softness is a flaw - gotta bring out that tripod, even if it's a pain in the ***. What bugs me most about this photo though is that it could have had some interesting geometry if you had taken a sharper angle, that would have extended the vanishing pt out farther to the right. As is, it doesnt do that very much, so you're forced to focus more on the fender et al. But that's soft and clipped off, and also somewhat washed out (on this monitor).

Sorry to be so negative. But I did write a lot, so I guess that's a sign that something interesting was happening in the photo.

GB

[Canuck935]

Hmmm. It seems to have potential, but falls a little short. I agree w/ Liz that it seems to be caught between two worlds. I find myself trying to find the center of interest and am drawn to the tire, but alas, it is cut off . The softness is a flaw - gotta bring out that tripod, even if it's a pain in the ***. What bugs me most about this photo though is that it could have had some interesting geometry if you had taken a sharper angle, that would have extended the vanishing pt out farther to the right. As is, it doesnt do that very much, so you're forced to focus more on the fender et al. But that's soft and clipped off, and also somewhat washed out (on this monitor).

Sorry to be so negative. But I did write a lot, so I guess that's a sign that something interesting was happening in the photo.

GB

Thanks.

Hopefully my prof. won't kill me for it since it is supposedly and 'introductory' class. I should find out on Monday. Yeah I had thought about the tripod but it was sunny where the hike started so I left it behind. I did not realize that it ended up going down into a valley behind some hills/mountains :mad2:. Oh well.. win some, lose some, life goes on...

[photo101]

You could revisit the subject and take some more for the photo project of the month "old".