The Snow

[GB1]

I like these shots, but don't know if their simplicity makes them good, or just not good enough. Comments?

G

[n8]

The first one looks like it was run through a filter to eliminate it's edges. I'd say the next 3 are the strongest, with 1 and 3 being my favorites as 1 is a pretty unique shot, and the 3rd just works. The last two seem a bit flat.

[NKP68]

4 and 6 are my favorite images. Have you tried B&W rendering? Great textures and I think B&W would really bring out the contrasts.
Very nice.
Ed

[SHbaker11]

The first photo seems like a comic effect. The rest was great all images really stand out especially the last image. well done!

[ScapeGrace]

#4 is my def fave. Imo #6 would have fared better if you'd focused more on just the tree. I'm sure it's hard to find interesting and dramatic things to photograph when snow and open landscape can be so dull and well...undramatic. You did well though, I always liked lone tree shots, gives you that feeling of isolation. Nice GB!

[jetrim]

First and forth are my favorites out of this set.

[emiles]

I particularly like the last one.

[Anbesol]

First and forth are my favorites out of this set.

Agreed, spot on.

I think the first is the most interesting and stands out the most. But the fourth has a sort of winter-time serenity to it, with a nicely balanced composition. Very good.

To make the first even more abstract, you could crop in beyond the branches. I'd like that first one for a desktop wallpaper.

Some of these I think are hurt by the lower shooting angle. Looking up a mountain for shots does not, imo, produce a pleasant landscape. The white bottom right corner in the last one sort of takes away from the otherwise natural feel of the image.

Is this in Utah again?

[ksbryan0]

#1 is very dramatic - but would prefer a most contrasting sky. #4 & 6 I find most interesting and they really make me look throughout the images. The others are nice, but don't do anything to capture my attention. Overall a very nice series.

[LeeIs]

The 4th one is the winner in these for me. love the strong brown bark, it adds a nice accent. lovely shades all around.

[Photo-John]

For me, none of these really make the cut. Not that you shouldn't have taken them. You were there and it had to be done. I would have taken them, too. However, they all seem to me to be missing the critical third element that would make them dynamic enough to hold my attention. NKP68's suggestion is a good one, though. Numbers four and six look like they might have some potential as B&W images where they're more about texture.

[Photo-John]

First and forth are my favorites out of this set.

Why? Remember, this is the Photo Critique forum, not the "I like" forum

[Photo-John]

I particularly like the last one.

Why? What about it makes it work for you? Is there anything GB1 could have done to make it better?

[GB1]

Thanks everyone - great feedback!

N8, hmm.. I don't remember running the first through a filter, though I do play around with Topaz and other filters quite often. The last two are flat - sooooooooooooooo overcast that day What can you do when you go to some exotic place, and the weather does its own thing? But I wanted snow and got it; it just didn't clear up in time.

Ed - here's 4 in B&W (number 1 is essentially already B&W). I think 4 looks better w/o color... really forces the eyes to the geometry and contrast.

Hey SH, why is it comical?

Grace, I think it and number 1 are the strongest ones. I see 4 as good but I wish I could isolate that tree even more. I know I could crop, but I want the wide pano look at the same time .. ahh. Seems like so much of photography is trying to isolate the subject.

Anbesol, I agree that some could almost be desktop wallpapers. I also feel that the angle isn't ideal. I actually shot these from my car window, which was actually a great way to shoot, excellent stability when you lay the lens on the window frame. But the angles were just so low. I will take a look at my images and see if I have others that have a more aesthetic vantage point. And yep, it's Utah on the edge of Canyonlands NP, north side.

Ken, I wish # 1 had a BLUE sky ... that would be great. I see you like the isolated tree ones.

PJ, thanks, but what is a critical third element? I'm guessing that the snow and tree are the first and second, but please educate me on this. I agree btw ... none are portfolio-level work, just really nice snap shots. I have others I need to dig through. Don't worry, I'll find a great shot of your state (!)

Thanks also, Jet and Liban.

[emiles]

Why? What about it makes it work for you? Is there anything GB1 could have done to make it better?

Thanks for bringing that to my attention John. And sorry GB for not posting something more helpful.

I like the last one because of the simplicity of it. The tree stands out against the negative space around it. However, after sitting and looking at it, the bushes that go into the branches of the tree really kind of take away from the shot.

[Photo-John]

Excellent! Thanks for being a good sport, Eric. I'm always afraid I'm going to offend someone when I make my little critique police posts

[Photo-John]

PJ, thanks, but what is a critical third element? I'm guessing that the snow and tree are the first and second, but please educate me on this.

You got it, Greg. The third element could be anything. It's just one of those things I've noticed when I think one of my photos falls short. Sometimes it's a missing third element. With just two elements a photo ends up feeling flat, shallow, not dynamic. The third element is the one that brings your photo to life. In this case, you've got all that snow and texture but nothing to bring the mind to attention. I'd like to see a rider on a horse, a person looking cold, a bit of fencing, an old ruined shack - something to bring some order to the orderless environment.

For what it's worth, I've taken plenty of pictures just like these. The desert is tough - especially when it's snowy. Without mountains in the background or something strong in thr foreground, you've just got a jumble of sage and pinions. But you have to take the pictures. It has to be done. You're there and you're a photographer. You did the right things. The challenge now is to sort these out so that next time the opportunity presents itself, you'll have a better plan of attack

[Anbesol]

I agree with PJ on the 3rd element, well put. Except on the old wooden shack - that could only hurt a photo.

[GB1]

Thanks for the additional info fellows.

John, a design motto is to work with odd numbers of objects: 1, 3, 5, 7,... Sometimes one is too sparse though, and five too many, which leaves us at three. You are right about 'taking the photo' - even if you can't get the ideal shot, take what is in front of you in the worse case, and perhaps you can use the shots for source material or something later.

I find these OK and I do like their simplicity, but the problem I see is, they're neither simple enough (too much clutter), and going the other way, nothing really jumps out to the viewer. I've also come to conclude (and argue with me here if you will) that luck has at least a little something to do with it. You can't control the weather for example. Here though, the weather did cooperate, but I simply don't know the place all that well to find interesting objects on a schedule. Maybe I didn't do my homework well enough. Btw I did see a lot of small towns on the way south from Bryce - still digging through those and will post later.

Thanks too, Eric and Anbesol.

G