This image was taken while exploring the ruin of a sheep enclosure at a derelict semi-desert farmstead. The thin blue tie could have blown in from inhabited labourers’ cottages on the hillside where goats cropped the dry brush.
I would like feedback on composition and exposure, plus any editing tips.
Sony RX100m6. 24-200mm lens. ISO 320. f7. 1/40sec. Edited in Lightroom
Hi Marian – Thank you for sharing this photo for my guest critique. Since you asked about the exposure, I think it looks pretty good, although I think you could brighten the file a bit. I also think the colors in the scene work nicely together with the yellow flowers and blue tie.
My first reaction with regard to the composition is that there is a lot going on in this scene—maybe too much. With the blue tie, rusted metal, flowers, and rocks in the background, I am not quite sure where to look. In my photography, I go for really simple scenes so I probably would have just photographed the flowers alone or would have looked for a consistent pattern of rusted metal that went from edge to edge without interruption, with maybe one flower poking through. When you are drawn to a scene like this in the future, my advice would be to work on simplifying and filling the frame with your main subject while trying to eliminate some details that might be distracting (like the big rock in the background and empty spaces, for example).
Forgive me for not responding earlier - like last year - to your helpful critique. I won’t offer excuses. I have taken your advice to heart - many thanks for it.
