Old Shed Under Tree

I'd appreciate some critique on this one guys (the whole process - composition through post). What would you have done - what would you do?

I like it -- I think that it tells a great story. Even though there is a lot of grass, brush, and trees that has the potential to clutter the image, I think that the main elements in the scene are strong enough to not be overwhelmed and everything seems to exist together well. The one area that I think could be improved is to not use global sharpening. I think that the buildings and abandoned vehicle would benefit the most from sharpening -- and you have applied what looks like the right amount. However, strong sharpening of the grass, trees, and brush tends to raise the overall "busy" factor. I think that I would tone down the sharpening in those areas.

Hi Mark. It's really very good, and the lighting and vividness of colour and tonal contrast in the grass and trees is superb. It's got a bit of that light-shining-through-greenery magic that's so hard to capture. My only nitpicks are that having the rear end of a ute like that inevitably draws the eye out of the picture, the sky behind looks blown and might have been usefully replaced with a light blue via a little PP trickery, and the tree trunk is a very strong element to put so centrally. I can't say without being there, but for those reasons I'd have hoped to find an even better angle walking around the scene. Cheers, Tony

To me I see two seperate photos here.the old rusty vehicle and the grasses.and then the sheds etc?

Thank you all for the helpful comments. Again, much appreciated.

bill boehme wrote in post #5406950
...The one area that I think could be improved is to not use global sharpening. I think that the buildings and abandoned vehicle would benefit the most from sharpening -- ...

A great observation. Got to be honest Bill, I'm a novice when it comes to PP. I just purchased Elements 6 today (not used on this image) and I didn't even know that you could sharpen selectively. That is a great tool I will learn to make good use of.

tonydee wrote in post #5407721
...My only nitpicks are that having the rear end of a ute like that inevitably draws the eye out of the picture, the sky behind looks blown and might have been usefully replaced with a light blue via a little PP trickery, and the tree trunk is a very strong element to put so centrally...

Can I selectively de-saturate the "ute" (actually a truck bed made into a trailer) & if so, would this help balance things more? To me it seems to distract because it is too saturated and vibrant vs. the more muted shed behind. PP trickery - yes, I must learn this new magic... I realize the rule of thirds was almost but not quite accomplished here. I was on my way home from a neighboring city and saw this little shed - I pulled into the lot, rolled down the window and shot several different orientations (I only had my P&S A540 at the time - the xti was at home). There were distracting elements to the left and right of the frame that I tried to frame out. I think I'll attempt a reshoot with DSLR and a wider lens (OK my only lens) which might let me get close enough to frame the "ute" out and see how that works. Thanks for the comments, tonydee.

Flo wrote in post #5407932
To me I see two seperate photos here.the old rusty vehicle and the grasses.and then the sheds etc?

I wish it were an old rusty vehicle instead of a trailer, Flo. That could make a neat shoot in the tall grass. I'm a "car guy" at heart. I'll see if I can revisit the site with new eyes soon - I was somewhat hurried on this trip and was lucky to have a camera of any sort in the car.

Thanks again all. Any further comments are welcomed.

Mark

What I like most about the shot is your excellent post processing. I think your saturation, lighting, and sharpening processes really made that image.

The only thing I would mention is the rear-end of the old truck. It’s too far into the foreground and too obvious to be an effective anchor to lead the eye to building. It is competing with the building for the center of attention. It would have also worked with each element being in it’s own photo by itself (one subject for one photo).

midnitejam wrote in post #5429476
...post processing...really made that image.

I did the best I could with what I had, and what I had wasn't much. Regardless, thank you for the kind words, midnite.

midnitejam wrote in post #5429476
... rear-end of the old truck .... competing with the building for the center of attention...

I do agree. I have plenty of opportunity to swing by and try some different angles/framing. I'll take those opportunities as soon as schedules allow.

Mark

Works for me.

Mark, you can still make this shot better. You can yet add dynamic lighting.
Remember that lighter portions get first attention. Lights come forward and darks recede. Try a dodge/burn procedure by setting your brush opacity to 5-15 % and add light to the face of the shed. Don't overdo it-- just enought to build a slight lighting ratio.

Next shoot, if it's possible select a time of day when the shed will be side lit.

Good luck,
midnitejam

Hey Mark, Here's some food for thought--Hope you don't mind......

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I think this is a great picture.

Just for fun, I added a little saturation and boosted the contrast a little then added the texturize filter in PS and it looked pretty cool, but I could not get the file size small enough to post it without it looking terrible or tiny

image is too horizontally centered, tree is centered.

Good cropping by midnite

Right Cranium Imaging wrote in post #5436717
Just for fun, I added a little saturation and boosted the contrast a little then added the texturize filter in PS and it looked pretty cool, but I could not get the file size small enough to post it without it looking terrible or tiny

Hi Right Cranium Imaging,
I'm really curious about your edit. It sounds interresting. Could you send a link to....
idnitejam@aol.com

ThanX

nw85887, Thank you for the honorable mention.
Michael Jan

Sure, I just deleted it when it was too big, but I will do it again and try and get that up shortly