Unfinished Symphonies

[daedicurus]

i figure that the scrapbooks would be a good place to put any unaltered pictures that i would like some ideas on how to improve them... or to air ideas that didn't work and see if one of the Photography Mob might be able to shed some light on my short comings.

First up a couple that didn't work too well which i put down to the lack of a tripod (handheld night shots with a cheap fisheye do not a masterpiece make).
i'll be going back to this bridge with my new manfrotto just as soon as it stops raining but until then i hope you all enjoy the Brisbane sunset and if you have any suggestions for next time (other than try to make all the fuzzy edges into sharper edges) then don't hold back.

[DIGme]

The first one is the most interesting for me, dynamic, color, the red sky give drama to your composition.
The second one could be differently cropped. The third doesn't touch me.

Another thing on the first : the optical distortion is appropriated. It plays a part in this picture !

[Mr. Mu]

hi daedicurus,

in my opinion you've got a nice subject with the first one, worth another attempt.

Problems you identified correctly are the unsharp edges (and if it's indeed camera shake then bring a tripod along... it's so much more relaxed... once you've carried it all the way, i.e....^^ )

But in my opinion that shot is also underexposed. It's hard to tell though, because if you wanted to make the sky your subject then it's ok to have the bridge as a silhouette only. Let's say I am missing a bit of texture detail on the steel.

New thought: bring an external flash/speedlight along and light one of those girders with a very tight beam of artificial light!

[VenomVindicta]

I think that if you took a tripod with you to try and re-shoot that first one, it would come out a bit better. but as it is it's a wonderful shot, i love the red sky and the silhouette of the bridge.

I agree with DIGme on the second one. It could do with a bit of a crop at the bottom.

The third one is.. Alright, but im not sure what you were trying to captyure, so i can't reaally comment.

Keep posting though

[daedicurus]

this is another handheld night shot (i gotta stop doing that). this time it's a rain storm descending over the "Gabba" cricket ground shot from the back window of my house.

Friday Night Lights

[Nike]

I really like the composition in that last one with that heavy sky-part. Also the colors are very nice. It's a pity that it's hand-held - I can imagine that if you see it on a larger scale the silouette of the city is quite blurry. In this size it's looking very nice

[daedicurus]

Originally Posted by Nike

It's a pity that it's hand-held - I can imagine that if you see it on a larger scale the silouette of the city is quite blurry.

yeah i had the camera sitting on a windowsill to try and steady it but when you get in close it's still far from sharp, but next time a storm comes over on a game night i'll be waiting with my new tripod...

[darkchild]

I love the angles on your first post! Very nice color sky. Definitly revisit those again when you can with a tripod. But to be honest, they don't look that fuzzy. The rain storm photo is by my favorite so far. I think it's a beautiful capture.

[daedicurus]

Here's a new one for the scrapbook

"the Ruins of Hobbiton"

[purplerose]

Wow, that's a really awesome photo. love the tones of those greens. Nice framing with the tree/branches.

[Nike]

I'm with purplerose here - colors and framing make this really quiet and beautiful. Where are these "ruins of Hobbington"?

[Ment]

I also go with Purplerose here, maybe crop a little bit more from the tree on the right, it's very black.

[daedicurus]

Originally Posted by Nike

Where are these "ruins of Hobbington"?

they are in New Zealand (somewhere near Rotarua) on the sheep farm where they filmed the movies. the paddock has been returned to the sheep now but you can go and look at the sets. the main house in the picture is Bilbos house from the film.

Ment - good call, i'll give it a go

[daedicurus]

Some new stuff that just doesn't seem right so hit me with your ideas

this one i didn't have a tripod with me at the time so i was pushing the camera against the window to steady it but it didn't come out as sharp as i would have liked.
Auckland nights


Again i wish this one was a bit sharper but even so i think it's still missing something.
Waitomo Panorama


i like the feeling and action of this one but it's still lacking something.
Mud Pool


thanks for looking

[carolupus]

hm, I like all 3 of them. the first one makes the earth look amazingly much like a sphere... if only they had cameras in ancient times maybe there wouldn't have been such a hassle about that.
the second could maybe use a saturation boost. But I'm not sure.. too bad the weather wasn't so great..
and I would think more contrast in no. 3, maybe make it b/w because the colours aren't that intense anyway.

btw, I really like "the Ruins of Hobbiton" - the form of the tree matches that of the Hobbits' houses perfectly. besides I'm a big Lord Of The Rings and New Zealand fan. please never show me dirty industrial photos of New Zealand (if they exist)

[purplerose]

The first one is really awesome.

"Waitomo Panorama" is really nice. The composition is great, just needs a boost in contrast by darkening the shadows and midtones a bit and making your highlights a tad brighter. I attached an edit, let me know if you want me to take it down.

Just tweaked the levels and curves. Then went into variations and darkened your shadows/midtones and brightened your highlights. The image has a nice sense of depth, but boosting your contrast will make the depth more pronounced.

[daedicurus]

thank you for your ideas

purplerose - thanks for showing me what you mean. i was worried that too much fiddling with curves might just make it look unrealistic but you've managed to keep the detail in the grass and bring more out in the trees, i'll give it a go.

carolupus - dont worry about NZ, What you can see in "Auckland nights" is Auckland's docks, probably the most industrial place i saw in the whole trip. i also love the look of the country so i'm going back this winter to get a different view.

[daedicurus]

i have some new stuff but i wasn't sure which topic they fit under so they go into the scrapbook

#1 the Dance


#2 Skymaid


#3 Forgotten Horror


thanks for looking...

[darkchild]

Nice work with "Auckland Nights" and "Mud Pool"! Love both of those. Your pan shot was nice as well, but I do like the edited version by Purplerose. I like the silhouette of the branches in "Ruins of Hobbiton". Very nice!

[purplerose]

"the Dance" is pretty nice.

[MacStian]

Hi daedicurus, liked your ruins of Hobbiton! What stronger with this image is the fact that it represents a story that the viewers can relate to, and its portraid nicely with a good focus point in center w your circular composition. Rest of these images does not have any distinct focus or visual point of interest or storytelling (except the dance wich I like and the two following..)... My take on´em

Been awhile since you posted her, I havn´t checked out any of your other images yet, but do you have more shots to post?