i posted this one in my gallery a little bit ago. i wanted so much to express the joy and awe i felt looking up at that sky AND at the same time make a technically good image. i know i failed but i'm having trouble understanding what my problem is. i took this pic EXACTLY the way i wanted to. Why does it suck? please don't worry about hurting my feelings. just tell me straight what the hell i'm doing wrong so i can start making better images. sigh. i was so happy shooting yesterday and i'm happy with this image, but i know it's all wrong. i just can't see it though 'cause it felt just right. does that make sense? f/8 1/1600 sec ISO 64 no postwork except resize. settings were exactly how i wanted them. i wanted to show the sky how i visualized it in my mind...not what it really looked like. i took several other images that are similar and that i love just as much. if you wanna see some of them to compare, let me know. Thanks a bunch guys for your HONEST feedback!!!!!

guess it would help to show the pic... :)

Hey Sheila, Hmmm... Without knowing what's in your "minds eye" or what your tryin to get across, I can't really "GET IT"! The clouds are nice, but this image just doesn't have ooomph! (my technical term). Its seems to be missing "something" What that is...I can't say! I almost feel like this should have been shot holdin the cam horizontal...instead of vertical! Seems too tight! Was that post(birdhouse perhaps) you focal point?

thanks, Joe, for your feedback! well, i understand "Ooomph" quite well! LOL! It SHOULD be a technical term if you ask me! missing something....well....this is all there was...couldn't take my eyes off that sky! focal point...the lamp post. it envisioned it more like a lighthouse...a beacon for us to guide our way. yeah yeah...i know it's just a lightpost...wasn't how i saw it though. what was i trying to get across? well...there's a lot here, but the short version...is me imagining what it will be like to meet Jesus face to face, the process of keeping our eye focused on the light so we don't lose our way. there's more to it than that but it goes along these lines. here's one of my horizontal shots. f/8 1/3200 ISO 64 thanks again!

here's one more....i like the vertical. dunno why. f/8 1/800 sec ISO 64 i know these are all wrong. *sigh*...didn't feel wrong at the time though. *sigh*

Sorry can't help here as I don't know what you mean by wrong .... Think Joe has hit the nail when he says they are perhaps not what you imagined they would be.

i'm trying to do better compositionally. i guess that's what i mean when i say they're wrong. my compositions are always off-kilter. guess it's because my personality's like that too? LOL! :)

hmm... I guess what I need to know is how is this result different from how you expected it to look? I can Guess, but it would only be a guess, and may completely miss the mark. You "wanted so much to express the joy and awe you felt looking up at that sky." By making the image rather dark, it seems brooding and dramatic. Perhaps awesome, but I'd think not very joyful? Just lightening it up a bit cheers up the mood. Some would argue now that I've blowen out the highlights; but so what? [I still haven't made it a great work of art, but maybe you see the direction?] Course, you could go in the other direction, and make it darker and broodier? Sky pictures are kind of neat, but unless framed by a really interesting foreground, or having something interesting going on [like maybe a vulture perching on the bird house], it's really sort of like you have to be there in order to feel the emotion. The real value here is that you are learning very completely how to use your photography tools. Sky is difficult. By practicing like this you'll be ready when you see the whole scene come together.

As for composition, rules have changed in different cultures at different times. Take some nice long walks through an art museum or library! There are "classic" tricks to use, like not centering the main focal point, etc. Maybe if we ask cynlee nicely she will orient one of the future Challenges towards classic (or perhaps, unconventional??!) composition? In many of your images, I get the impression you notice all that is going on around you; the feel of the wind, bird song, elevator doors grinding? And you are dissapointed when you can't catch all of this on a single still image? Maybe it would be an interesting exercise to try shots in groups of three, and post all of them together? This could help you then in thinking about what to concentrate on when doing single images. I'm just rambling. Anyone else have any ideas?

Technically the photo is very good. (IMHO). About the only thing I can possibly think of would be if there were some shades of green amongst the trees. A little bit lighter. maybe have the ap open just a hair longer to allow more light. Kind of like taking a night picture. But the darkness also allows one to make their own picture in their mind. Thanks for sharing.

Misha, thanks sooooo much. well, you're absolutely right...lightening does make the mood more joyful! and this is definitely closer to the way the sky looked. in fact, kemal and i were talking about how the sky had blown out highlights NATURALLY! LOL! i do love what you did!!! but i shot it darker this way i guess because even though i felt so much joy here, i also have been feeling such heaviness lately. hard to explain but these pics show my mood. yep, true Misha...i notice and feel everything all at once and feel overwhelmed in trying to process it ALL, and I get SENSORY OVERLOAD. Trying to convey what i feel, what i'm taking in during one particular moment is so frustrating. it's like everything is rushing at me so fast i'm spinning. when i feel extreme joy, i actually get dizzy. anyway, i just can't pinpoint what's off about this. Maybe as Jadench said...just a little lighter; however, there's something about the composition bothering me. foreground perhaps. nothing going on...too many trees? Jadench...perhaps that's what it is? needs some shades of green. might be. i like your idea Misha. might help me. i know i would benefit from such a challenge exercise. and shooting in grous of 3...good idea. i have such a hard time focusing and concentrating. i'll get to a museum and try to focus on composition. ok...i learned something from this now. feel better. i like that b/w a lot too Misha!!!! practice, practice, practice...well...i do that a LOT. Ok...i'll stop whining about this one now. Thanks a bunch!!!! :) hugz

Ok I'm late on this one since it seems the problem is solved (for now!) ;) but I'm still gonna give my 5 pennies! And that's not much cos I really like that first shot! It makes me feel like I'm there, looking at it and feeling the immensity and overwhelming feeling the sky often makes me feel!! To me, this shot looks just right in that sense!! It's uplifting!

