Please provide C&C of my Image ... Thanks!

[TedTryon]

Hello All,

I took the attached photo in Grand Haven, MI which is on the coast of Lake Michigan. I would like to hear how you feel about this image as well as any opinions you have regarding the technical aspects of the photograph. Please be honest, I would prefer to hear the truth over flattery.

Thanks all,

Ted

[Ken-L]

This is a nice scene, Ted. You kept it level too. The problem is that you have blown all the highlights. A highlight, or shadow, is "blown" when they are too bright or dark so that there is no longer any detail visible. You must expose for the highlights. It is easier to add light than to take it away. Also, the heavy black border accentuates the too bright scene.

[TedTryon]

Ken, thank you very much for your comments . These image were taken in the summer of 2008 and I have been bothered by them ever since. I know the b&w is not a traditional exposure yet it seems to work for me. Of course I am biased towards my own image and maybe just flat out crazy.

Here is an earlier image of the same scene taken just moments before the b&w image. There is much more detail and in this case color but for some reason I don't like it as much as the B&W. When I captured the b&w image It was my intension to blow the highlights for the effect. So the question now for me is - is it ever a good idea to blow the highlights of an image or is that just bad photography?

Thanks,

Ted

[Padre]

The second is especially nice. To clean it up a bit you could remove the pole in the lower left corner and perhaps the bird on the upper right thats wing is cut off.

[notsotechie]

B&W looks fine but look more like a winter scenery
I had play with the colour version to B&W and it turned out real well
even though with the bright sun glow behind the building
you wil not have any detail but more of a shiloute of the building and structure

just be careful on how you convert it to B&W work it slow

Cheers

[LibertyHeir]

The more I look at your first image, I have to agree with you Ted. While it is 'blown' there is something about it.... I've looked and looked but can't quite say what that something is.... I guess that being a Lake Erie sailor I'm reminded of early morning on the Great Lakes. Those mornings where there's a bit of a haze and a glass calm....

As for breaking the rules, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Part of that interpretation is with the eye of the beholder. For me, if I like the image, even if it may not be technically correct, then it is a good image. With the version shot in B/W I find that I keep coming back to study it, and the more I study it, the more I like it.

Bottom line from my perspective I like both images, each treatment conveys a totally different feeling/mood to it.

Thanks for sharing

[Bunny N]

well, I really like the first image. didn't even have to think about it. very nice artistic interpretation. I like all the negative space and the high key effect and the softness of the waves and the thick black border. well done.

[TedTryon]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions - I do appreciate everyones advice. I am also interested in hearing comments related to the composition of this image. I have been asking myself if the bird on the pole and the boat are adding or taking away from this image. I left them in because I think it add's depth and scale but I'm not sure that was the right decision. What would you do to the image to bring it to it's fullest potential?

Thanks

Ted

[LibertyHeir]

From my perspective, I'd leave them in (in both images). I feel they add to the 'nautical' aspect. I'd suggest you try 'em both ways. Make a large print (at least 8x10) and look at the image by itself. Wouldn't have to be high quality photo finish since you're looking at the composition. I'd then put it in a frame and hang it on a plain background. Or simply tack it on something like a black foam core so as to visually isolate the image. Step back a bit and see which way looks best to you. Which conveys the mood/feeling as you intend.