Watering Can

[Tuna]

An area I am somewhat unfamiliar with - still life. I saw an exhibit of photos by Kertesz a few months ago and was inspired by his work...as usual, all comments and critique greatly appreciated.

Leica IIIc, 50mm Elmar, HP5 B&W film.

Tuna

[curious and learning]

This is a really cool picture. The glare on the watering can is a little bright and distracting but overall I love the tone. Great pic!

[Mr Yuck]

Very nice. Good simplicity and contrast.

Looks like it should be a greeting card. (I dont know what kind...just what came to mind...)

[drg]

Personally I'd crop just below the the top board of the railing or adjust the contrast to lose the woodgrain. A silhouette effect might enhance this type of single object still life.

I like the out of doors quality of this and the subject of the shiny watering can. The out of focus leaves (dare I say bokeh) makes for a good background. Perhaps too much reflection?

[PlantedTao]

I really like the simplicity of this shot. The reflection is not too bright in my opinion...I'm pretty sure when this goes to print the tones will be great and help to balance out the rest of the photo.
I guess the other reason I love this is because it reminds me of my parent's house, back deck, in Fairfax...a great NoVa photo.

Cheers.

[gahspidy]

Tuna, as you may already know, I like your subject alot and is a great looking can This works very well in b& w and the reflection off the stainless steel looking can accents it's curves nicely. I am not crazy about the framing and comp in this image though. I feel it would work best with just the edge of the railing on which it sits and the rest of the negative space above the can. Also, the bg behind the back part of the can is a little bright and burning it darker would help the can stand out stronger from the bg. Nice shot, just some of my personal prefs for taste

[Chunk]

Very nice. I wish I could see it in print. I agree that drg's and Gary's suggested crop would strengthen it by removing the distracting vertical elements. Another possible crop would be square and keep the lower board of the top rail in the frame. I do like its texture and don't find it distracting as the vertical boards are.

[Overbeyond]

Hello Tuna
This excellent exposure looks so clean on my monitor and I like it for that. Perfectly photographed stainless steel and the sharpness is clinical. The grain and beauty of the wood matches the perfection of the steel.
A crop from the bottom maybe but ......
Tom

[Tuna]

Thanks for the comments and critique.

Yes, the dreaded cutting of the picture in half with, in this case, a horizontal line. I see that some of you noticed it and have mentioned cropping out the bottom. This was also a reaction I had when I first scanned the photo. However, I left the original in-camera crop that my instincts originally prefered. I think that the strong contrasts in the image are textural, tonal and linear. I like the vertical lines on the bottom contrasting with the curves at the top. I also like the mirroring of those lines in the reflection on the can. For me, the breaking of the rule keeps the image from being TOO minimalistic, bordering on boring (which some may already see it as in it's current crop). Anyway, that's just my preferrence and I do appreciate the simplicity of the square crop and those who prefer it - seen here for comparison.

Tuna

[Seb]

An area I am somewhat unfamiliar with - still life. I saw an exhibit of photos by Kertesz a few months ago and was inspired by his work...as usual, all comments and critique greatly appreciated.

Leica IIIc, 50mm Elmar, HP5 B&W film.

Tuna

Hello Tuna,

I really like this one. Your square crop looks excellent to me but I still enjoy the picture staight like you submited it at first. The exposure seems just right to me. Overall, I wouldn't change a thing. It could be different but it don't have to as I see it.

Seb

[gahspidy]

I'm really liking the square crop . . .

[villenadecorte]

Hey Tuna,
I think this is a really well balanced exposure. I like that the can's reflections are in step with the fence posts. Neat! However, I feel like the fence posts are distracting, and that the can is too high up in the composition. I would chop it just before the fence posts.
I think this is a very great shot of still life.
Oops- as i write this, i am seeing you've already done a square crop- awesome!
B.