hi guys! Here's an image i took yesterday...one hand photography again. and my hand was almost totally frozen. LOL. well as you see, this time, having just one hand was not the problem. the problem was my stupid eyes. i know the compo is really bad and this should probably be garbage, but i just love this!!!! i just don't wanna let this go. i know this image is flawed and not that good, but why am i seeing something so wonderful in it??? yeah, i love rust and i love these kind of macros, but i took plenty of crappy ones and got rid of them. this one just feels special. no idea why. it certainly breaks all the rules for excellent photography. hmmmmm.. well, i want your opinions. use it or lose it? give me feedback on compo...and well everything please!!! i just am having a hard time trashing this one!!! thanks guys!!!!!!!

Rules rules rules................. Rule of thirds rule of this rule of that.... They are there to be broken so break them if it works for you. I like this, the rust has great textures, the bent piece of metal may break the rules of compo (so what it works in this case) The DOF could be a little better IMO, but not a big issue. This is all relative Shelia, I have said before and will again I am sure, photography is personal, and if you like it, (and I do) then go with it. This is natural and expressive photography. Unforced and artistic. They wouldnt have made the cane if you werent meant to break the rules (Paul Heaton)

thanks LP!!! i LOVE that Paul Heaton quote BTW!!! when i was out for that short time shooting on Sunday, this is the one i was thrilled with! DOF does definitely suck, LOL. i could always erase everything except the subject and see what that does. just play around with it. it's that bent piece of metal that makes this image for me. i know this will sound weird, but when i look at this, it reminds me of a winter scarf blowing in the wind. well, i see a lot more, but for now, this is all i wanna say. well i'm glad you see something about this you like. artistic and expressive...lacking in technical merit. i'll play around with this one. look at it a lot. it makes me happy to look at it. thanks, Simon!!!!

PSP7 Layers, Duplicate layer Effects/ blur/Gaussian blur (3) Eraser tool Erase the blur over the padlock carefully.

"i know the compo is really bad and this should probably be garbage, but i just love this!!!!" Very difficult to know what to say after a buildup like this... Why do you think its really bad? And why do you love it nonetheless? These are important questions!

I once read a book about taking insect macros. In it the author was talking about the rule of thirds,and said that sometimes you have to just break it,cause no other way to make the shot come out right.

Well, I like it the way it is Sheila.... Really beautiful textures and color. If you wanted to get technical and point out what's wrong.... there really is not much really to say. The diagnol line of the (metal thingie attached to the padlock) on the left leads the eye into the image and rests on the padlock, where one can enjoy the beautiful rust. If someone wanted to get nitpicky they might say the composition is a bit tight on the right. Maybe the whole lock showing? But I don't think that is a problem.... I like the compo as is.

simon, thanks so much for showing me and telling me what you did!!! i will have to look at this again tomorrow night. i worked uh...like 8 am - almost 11 pm today. i look at your what you did with my image, and well...i don't see ANY difference. you talked about erasing blur over padlock. i don't see any blur on my image. and i can't tell that you made any changes to to it. I guess my eyes are what has blur on it!!!! LOL. anyway, i'll look again tomorrow night when i'm not so exhausted!!! thanks so much for taking the time to do this!!! and i'm glad you like it!!! misha, why do i think it's bad technically? well, it doesn't follow rule of thirds. but not everything needs to i know. i'm rule breaker. secondly, the padlock is cut off on top and right. as michelle said, compo is bit tight on right. DOF sucks. why do i like it? why can't i get this image out of my mind? artist expression stuff. i like that padlock is partially cut off. LOL. technically, i think it would be better shown in its entirety. but i like that it's cut off because I feel cut off. this injury has left me feeling cut off from the world. i can't go outside much because i can't wear coat. so i can't stay out long to photograph. i feel cut off from artistic expression because i can't take photos. i've also been missing kemal a lot since i broke my elbow because i've had to switch to first shift...and he works 2nd shift. i miss him!!!! etc. that metal dangly thing...it reminds me of my stupid arm sticking out. it looks like arm!! see the elbow? (the sharp corner on left) and then the hand goes up (foreground)...just like mine which is elevated upward in the sling. ah...and the lock itself...well that would represent me. now you might wonder why i say this. i seem like open person. and i am. but i have a lot of secrets that i've kept under lock and key. and the rust...represents me again. my joints are rusty. i have arthritis. and the lock shows age. well, i'm 41. i'm verrrrrrry aware that i'm aging. anyway, there's a LOT more to this. TONS more why this image is so special to me. this is just beginning. almost all my images i post tell a story. they express something inside of me. or i convey a thought or idea with my photos. so, i guess you see why i like it!!! william, yes you are so right...rule of 3rds is general rule for compo, even book says sometimes you gotta break the rules. michelle, thanks so much for what you said. i'm glad you like it and think the compo is not so bad like what i thought!!! You guys, THANK YOU!!!!!! i won't get rid of this after all then!!!!!! i smiling!!! i just REALLY wanted to keep this!!! and now i will!!! Huge hugz, guys!!! sheila

Hugz! It sounds like it is a wonderful image because you make it so. You know the technical rules, so can continue to improve by using them or breaking them.

thanks Misha!! LP...ok i looked at this again. i had to ask kemal to help me look at your image and compare it to mine because i just couldn't see the difference. i guess i have bad eyes!!! LOL anyway, kemal said he did see where the DOF is blurred, and once he pointed it out, i was able to see that. but neither one of us were able to notice a blur over the padlock. am i misunderstanding something? or maybe we both have lousy eyesight??? :) thanks, Simon!

You can't see the blur on the padlock because Simon erased it. He created the blur on a duplicate layer of the original, and then erased the padlock of the blurred layer so that the original sharp padlock underneath would show through.......

LOL!!!! ok, jeesh, i thought my eyes had gotten a lot worse!!!! :) THANKS so much Michelle!!!!!

i like the compo, contrast & texture too... LP's added blur makes it pop even more :]

Thanks, Cindy!!! I'm gonna try and do it that way today!!!! :)