[Leica] PAWS AND COMMENTS!

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

B. D. Colen showed:
Subject: [Leica] PAWS


> http://gallery.leica-users.org/B-D-COLEN-PAW/Antiabort111205_14bw
> And following five images.<<<<

Hi B.D.,
Covered just like a news assignment should be. The message is meanigless 
because covering an event such as this means it's a "news event" therefore 
you must be neutral. Other wise you let your emotions get in the way and you 
miss interesting photographs and end up shooting  signs.

It's the visual aspect that you are there to shoot! Sure a sign or two is 
OK, providing they're interesting as "photographs," not just the signs for 
the sake of the sign message! Of course sometimes one is so unique it does 
make a good photograph.

I mean, one hardly need attend these events anymore, just go to your files 
from the past, pull out some frames, print them and it's the same thing.;-)

My favourite is the hands and rosary, it's a simple subject made very 
interesting due to the use of real and shadow. It's small items such as this 
that many people miss because they get hung up in the message and don't see 
the small things that make interesting photographs.

Cropping:
Picture 1:
I'd have cropped the sun out completely right to the top edge of the poster 
centre. At the bottom I'd have done a similar crop, cut the bottom off right 
at the tip of the sign straight across. In this way you tighten up the image 
and get rid of distracting elements and make better use of the print size.

Picture 2:
Shadow use is great! If you cropped the top off right to almost the head of 
the person on the right, would've got rid of the sky area that's waste space 
anyway. Then burn down the top corners, to lessen the eye catching that 
drags your eyes away from the power of the shadows!

And make sure you don't burn those corners too much, because if you do then 
the darkened area becomes obvious and it back fires, then the black becomes 
an eye draw because it looks phoney!

Picture 3:
Rosary, I commented.

Picture 4:
This is just a sign picture and doesn't do anything. Sure these young girls 
think they've got a mesage because they're holding a sign, but their 
expressions are all over the place.

I'd have gone tight on one face and one sign rather than this composition 
where you have the waste space showing sky between their heads. It works 
like this: "One girl, one sign equals stronger message when shot tight!" The 
three faces actually become a distraction.

picture 5:
This has some potential but you need to burn down the highlighted figure on 
the left side as ones eye jumps right there at first look. Then you have to 
come back to the message. Actually some of the reflected light would've been 
very helpful here!

And I think a tighter crop taking away as much off the right side, as we 
look at the picture because once again it's waste space and does nothing for 
the picture. Maybe even turn it into a tight vertical.

Picture 6:
Obviously she's OK with you taking her picture, so in that case, I'd have 
asked her to hold the sign higher to her chin, that tightens up the frame 
first of all. Then if it didn't make her squinty, I'd have turned her 
slightly to her left to make better use of the light. Given it didn't make 
her squinty-eyed.

Even though I see a woman holding a baby to her left, she's not that 
important in the picture, I might have tightened the crop and got rid of 
her.

If we're talking news paper use here, there isn't any space to waste, 
period! Shot tight, crop tight, maximum impact is what these type of events 
are all about!

Over all well seen and executed. With good light use in most cases.

Your welcome. ;-)

ted.