Whirly Thing Ride

[Radtech1]

We just got back from the three weeks in Stuttgart (and the surrounding areas-as far away as Salzburg) and I ended up with about a half-dozen shots that I think are keepers. As is the case with most things, this just came up. We went to my finace's home town of Ladenberg and the next town over was having a fair. We were tired but, what the hey. This was the first time that I had had a chance to really try and pan.

Hand held, 1/20 sec, f4.5, 400asa



http://home.ripway.com/2004-2/78486/Stuttgart/ride1-4.jpg

Comments? Anything to do now?

Rad

[Radtech1]

Link Fixed-
Should come through now

[KO_300D]

Even though this was obviously quite a dark location the lights and colours have come out really well.
The lights also seem to 'frame' the people in the cart slightly - they draw your eyes in to where the people are. For a fairground ride shot like this I think panning is better than a fast-shutter-speed-still-image type shot because it captures the atmoshphere of the setting really well.

I'd consider cropping the left a little - just up to the start of the green light, and also the bottom just up to the shadow, but then the image is also great as it is.

:D

[KO_300D]

actually, looking at it again I'd say definitely crop the left side a bit. There's shadow to the left side and to the right, and the silhouettes of the people in the centre, but there is more shadow to the left which unbalances the picture slightly. Cropping up to the green light will remove some of the left side darkness and balance the image out

[Radtech1]

Truth be told, it is a little bit of a composite picture. The area on the left that you are talking about I actually PUT IN there from a differnt shot. I felt that with out that, the couple on the ride were moving *out* of the frame. Theoreticaly, a no-no in action shots. (Remember the motorcyce shot posted earlier - the motorcycle was pointed so that is was moving *into* the frame. Imagine what it would have looked like if it was facing the other way, but still in the upper right corner.) That is what I was trying to fix here.

Below is the original and the source for the patched area


Do you thing either one of these is better?

Rad

PS, did you see the bagpiper with a mowhawk? Any thought. People are hard for me and I think that that one turned out pretty good.

Orig
http://home.ripway.com/2004-2/78486/Stuttgart/Ride2.jpg

----

Source
http://home.ripway.com/2004-2/78486/Stuttgart/Ride3.jpg

[KO_300D]

actually yes, I see precisely what you mean now...

with the original where there are two sets of people, the people to the right do seem to 'push' the people to the left out of the frame a bit. I like the second one better but now I see what you mean about them being in a central position but facing to the left.

Quite a difficult set to comment really...

In future shots, I'd suggest shooting from a little farther to the left so that the people are automatically captured towards the right side of the frame.

For the first image posted I think it's still a winner as it's got a lot going for it, and I can see what you were doing by adding a little to the left side. I'd suggest possibly stretching the lights a little farther into the added section to level it out.
What do you think?


{Hell, I hope some of that made sense!}