Tree Service

I had a sick tree taken down from my property and used the efforts of the tree service guys as a photo op. Now, I'm always the guy telling people to get in close on the subject. Perhaps this is an example of knowing the rules so that you know when to break them. I wanted to give a sense of the context. What do you think?

sorry, not working for me. just looks like a snapshot of a guy doing some tree service. The healthy tree on the left might've been better for your context if there was more of it in the frame. As is, it just looks like something that needs to get cropped out. Way too much negative space on both sides of a tiny subject in the smack dab middle of the frame. Also, doesn't seem exposed particularly well and is out of focus.

Sorry if that was way harsh, just saying what comes to mind for a critique here. As a suggestion, I would've got right up under him and shot upwards. Whats the worst that could happen? He might think you're strange, but you would've had a better perspective

hiketheplanet wrote in post #16771455
Sorry if that was way harsh, just saying what comes to mind for a critique here. As a suggestion, I would've got right up under him and shot upwards. Whats the worst that could happen? He might think you're strange, but you would've had a better perspective

I don't think you`'ve any need to apologise, as I agree with the points you've made.

To me, it looks like a not particularly good snapshot.

Maybe if the tree on the left was gone......making it a more solitary shot?

I feel like this would be a hard area to get a good shot. You almost would have to know what shot you wanted and produce that with a model on your own time. In my experience, anyone at their job (apart from models of course) is not going to help you get the shot they want, because time is money. I agree with the post above. This simply looks like snapshot that could've been achieved on a phone or other simple P&S. Also, were you shooting at a low shutter speed? The worker doesn't appear particularly sharp. IMO, you should've zoomed in close on the worker and shot at a high shutter speed to freeze the woodchips from the chainsaw as he cut. But thats simply my opinion.

joedlh wrote in post #16774784
Not slow shutter speed. It no doubt looks like a phone photo because I had to increase the compression to get the shot below 150k. The shot's not on the net anywhere. So I couldn't link to it.

The shot was one of a set of 10, documenting the felling of a tree. It was a doc shot, not meant to be fine art. I thought about cropping out the tree on the left, but it was 50/50 in my view, for a doc shot. Regarding zooming in and getting the chips, do you mean like this? The problem with chips is that it's a challenge not to have them obscure the face at this angle. Sorry, didn't have a helicopter handy.

I suspect, although you have not said so, that the worker(s) asked you to stay clear of his/their workspace too as it is quite dangerous. The first shot for instance - you would not find me any closer than you were due to the danger of falling debris, least of which might be the tree top or a piece of it snapping and falling on you. Of course there's a lot of other things that might also fall, like a snapped off tooth from the chain saw - sharp and possibly very harmful to both you and your equipment. For this reason alone I think the shot is very good, especially as a beginning to a short series depicting the felling of the tree.

I would like to see the entire set of photos. Do you have a link for them? I also understand the limitations of this website - 1024 and 150k are MOST times very difficult to achieve without some serious software - simple for those that have it and a lot more difficult for those that don't.

Just looking at the shots from an impromptu opportunity, I think they are great! I would guess that none of your shots were pre posed for getting the shots framed, lighting set and focused correctly - and of course - they are ONE OFF, meaning once the top of the tree was cut and fell away, THAT shot could not be re-done and the same applied for all the others as well.

As I said I think they are fine and I would like to see the complete series.

Hillbille

If "documentary" is what you're going for, then sure, they're fine pics I suppose. But as photographs with any artistic merit, they simply don't have any. "Guy felling tree" is just not very interesting, and from a composition and technical aspect there isn't much to go on here. Photography is something different than snapshots, and to post what amounts to snapshots of your run of the mill tree trimming job and post them on a photography site and critique board isn't going to elicit high praises from anyone. I could take several documentary shots of my small electronics for insurance purposes, but I very highly doubt anyone here would find them terribly interesting, to the same degree that I wouldn't consider them to have any photographic merit to begin with.

I would love to see a good shot from up above the guy cutting the tree looing down. That would give context and something interesting to look at.

JasonMK wrote in post #16776934
I would love to see a good shot from up above the guy cutting the tree looing down. That would give context and something interesting to look at.

Haha! Maybe the OP should acquire a helicopter

I would have extended the 'context' of the first shot to the ground level showing the whole tree, how high he really is. But as documentary shots they work.

I do like the second better from a photography point.

Titus213 wrote in post #16778105
I would have extended the 'context' of the first shot to the ground level showing the whole tree, how high he really is.

There was too much clutter near the ground. I composed it with another house and a fence just below the edge. This way, it lets the user's imagination interpret how high he is.

joedlh wrote in post #16780166
There was too much clutter near the ground. I composed it with another house and a fence just below the edge. This way, it lets the user's imagination interpret how high he is.

You said, it's for documentary and you let the "user"'s imagination ... non sens for me !
As documentary pictures you should show all the dab thing, and not compose to let the user interpret on his own way !

Lol, he calls that a tree?

Funny. I have some shots just like that.