Berry College Water Wheel

[Greg McCary]

This water wheel is suppose to be the largest in the world??? It is on the campus at Berry College where fellow PR member RZfraser graduates this spring. I have been back to this wheel a couple of times and this seems to be the only angle that I can make work. Any further to the right I lose the wheel and any further left brings the large pines more into the shot and also creates a perspective lean on the wheel. How distracting do you feel the pines are? I cloned the trees out at one point but the more I look at it the more I feel they should stay.
Greg

[trog100]

u could hide the lean by going for a landscape type image.. the problem is in your framing or cropping whichever is apt..

trog

[ravenmore]

This water wheel is suppose to be the largest in the world??? It is on the campus at Berry College where fellow PR member RZfraser graduates this spring. I have been back to this wheel a couple of times and this seems to be the only angle that I can make work. Any further to the right I lose the wheel and any further left brings the large pines more into the shot and also creates a perspective lean on the wheel. How distracting do you feel the pines are? I cloned the trees out at one point but the more I look at it the more I feel they should stay.
Greg

Hey Greg - your's is the first image by another member that I've edited. Hope its ok. If not let me know and I'll remove it right away. I really like the potential of this subject. My thoughts were that the photo is obviously about the water wheel, so I tried to eliminate as many of the other elements of the photo to focus attention on the wheel. Basically I converted it to b&w (after applying a red filter). My personal approach is that if color isn't part of the composition its a distracting element. I then cropped tighter and tried to put the wheel in the upper right third of the photo. It also got rid of the edge of the pond that was in the foreground at the bottom left that was a little distracting for me.

Anyway, this is a rough idea of how I'd approach it. I didn't play with it too long so the contrast might be a bit off or it might be a tad dark but its in the ball park.

[ravenmore]

hmmm - wheels definitely dark in mine. Might do that but then go over it with the dodge tool to lighten it a bit. Oh and this looks like a perfect subject to experiment with hdr on - lots of potential here I think!

[Greg McCary]

You are fine editing my pictures by the way. It does seem dark but I like the crop. I have one similar. I left the one I posted uncropped for critique purposes. It seems now the the distracting trees give it a little depth. Thanks for your input. I have also tried this is b&w....
Greg

[trog100]

not really but a blend of "leans"..



trog

[gahspidy]

Greg, I think your framing and comp is very well. I like the pines , especially the ones up front. The lighting looks good, but I think a different lighting from another time of day might help to bring out the wheel a little stronger. I worked on the image and came up with something I thought was an improvement. Basically, I increased contrast and selectively deepend the saturation of some of the colors that are there. I darkened the background and sky area while further enhancing the lighting on the elements up front.

ravenmore stated " My personal approach is that if color isn't part of the composition its a distracting element". I agree with that, but I do feel the color in this image works towards strengthening the overall composition. I would enhance it rather than remove it.
Also, a crop from the bottom (slightly) and a little from the left, enough to remove the rock in the fg worked well. You could also just remove the rock by cloning it away. I like the tree up front leaning and would not try to straighten it.

[mjs1973]

I think Gary summed up my thoughts better than I could have myself.

I think this makes a great subject, and one I would keep going back to to reshoot. One thing that hasn't been brought up yet, and may not even be possible, but have you thought about getting closer? I mean by getting into the water. If it's not too deep, I would consider waiding into the water, or putting in a canoe or small row boat, to get a different perspective. Of course, that is assuming that that sort of thing is allowed at this location.

[trog100]

this thread kinda reminds me of a certain leaning chimney no one commented on untill i straightened it.. he he he

that was one of yours wasnt it greg..

trog

[ravenmore]

hehe - wonder what it would look like sepia toned. (I tone things waaay to often I think but I love the look for some reason...)

This subject really has a lot of potential. I only wish I lived near it so I could photograph it as well. Does sunset light fall on it? If so catching it at the last bit of day could be awesome.

[Greg McCary]

Gary, mjs1973, Thanks for all of the ideas. I think the lighting on this would work better late in the evening or even a cloudy day. If the trees are not a distraction I will try this same angle, but getting in the water will have to wait until summer. I am not that adventureous, LOL
Trog, Yes I remember the stack. You tought me a valueble lesson on perspective, Thank you much. I was think of the stacks when I was taking the picture so you thought me something.
Greg