Re: [Leica] PAW 4 is up

["Ted Grant" <tedgrant@home.com>]

Hi Matt,

OK kinda looks like you're number one! ;-)

PAW4:
Not sure what it is, too much confusion as there doesn't appear a centre of
interest to catch and hold your eye from running all over the place.

Improvement:
Either not take it in the first place realizing it's kind of interesting,
but too confusing. Look for something more tangible within the frame by
using a longer lens to isolate on the eyes and face . Or going as wide an
aperture on the lens, which may allow a greater isolation of the face and
eyes dropping more of the peripheral areas out of focus,  as the left side
and corner of the frame is creating visual confusion as it's "too much in
focus" and tends to drag your eye there because it is in focus while the
centre of the picture isn't strong enough to hold the eye..

Alternate 1:
Is better and I'd have gone with it over your initial PAW 4, as it's good
exposure, has a better centre of interest, catches the eye without head
scratching trying to figure out what it is.
Improvement:
It works so no need to fiddle with it.

Alternate 2:
Now bad at all, good exposure. A slight tweaking and it'll be on the mark

Improvement:
Maybe a wider angle lens & slightly lower position to the ground to
strengthen the effect of the corn stalks and snow. Unfortunately the horizon
line is dead center and with such an interesting foreground the camera could
have been tilted down to take in more of the foreground or as I mentioned,
getting the camera lower to the ground would've strengthened the over all
effect of the field.

But in doing this you must use a small aperture to keep everything as sharp
as possible creating the feeling the viewer can step right into the frame
and walk across the field.  If the foreground is out of  focus it creates a
visual block to getting into the frame.

The clump of trees in the background are a tiny bit too close to center, so
by swinging your camera slightly to the right, providing there isn't
something there out of sight which might be more distracting, would move the
clump of bushes more to the left third composition placement.

Now look at it this way:  Slightly lower position to ground, possibly wider
angle lens, and slight camera angle change for more on the right and you've
put the scene into thirds and make a better composition overall.

An option might be to crop off a smidgen from the left side that would move
the bushes to the left for the compositional thirds.

These comments are made with the best interest of the photographer at heart
and hopefully are not found offensive nor demeaning in any way.  They are
offered from the experience of a  50 year published photojournalist.
ted

Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Kollasch" <matthew.kollasch@uni.edu>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>; <streetphoto@topica.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 3:15 PM
Subject: [Leica] PAW 4 is up


> PAW 4 is up at
> http://www.uni.edu/kollasch/photo/paw/pages/week-04.htm
> with 2 alternates.
>
> I appreciated Ted's comments earlier regarding what we might expect in
> comments.  Thus, in that spirit I am looking forward to comments that
> will help me become a better photographer.  I like to think I can take
> it! Cheers from Iowa.  /matt