Harvest Time - Critique Please!

[nitsch]

I drive past this field every day on the way to work and it always catches my eye, so I just had to stop and take some photos.

Taken with the 17-85 @ 30mm, f13, 1/25, ISO100 plus circular polariser. Cropped and adjusted levels/saturation in Photoshop.

Please critique as it's my first attempt at this kind of shot. :D

http://www.nitsch.co.uk/scrapbook/harvest.jpg

[Scottes]

It's very good, but the front roll is a bit too large in my opinion. Rather than catching the eye it *dominates* the picture.

There's one roll cut in half by the front roll. The horizon is tilted. The front roll needs a little more room on the left, and possibly some more on the right to balance once that's done.

Exposure is excellent, I appreciate the light/dark on the front roll - that came out very well. I like the way the front roll splits the horizon but wonder if it could go a little more above the horizon. This also matches the far rolls on the horizon. Nice color, great contrast in the sky.

All in all quite good since my comments are all rather nitpicky. (But I'm sensitive to tilted horizons.)

[nitsch]

Thanks for taking the time to give so much detail Scottes, it's very much appreciated.

I too hate tilted horizons however the field was on a slope so this is "as it was". Do you think I should level it off anyway?

Good point about the roll cut in half, I hadn't really noticed before but now you've pointed it out it does look wrong.

I took about 10 or so shots similar to this but not identical so I'll see if I've got any which have a bit more space around the main roll. I also agree with your point about it being a bit too dominating.

If all else fails I can return to the same spot tomorrow night and have another go.

[jabtas]

Great minds think alike

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=87653

Mine from a few weeks ago.

BTW nice pic

[Scottes]

I too hate tilted horizons however the field was on a slope so this is "as it was". Do you think I should level it off anyway?
Yes. You know that it's "as is" but to viewers the horizon is tilted.


I was just going through this with a picture from this weekend. A multi-row pano, which kinda requires good levelness for alignment. And I'm anal about level, so my camera was well within 1/4-degree of being level.

But the old house I was shooting was not (and/or my perspective was odd), and the prominent side of the building was tilted like crazy. I had to rotate the pic 1.6 degrees before it looked right.

And now it's definitely not level, there's no doubt that the building is tilted when you measure it, but it *looks* correct.

Go figure.

[Scottes]

Hmm, I just realized that the front roll is also tilted, but much less obvious because it's round. Just be careful of that too, if possible. (The horizon is much more important I think.)

[nitsch]

Thanks Jabtas - Nice shot you've got there too! :)

Cheers Scottes, I've done a bit of levelling and straightening in PS and removed the half bale, I think this works better now. Thanks for your advice. What do you think?

http://www.nitsch.co.uk/photos/harvest2.jpg

[Becca]

I like it very much, but I liked the first one too! Good job!

[Scottes]

That's freaking perfect. Nice job!

It's amazing how the little thing can make such a difference. I learn that almost every time I look at the pictures I took that day. Sometimes though, I'm too excited over the picture to realize them, but then I look back a few days/weeks/months later, and my chin falls.

Luckily I take so many pics that I get a few right every year. :-)

[kenyc]

I like 'em both. The horizon is a bit bothersome in the first one you get past the beautiful shot!

KAC

[nitsch]

Thanks everyone and thanks once again for your help and advice Scottes.

I'm going to return to the same spot tonight to see if I can get the perfect shot without resorting to Photoshop! :D

[Mannytkd]

Good pic, but you can make it even give it a bit more punch, if you carefully lasoo the sky and go to selective colour and in the drop down choose neutral and i would give between +3-5 and you will instantly see the sky with a bit more saturation, you could also use the white option too to slightly lighten them too against the darker blue? If you do set the feather for the lasoo tool to 15 in the feather option and don't go too close the horizon....you can try it for nothing??

Good luck.
Thanks everyone and thanks once again for your help and advice Scottes.

I'm going to return to the same spot tonight to see if I can get the perfect shot without resorting to Photoshop! :D

[EOSAddict]

Nitsch,

Like both versions (prefer the second). Really niggly point, but the green twine on the RHS of the front bale keeps drawing my eye.... :( (guess you can't get rid of that without PS!)

Have you thought abut how it would look in B&W?

I must admit I admire your determination to get the right pic out of the camera - happy shooting!

[kenyc]

Thanks everyone and thanks once again for your help and advice Scottes.

I'm going to return to the same spot tonight to see if I can get the perfect shot without resorting to Photoshop! :D

Hey there's not a thing wrong with what you did Photoshop-wise. You didn't substantially alter the content of the picture.

KAC

[nitsch]

Thanks for the photoshop tip Mannytkd it works well.

Al, yep I'll PS that green twine out of the final image. It does spoil the "natural" feel I think. I tried in B&W but still preferred the colour version, but perhaps I'll try a sepia or duo tone version as well to see how they look.

Cheers Kenny, that's a good thing because I returned to the same spot tonight and the farmer has already started to take the bales out of the field so the opportunity to reshoot (in this field anyway) is gone until next year. Still I'm happy with the shot I got. I'm just going to do some final tweaking and then I might get a print done.

[chrisvw]

What a lovely photo! If I was you I would have that photo printed out and framed.

[dab1968]

I think it looks good as is. I used to drive by a similar looking scene about 15 years ago. One day I just had to stop as well. Unfortunately that was long before the Digital SLR. I like the way you show the contrast between the rolls in the background (what we see when we speed by) and the roll in the foreground (what we see when we take the time to stop, get out and really look). This is one of those "stop and smell the roses" pictures. Good Job.

[Smooth1]

I can look at it over and over again, yet it's so simple. Very good.

[EOSAddict]

Well let us see the finished result !! ;)