View from Observation Deck . . . .

[gahspidy]

Here is a view from the deck behind the Park house at the Nature Preserve Salt Marsh that I have been doing a series of work on since the year.Shot with Fuji superia 200, 28 mm, I think about f16 and a polarizer. Comments appreciated . . . .

[natatbeach]

is the only distracting feature for me...the colors of th etrees and the clouds is very striking I'm wondering if maybe you could shoot it from atop the wall or in a way (maybe a different lens) that would keep the wall out but still capture how vast and beautiful this scene is?

Sorry I've been missing posts...glad I caught this one...

[Young Shooter]

the wall in this picture is distracting, try to convert it into b/w if u cant do it i will do it when i get home from school, but i like it, it seems to me there realy isnt a focal point in here

[Old Timer]

I totally diagree with the other assessments of your image. I like the wall and the angle. I love the way you have used the wide angle perspective in this photograph. The landscape behind, though very nice with rich colors and detail, is just window dressing for you image of the wall. The only nit I have is the shadow that bisects the wall. Very well done.

[Lava Lamp]

Here is a view from the deck behind the Park house at the Nature Preserve Salt Marsh that I have been doing a series of work on since the year.Shot with Fuji superia 200, 28 mm, I think about f16 and a polarizer. Comments appreciated . . . .

This photo is well done technically, but seems more like a background for something else than a photo that would stand on its own. I look at it and keep looking for a person or animal, but maybe that's just me, since that's mostly what I shoot.

[Sebastian]

I'm with LavaLamp on this one. Technically good, but lacks any sort of subject. The sky foreground and trees are all arranged as if they are a backdrop for something else, nothing is really presented to me to look at.

[another view]

I'm going with Lava Lamp on this too - add a person or a couple looking out into the preserve. Technical aspects are good and I like the composition. It just seems like it's waiting for a subject.

[gahspidy]

Thanks for the comments. The wall framed in there like tha was intentional. I do agree that perhaps a subject ( couple sitting on wall or huge bird flying through scene, etc. would have made it complete) youngshooter, thanks for your offer but i am capable of converting to b&w as I have done so often.
thanks for your thoughts . . .

[kamboura]

Gahspidy, this picture works for me very much (agree with oldtimer re the shadow though). The colours look amazing. It even looks like the clouds are lined up to lead your eyes to infinity.

Which forces me to ask a general question to everyone (for my own education more than anything). Must there always be a physical subject at the end of the scene? I know about the focal point etc... but.. really, if someone wants to protray space, and vastness, wouldn't this picture be just right?

[gahspidy]

Kamboura,
Glad you like it. It's also a nice feeling when another sees something the same way we see it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. . .

[Sebastian]

Which forces me to ask a general question to everyone (for my own education more than anything). Must there always be a physical subject at the end of the scene? I know about the focal point etc... but.. really, if someone wants to protray space, and vastness, wouldn't this picture be just right?

That's a REALLY good question!

No, there absolutely does not need to be a focal point, or a person, or anything like that. The reason I said that, and I think others as well, was because this shot does not portray the space and vastness you describe. The focal length choice compresses the layers of the landscape into a thin horizontal section. Any feeling of vastness is only generated by the falling away perspective of the sky. However, there is nto enough of it to balance against the strong grounding of the foreground element, which is the deck wall. And the deck wall, if anything, creates a sense of closed-in space, constraint. And the way all these elements are arranged would make a nice background, one that gives context but does not call attention to itself. That's why I said that some sort of person or foregorund element seems to be needed. It almost feels like a portrait setup without a head in it, you know what I'm saying? It's not that every image needs it, it's just that this particular shot seems to be perfectly set up for it.

Had the perspective focused more on the beautiful clouds and the way they lead you eye into the horizon, then it might have felt vast and open to me. If the foreground had some sort of pattern or foliage that led me towards the horizon I might have felt the same way. As it stands right now, none of the elements create any sort of such feeling for me. The clouds feel open and vast, but I really feel the wall takes away from that feeling and turns it into something else. Not somethign bad, just not something that feels open.

Take a look at thes two shots taken by a friend of mine. Do you see any sort of focal point? Any sort of physical subject? The images are about space, and the subject is...space. What makes theseimages feel open and free though, is the lack of a restraining element like the wall In Gary's shot. And ultimately I think it's that wall that makes it feel the way it does. What lies behind that wall? We don't know. It might be the element that just might make the whole scene feel "open and vast." It's just not the way the shot makes me and the others feel.

Aother shot that makes me think of open sapces is Old Timer's vineyard shot, the first one with the barn in it. I feel like I am in the scene, like I can just walk into it. That might be another one worth looking at to see what I mean.

[kamboura]

Seb... you are about 10 steps ahead of me. You humble me. Thank you for taking the time to write back the detailed answer, I appreciate it.