Robert the Bruce

I'd love some CC on this.

Honestly, I'm tearing my hair out over this image. I just can't get it right.

Boring picture of a statue. What are you expecting to "get right"? A perfectly exposed shot is still just a snapshot of a copy of someone else's art.

neacail wrote in post #16850816
I'd love some CC on this.

Honestly, I'm tearing my hair out over this image. I just can't get it right.

This statue stands in Calgary, AB, and it is a replica of the one at Bannockburn.

Is it possible to get a different viewpoint? Maybe where you are not looking up at the statue, but a higher vantage point that would allow a background that provides interest. Maybe a different time of day with dramatic light might help.

I am sure there must be some way to get the photo you want. Photographing any type of public art, be it statues, buildings, etc. can provide an interesting image. But it may take a few visits, several attempts. Please post what you come up with.

It looks OK to me, but I wonder if it might be more interesting in more dramatic light like near dawn or dusk.

@Numenorean: Harsh ! But describes fairly well my reaction to the shot as well.

Unless you're adding context somehow, creating some kind of juxtaposition or are creating the image in a way that introduces a new aesthetic, I'm afraid that the most you can really aspire to with a shot like this is a basic formal registration of that statue being a statue and your having been there.

But I think it's a decent image, for what it is.

Numenorean wrote in post #16850821
Boring picture of a statue. What are you expecting to "get right"? A perfectly exposed shot is still just a snapshot of a copy of someone else's art.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #16851844
It looks OK to me, but I wonder if it might be more interesting in more dramatic light like near dawn or dusk.

I think it would be much more interesting with some deep shadows.

Try pasting some blue sky in the background, keep the statue B&W, could be interesting.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #16851844
It looks OK to me, but I wonder if it might be more interesting in more dramatic light like near dawn or dusk.

IMO the light is too dramatic. Some of the black shadows look like bags under the honoree's (and the horse's) eyes. I'd like more-diffuse light, like near dawn or dusk. Then the statue might look more like what it's supposed to represent and less like metal.

Maybe PGuy and I mean different things by "dramatic."

OhLook wrote in post #16859513
Maybe PGuy and I mean different things by "dramatic."

Depending on the direction it faces, the light might be at a better angle + less contrasty.

Along with what's been said, that dark patch of sky upper right bothers me, and looks like a 'mistake' in my mind. I'm also not very fond of the crop (too tight or something).

PhotosGuy wrote in post #16859640
Depending on the direction it faces, the light might be at a better angle + less contrasty.

Less contrasty is exactly what I meant. The surfaces are harshly lit, and the large amount of bumpy texture (e.g., in the horse's covering) competes for attention with the shapes.

KirkS518 wrote in post #16859665
Along with what's been said, that dark patch of sky upper right bothers me, and looks like a 'mistake' in my mind. I'm also not very fond of the crop (too tight or something).

My thoughts were the same.

Thanks everyone! It has been an insane week, it is going to take a bit for me to read through and mull over all of the comments.

The statue is in a difficult location. It is on top of a hill, overlooking downtown Calgary. In addition to that, the statue is presently being restored, and construction debris and caution tape make things a bit challenging.

I've got a couple of (very) low quality samples on the computer I'm on right now that I can post to show some more of the area and another perspective. I have regular access to the statue, so I have plenty of opportunity to try different things.

I've got lots to play with from the back of the statue (where I'm standing to the north of the statue), which is at the top of the hill (it drops off sharply on the other side of the brick wall):

neacail wrote in post #16860154
I've got lots to play with from the back of the statue (where I'm standing to the north of the statue)

In that shot, the horse is grazing on the treetops. I would avoid this effect.

NCSA197 wrote in post #16851133
Is it possible to get a different viewpoint? Maybe where you are not looking up at the statue, but a higher vantage point that would allow a background that provides interest.

A background should not provide interest what a background needs to do is compliment the image.The background should not distract from the subject.