Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/02/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Howard Sanner asked for: Subject: [Leica] photo critique requested > Please have a look at > > http://www.mindspring.com/~flagstad/lawson/ > > These are pictures I took on 16 Feb 2004 while master horn > builder Walter Lawson repaired one of my horns. > > I'm still trying to get this decisive moment business. Did I > manage it in any of these? Ted? Tina? Anybody? (I realize the > first and last pictures are throw aways.)<<<< Hello Howard, OK sir here goes: ;-) Decisive moments? That's a tough one to answer because Walt isn't jumping across water ala HCB's man jumping puddle. ;-) However there are some interesting pictures. First error and obvious in many of the scenes... you had beautiful "hands at work" and were too far away instead of getting right in tight for the texture of his skin and finger tips doing their work. Obviously difficult with a 35 1.4 Summilux which doesn't focus as close as the Aspheric 35 1.4. Or a longer lens to get right in as close as possible. I don't mean a macro. The cross window light in each shot created beautiful lighting effects that you didn't take advantage of in nearly every frame. In a case like this where you're friends, you have free reign to move about and get closer and I don't feel you did that in most cases where it could've been effective. Picture 1: Definitely closer on the horns yet not too tight or you'd lose the atmosphere feel of location. The wider angle is a kind oif setting he location. But even so a tight close-up on the horn lying on the table would've been quite effective as part of an essay. Picture 2: Tighter on the hands as that's where all the action is. Don't worry about the windows in the background as you can get in tight and use the cross light created from the two, maybe three windows. A lower angle looking up at him and his hands strong in foreground. Picture 3: Nothing there, cut it. However, what this shot does show is the very obvious beautiful cross lighting and that's something I'd have been trying to use in every composition I could. Light is the life of a picture, content is the soul. What one must learn to be a successful photographer is combining them in their exposures. Picture 4: Walt's face has such beautiful light it screams for a tight face shot. Almost a profile of his face. Even with the 35 you should have got in much closer. It's easy to say, but maybe the work bench was in the way. And that's why one should always have a longer lens, in this case a 90 would've cut some beautiful frames with the kind of light in this room. Picture 5: >>smoothes out a kink with a dent ball on a curved rod. <<<<<< Look at those beautiful strong hands!!!!!!!! Where are the close ups of the action going on while he did his work? His hands are the potential for decisive moments. Remember it's LIGHT - EYES - ACTION! And those hands are the magic of making all these pictures work because that's where the action is. Picture 6: >>smoothes a curve in the slide.<<<<< Bend your knees get down at a head level with Walt and move in filling the frame with his head, shoulders and hands. It's definitely not a vertical frame. Picture 7: >> Now comes a test fitting in the horn. << I'd have moved in for a reflection in the horn showing Walt's hands and face reflection. Quite frankly the top of his head doesn't help this shot at all. It's a tightened horizontal frame. Picture 8: >>Soldering everything back together. <<< See photo 7 comments. Picture 9: No comment! :-) Howard I hope this is helpful and if you do have an opportunity for a re-shoot I know you'll come away with a different set of photographs. ted - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html