[Leica] Trying to catch up

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Jim Hemenway offered:

Subject: Re: [Leica] Trying to catch up

 

>>More often than not, a good composition has one place, (usually not in the
center) which catches the viewer's eye and then brings it on a little trip
through the whole of the image, and finally returns the eye to the starting
point.

 

Here that place is the point where the curving branch on the right meets the
trunk of the sapling. That branch then leads the eye down to the bottom
right corner of the image where it can leave the photo... I agree, that's
not good.

 

Otherwise the eye moves along the bottom, climbs the right side area,
traverses the leaves across the top, and again meets the smooth background
on the right side.

 

I took a second shot with more DOF, but decided on the softer background of
this image.

 

I don't think of you as a "smart ass", so to answer your very fair question,
I shot it because the lighting caught my eye and I was enamored of the soft
colors and the atmosphere.

Thanks for looking and for commenting.

Jim, "I might be right" Hemenway  ;-)

 

Hi Jim,

WOW!! :-) That's some compositional motivation breakdown! :-) Sure have to
give you credit big time for the explanation above. :-) Good on you! :-)

>> I shot it because the lighting caught my eye and I was enamored of the
soft colors and the atmosphere.

 

BINGO!!! 

It's right here >> the lighting caught my eye<< was the main motivation to
shoot! Sure the other stuff had a bit to do with it, but!

We as photographers generally relate to light as a triggering reason to
shoot, certainly far more often than we realize. The "light effect" catches
our eyes which in some cases makes the scene look better than it really is.
And we press, "click!" 

But when we show the picture to others later, or we do a hard nose look
during the edit we often ask, "Why did I shoot this?" Trust me, been there
done it more times than you can imagine. And no amount of analytical
analysis will make it work. Even putting the image in a dark cupboard for
six months wont make it any better! ;-)

 Yet the light is still the "prime motivation" even when there isn't a real
grab your gut content. I've often said to myself, "Oh man look at the
light!" But that's it, an appreciation of the light effect. Unfortunately
with "no subject content" to go along with it.

By the same token reacting to light and making a subject error is far better
than not re-acting or seeing the light at all. Quite simply because, some
folks wouldn't see fine lighting if they were hit in the head with a brick!

In this case even with your wonderful composition description the light was
the motivation to shoot, the other stuff ? Well Ok you explained yerself
very well! :-) :-) 

ted