Out of the Box Round III

Same process different subject.

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I like this second version a bit more than the power pole one. The subject obviously is more apparent, but more importantly to me....this image seems to tell a story. The lines in the overlay remind me of the grooves on a vinyl record. That in turn leads me to think of this as a color recording of her day. First thought that popped in my head would this would be great titled "A Day in the Life".

I really like this latest post. The warm/cold halves of the photo and the subjects expression seem to tell me the subject is torn between to outcomes to a major life decision. Nice work.

Second is good, first one just seemed like something I'd see in a nightmare.

I think the second one would be better without the two distracting circular bright spots lower left & right. And yes, it's better than #1 by far.

Why is #2 better than #1?

#2 is an improvement over #1 due to being less busy and having a prominent subject; however it still has that thrown-together feel to me. I wouldn't print it big and take it to a gallery.

Qbx wrote in post #13648975
#2 is an improvement over #1 due to being less busy and having a prominent subject; however it still has that thrown-together feel to me. I wouldn't print it big and take it to a gallery.

I may be brazen, I may be lost, I may be full of dung, but I'm not crazy. I have done 4 of these and they are experiments. I am not even sure I like this process. But you don't know until you take the plunge.

I like them both. For the first one, if nothing else, the creativity factor. I do like the photo overall and to me it seems like something you would see in the credits of a Rodriguez film. The second one does tell a bit more if a story. Everything in life has two sides and to me it almost seems as if she's between the light and dark paths. I would love to tell you how I think you could improve and I do see a little room for improvement but I don't know exactly how you could. I know that sounds silly but I'm really new to photography. Maybe make the colors a bit more drastic and up the contrast slightly for a touch more drama?

Qbx wrote in post #13632815
As a thoughtful composition I don't think it works. It's too busy and with too many competing elements. You've got poles, wires, transformers, mixed with different textures - mottled, striated, overlays; verticals, horizontals & diagonals. And then you added two color overlays. It's like you just threw in a bunch of stuff to see what happens. Seeing the overlaid images on the black pole and cross members also takes away from the effect.
As an experiment I'm sure you had fun doing it; but I don't think is makes a compelling artsy image.

...and then the regional electrical utility district calls and wants to put it on the cover of their next monthly magazine...

jet, I think these are perhaps your best "out of the box" creations yet. Being creative and resourceful - and being able to put together a number of related elements in an interesting way is a good recipe for on-demand contract work.

I definitely want to encourage you to continue working "out of the box" to fine-tune your skills. There is a market for this type of work and few who can do it well.

Regards,
Mark

PS: I mean no disrespect toward Qbx's take on the image and do not intend to discount it. I merely felt it was a good lead-in to the comments I wanted to make.

Thanks for the kind words folks.

I am getting that a "story" for many requires a tangible subject such as another human being. We are not power poles yet power poles tell a story as well. In this case the top image could show the burden of air conditioning (green color) on power utilities (complex, busy, taxed) on hot days (red color).

For the young model she was one of the best models I ever worked with. My only wish is that I could re-shoot pretty much everything today and have a real crew working the shoot.