Revisited image - comments/criticism please

[rgeorge911]

Here's another - I'm really enjoying getting everyone's thoughts:


P1080705-2-2.jpg by reed_flickr, on Flickr

Nikko, Japan, April, 2010.

Your input (pos, neg, other) is appreciated!

Reed

[rgeorge911]

That bad, huh?

[Dennis Gallus]

Good day, Reed,

Sorry for not commenting sooner.  Things are so inactive on Nelsonfoto these days that I scarcely visit more than two or three times per week. 

I like this photo for several reasons.  The range of tones is superb.  The camera angle emphasizes the massive structure of the temple bell.  There is a lot of detail for the eye to focus on.

The only thing that bothers me is the open white space in the lower half, right side.  There's too much of it.  Were I to print this photo, I would take off perhaps 15 percent of the frame width on the right side, and maybe just a little, say 5 percent, of the width on the left side.  This would get the photo back to a pleasing 2:3 ratio and would tighten it up a bit.

Thanks to you, and to James McK, for keeping things going in this forum.  I'll try to follow your good example and post some things soon.

But the question remains?  Is Nelsonfoto dieing, or already dead?

Dennis

[radiophoto]

Reed, I have been checking the new posts several times and this showed up for the first time only now for me.  Something's screwy in the way things get prioritized around here.  Anyway, I definitely like this, and have a few technical questions for you:

1. Where is this bell situated, i.e., is it in a tower or on the ground?

2.  The next answer may be obvious, depending on the answer to 1 above: where were you standing?

3. The focus seems to be sharpest on the chain and the clapper; was this your intent? (this is the benefit of looking at the largest size at your flickr page)

I must say I respectfully disagree with Dennis on the white space.  I believe it is an essential element -- call it Zen or what-have-you, but the very fact that this was shot in Japan lends itself to the Yin and Yang of the photograph.  The dark bell and the white sky outside the bell tower (for lack of a better word).  On top of that, the cropping of the white space would also crop the clapper (not to be confused with the ancient seafarer's practice of clapping the cropper, which I won't go into right now), and the way the clapper enters the picture gives anticipation to the photo (i.e., the potential of movement towards the bell) that would be erased in a crop that Dennis describes.

All this being said, I'm not so certain anymore if my comments are welcome, but here they are nonetheless.

[jamesmck]

Reed  - This is a very tough shot, exposure-wise.  You've gotten a lot of beautiful detail on the interior, but the image as a whole seems dominated by the 'blown' areas.  Is there enough there to burn some of it in (and maybe crop some of it out)?  Since this seems to be an open-air tower, I guess there was not way to avoid the bright exterior.  Maybe this would have been a case where multiple exposures combined in PS or whatever would work, but I know you're no too fond of over-processing.  There does seem to be some detail there in what you have, waiting to be brought out (e.g., the boards and the chain in the upper right).  Try that, along with some cropping.  Some brightness there is good, of course.

[wlewisiii]

I'd like to chime in, if you will and agree with Pete on the use of the white space. It provides an essential balance to the darker parts of the image in the opposite corner. Perhaps try to get it a tiny bit less bright to bring out more of the detail?

Thank you for sharing this detail from the shrine.

William

[br1078lum]

Reed,

I'll go along with the area of brightness being in balance with the darker areas, but the flaring seems to call for just a bit of dodging.  Ovrall, it is a very good photo.  Love the details on the bell.

[rgeorge911]

Of course comments are still welcome!  Seems to be 50/50 on the white space.  Personally, I like that it's there, and don't feel the need for detail out there.

Pete - answers to your questions:
1. Where is this bell situated, i.e., is it in a tower or on the ground? - It is in a short tower.  The clapper is just above head height for an adult (as I remember).

2.  The next answer may be obvious, depending on the answer to 1 above: where were you standing? - I was well below, on a path that ran alongside the temple, lower down the hill.

3. The focus seems to be sharpest on the chain and the clapper; was this your intent? (this is the benefit of looking at the largest size at your flickr page) - Yes, I like the detail in the right side of the bell, the clapper, and the chain.

It's interesting.  I think there's a natural tendency to want to crop any image that you look at critically.  I certainly see this in myself.  This was shot in M4/3 format, so is obviously already cropped.  Perhaps I should post the original for comparison?

The comments are great - thanks!

Regards,
Reed

[jamesmck]

Reed - Just to clarify, I suggested cropping as a possibility not because I think the composition benefits, but as one way to soften the harshness of the bright areas if other efforts in this regard don't work. Even just a little bringing in of those background planks and the diagonal chain in the upper right of the bright area would be an improvement, IMO.

[Julio1fer]

I like the image as it is, Reed. Maybe cropping off the bottom of it, i.e. the wood beam or whatever? Leave that beautiful bell hanging free?

[Scott]

The only thing that I don't like on this image, and it's a nit-pick, is that it seems to be leaning left by a degree or so.  Easy to fix in PS.  Otherwise, I think it's about perfect.

[lesged]

Reed,

I rarely look at this forum, but I will more often in the future.

It was Julio's comment that got me to mask off the bottom with a piece of paper and I felt that removing the horizontal foreground established the bell's image in space and it got more 3 dimensional . Aside from cropping bottom and abit on the left and doing Scott's anti-tilt, I took the liberty of slightly burning-in a few spots.

What do you think Reed? Does it improve or weaken the design?



Reed's photo altered by lesged


 

[rgeorge911]

Julio and Lester,

I do agree that it helps.  It's less static.  Very nice!

Reed

[lesged]

Reed,

I re-cropped your photo, cut less of the pole on the left, did a bit of touch up to get rid of the pole's tiny vertical white edge. Did not touch the right side his time, but lightened a tad the ceiling.

I promise, no more alterations. Or as the old joke goes:

"My name is Lester Gediman, CPA"

"Wow! you're a certified public accountant?"

"No! I'm a tailor, the CPA stands for cleaning, pressing and alterations"