Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/02/04

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Subject: [Leica] poorly framed & composed snaps?
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)
Date: Sat Feb 4 10:43:37 2006
References: <43E44556.2060001@gmail.com>

Edmund Evanowski showed for the first time:
Subject: [Leica] poorly framed & composed snaps?
> This is my first message to the group. I have been "lurking"  here for 
> several months and thought it was about time I started to make some type 
> of contribution.  I have enjoyed the PAWs and the PESOs very much > and I 
> am impressed by the constructive comments and criticisms posted > here.<<<

Hi Ed,
Welcome, the toughest one is the first one posted After that it becomes a 
piece of cake. :-) Because you've lurked you already know we sometimes rake 
a shooter over a tad. By the same token where praise is deserved we give it. 
So get ready;-)

>>> I have posted a few pictures to the gallery located at:
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/evanowski <<<<<

_R1_027_12... Train on ridge over river:
I think what you reacted to were the reflections on the side of the rail 
cars, but the exposure is under therefore loosing the highlights. All the 
brush and tree branches overwhelm the scene also.

Our human eyes see through this brush without seeing it in focus when we 
visually focus on the train. but the camera doesn't do this, therefore the 
bushes become interfering with a clean picture of the rain.

The other thing causing the under exposure, if you used a light meter, is 
quite probably the large sky area creating an under exposure for all the 
land area. Something to keep in mind while shooting with large areas of sky 
is point the meter to read slightly more to the middle or ground area.

And without question bracket, that is shoot more than one frame shoot 
several by adjusting the shutter speed or aperture for various settings 
above and below what the meter shows to use.

_R1_021_9... Flatbed on siding with ties.

My gut feeling is I'd have stepped more to the left and filled more of the 
frame showing the car on about a 45 degree angle filling the frame front to 
back with the rail car and ties rather than the trees and grass and out of 
focus bridge? in the background.

It's changing the angle from the same position by stepping away from the car 
an becoming on that 45 degree angle will maintain good soft light.

This kind of thing improves with practice, as in the more you shoot the 
better you'll become. The more things you try the better your eyes will see. 
Look at it this way.... we on the list pretty well all started the same way. 
Don't take comments personally, it's always about the pictures and not you 
the person.

_R1_023_10 your son for comparison of size.

We all do this with our kids at sometime or other,  that's part of the idea 
when we take family pictures. Yes we can do, good,bad and ugly and teh more 
we do the better we get and the easier it becomes for the children if you 
can make it a game where they can be involved doing something than as you've 
done here... "stand there and look at daddy!" yep they're cool also at 
times, but a slightly different angle might have been him squatted down by 
the under carriage and looking up at the size of the wheels or some other 
thing. In this way he becomes interested in how big it is and not 
thinking..."oh here we go again dad and his stupid camera!" ;-)

Working with the kids becomes a game, get them involved and they'll forget 
"Dad and his stupid camera!" Your keep sake pictures of your don and if 
other children, become far more memorable than the 8 thousand sick "happy 
snaps of... "look at daddy and smile!"

And yes we've all done those! But try to avoid them at all cost as they 
don't show the real child when they're involved doing things.

I hope this helps.

We're all looking for more postings, so keep 'em coming.

ted

Ted Grant Photography Limited
1817 Feltham Road
Victoria BC  V8N 2A4
250-477-2156 


In reply to: Message from evanowski at gmail.com (Edmund Evanowski) ([Leica] poorly framed & composed snaps?)