Garage Art was the first challenge I entered. I was hoping for a few more comments, ie tips to make an ok photo better. I did better than I really expected.
Garage Art was the first challenge I entered. I was hoping for a few more comments, ie tips to make an ok photo better. I did better than I really expected.
I can think of two things that would help improve your shot:
- Better lighting. Not necessarily making the overall shot brighter, but as it is it lacks dynamic range, which contributes to that lack of depth.
- Move the rope away from the backdrop and use a much larger apperature (i.e. smaller f-stop, say in the f/2 to f/4 range). This will have the effect of blurring the background (how much, you can work with), which will remove the "grain" or texture of the backdrop and (hopefully) reduce or obsure the shadows, again helping to add depth. As it's shot, the backdrop is too much in focus, and the texture and shadows are too much of a distraction from the subject.
Like Neil, I'm also not wild about the composition, but I don't have any specific ideas for improving it. I think if you improved some of those other aspects (lighting, DOF, a sense of depth), the significance of the composition might not be so great.
Well, since you asked......
I like the shot, it appears well done, but I ask why not color? Did you shoot in B&W, or change it with software like Photoshop? I am very new to this but I don't understand, using a fine digicam for a B&W, when the subject doesn't really call for it, is like buying a Corvette and driving the speed limit.
I think rope is a great b&w subject - better to accent the texture of the rope. It's a matter of taste, really. Having a fine digicam and producing only color shots is like buying a Corvette and then leaving it in the garage when you want to drive around town.
Hope you don't mind, Tom, I had a quick go using the Colorize feature of Photoshop (in the Hue/Saturation dialog - Ctrl+U)..
I like the B&W, but I thought I'd mention the sneeky technique I like using to colourise an image when the original shot doesn't have great colour.
Thanks for all your replies. I had never tried to take a "studio" shot before, all my previous exp. was with outdoor photography basically. I chose B&W because I thought it gave a little more charecter to the shot. Some of the tips in the previous replies will be helpful for the future, which is what I wanted to get out of this entry. I have been away from photography for several years really, and I am learning all over, some of the things I used to know. Once again, thanx for your input.