THanks Pascale!!!!! I'm glad you added your pennies!!!! :) glad you like it!!!!

My pleasure sweety! :) Oh but, I forgot to add that compo wise, that post is bothering me! I was just concentrating on the sky and it looks just perfect to me! Now, from what u said, that post has its purpose so it IS perfect as it is after all! ;)

Hi Sheila, it would be impossible for us to know whats in your minds eye. But probably you projected your own imagination on that beautiful scene you saw, and sadly your imagination cant be captured... ;o) So that would be whats missing... I probably totally screwed up the image here LOL but i tried to make it more joyful, i also cut out a portion of the pic to create a more pleasing compo (imho). The colors may be totally off... i have this difficulty with colors... ;o) Anyway, have a great day my friend !! Jeroen

Ah yes! I like the cropping here Jeroen! That post isn't in the middle anymore and it looks better to me! But I prefer Sheila's clouds even though I love the mood u gave them! ;) Hehe! Let's wait and see what she has to say about this! :)

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! Jeroen, i LOVE it, and cropping of that piece on the left is EXACTLY what this needed i think!!!!!! Why didn't i think of that???? It makes ALL the difference to me!!!!!! and the COLORS!!!!!! Wowser!!!! i LOVE it!!!!!!!! Yes, MUCH more joyful and in YELLOW...my favorite color...a color of happiness!!!! The color change to golden with that bit of blue and green in the sky....oh man...it's BREATHTAKING!!!! My image is so FLAT...this one...looks like the sky is opening up!!!! Yeah, i think you're right about projecting my imagination. of course, i do that. guess we all do. i saw that lightpost as a light house...and well, of course, you do see any light in my image. In yours, however, it's FULL of it!!!!!!! I can't say this is what i imagined, 'cause well, i don't remember what i saw...but what you did with the cropping gives it a triangular composition, with the top of the triangle at the top of my image....everything leading upward. THIS is IT!!!!!!!! THANK YOU soooooo much!!!! Do you remember how you achieved these colors???? You absolutely MADE my day!!!!!!!!!!! huge hugz Pascale, Yeah, that post was troublesome in my composition, but i agree...the way Jereon has done this helps a lot!

Im glad you like it Sheila :o)
Uhm... how did i do this... ??
65% fadecorrection, desaturated by 30% then i resaturated again, this makes the less colorized parts in the image grey. Then i colorized the highlights with 'colorbalance' after which i resaturated again. Guess thats it... yeah i did it like that :o)
Oh and i darkened and added some contrast at some point as well...(brightness -40, contrast +5) ;o)

Have a great evening !!
Jeroen

Message edited on: 05/27/2005 11:42

Thanks, Jeroen!!!!!! I have absolutely NO idea what fade correction is...a photoshop thing? well, no matter. we have some kind of PS elements i think. kemal will install it on my computer in a few weeks. i'm gonna work on this...try to achieve this. it's definitely one i'll come back to!!!! Thanks a bunch!!!!!!! :)

No sheila its paintshop pro, but i translated it myself lol since i have a dutch version ;o) Effects / photo enhanchement (or something like that) / 'fadecorrection' is right above manual colorcorrection... i translated all the names but i think you can find it now... :o) Gotta go now... Hugs, Jeroen

Seems like you've been getting lots of good advice on this topic so there is nothing I really need to add. We do project our own thoughts into the pictures we take, so sometimes it is hard to be objective.

As promised, here is the similar shot I took some years back. Great minds think alike! ;) ((the original was black and white)) (((I know, shouldn't have centered it, hahah)))

Message edited on: 05/27/2005 12:12

Wow!!!!! Amazing how similar they are!!!!!!!!!! i love how the leaf is touching the lamp post. i like how it's tilted. only have a minute...on my way to work. will let this one soak in and process it...write more later. the color....i'll respond to that later...tell you my impressions. is this one in your gallery? yep, Kort...i think you're right! GREAT minds think alike!!!!! :) thanks for posting!!!!!! later....gotta run....

Have "fun" at work. No, this one isn't in my gallery.

this one touches me...leaves a big impression on me. if it was in your gallery this would be my comment: i see this an image depicting a message of peace. you chose a shade of red that reminds me of spilled blood. but there's also hope in this image....the way the sky is opening up and the way the leaf touches the lightpost. The lightpost...seens symbolic of our globe...our planet. Perhaps we will learn from our mistakes? dunno...but we can always hope for that...can always hope for a peaceful world. i think this one would be perfect for Memorial Day...to honor those who have been slain and who have fallen...and to reflect on what we can LEARN about their sacrifice! thanks for posting, Kort!

I am not yet experienced enough to offer you photogrpy tech support. they all look beautifulto me...all unique and special in their own ways. Jeff :-)