What changed: After many suggestions I kept the 3:2 ratio but cropped in to eliminate unneeded space to the left of the shed and sky in the upper right-hand corner, and I sharpened the image to emphasize the structure’s wooden framework. And lastly I decreased the overall white and brightness to better balance the overall image. I think this is a much stronger photograph given that the subject is more prominent drawing your eye toward what is most important. THANKS to everyone for your comments! tm
Added after receiving feedback from the community.
The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical
About This Image
This shed may be close to 100 years old. It was semi-restored by its owner of a very large equestrian ranch. The peaceful nature of this scene drew me into think about what it must have been like to live nearly a century ago.
Feedback Requested
The shading of light was of good contrast from light to dark that also added some contrast to the image.
Tom, this is a quiet scene about contemplating life “back then”. I do think that having the house further left in the frame would look good, depending on what’s out of view on the right (or cropping to 4x5 from the left). As presented, the majority of interest is in the right 2/3rds of the view with the main visual balance between the jump and the house.
Pleasing little scene which does evoke silence. I think I would crop to get rid of the bright sky, which is an eye catcher and move the shed further to the left on a third. JMHO
What a gem to find! You can’t help but stop and think about what life was like and the stories that old place could tell. I agree with moving the house further to the left with a crop. Nice image!
Tom, it’s a very interesting place worth a photo session, thank you for sharing. You were right making the old shed the main object of the image and making the jump and remains of the fence a decoration balancing the composition. I would like to focus my eyes on the main object, therefore I would crop off all the redundant elements: a part of the forest on the left, a part of the bottom, most of the sky. I’m attaching my crop. I would also add some expressiveness to the whole image by slight dehazing, increasing clarity and contrast, I have played with all three of them but maybe it’s not neccessary. I have also turned up sharpness a bit. Then I have darkened a little the yellow grass and the shadow on the jump (the latter is not neccessary). Finally I have emphasized the walls (only the walls) of the shed through increasing contrast and clarity. I don’t know which editing software you use, I was able to play with expressivenes of the whole image through tightening the levels with just one slider instead of three. My Processing Example is not exactly what I was targetting, it’s only what I could do with a downloaded jpeg file. I hope I have not interferred with your image too much.
Thank you, Jacek for taking such time to reorder this photo! You and others have shared the same type of cropping and color shading recommendations which I truly appreciate. I think I like very much what you have done to the photo. I know I was greatly influenced thinking of Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth and trying to capture that same separation of FG to BG; but I do see how a much tighter cropping provides a stronger focus on the subject. So thank you again for your excellent thoughts! tm
This certainly is a neat little find and feels like a wonderful slice of Americana. The construction and materials of the shed seem to show us of how life could have been from a bygone era. My only suggestion has already been mentioned by my brother @Michael_Lowe. I also think the soft subtle light works beautifully in this scene. Very nicely done.
Thank you, Ed. Thinking back I have concluded I was so taken by the moment I wanted to take it all in! It really was a wonderful experience. I appreciate your reaching out and of course, your brother Michael!
tm
@Michael_Lowe nailed what I was thinking Tom, so I’ll second his crop. I don’t know if this is property you can wander on, but working that shed (my favorite part of the image) more without the foreground might be fun.
Tom: I’ll echo the others regarding the sky and making it go away. Faced with this same scene I think I would have taken a few steps to the right to give the jump a bit more room and perhaps to eliminate the part of the fence exiting the frame on the right. It is certainly a worthy subject and like old cars I wonder what they looked like on the showroom floor and the sense of happiness they produce when brand new. While the shed isn’t all that spectacular of a structure I suspect there was a significant sense of accomplishment when it was built and finished. Nicely seen and presented. >=))>
This is most certainly a quiet and tranquil scene. The old cabin also certainly conjurs up thoughts of the earlier days - and what or how many stories are within those walls. Nicely seen and captured.
I can’t offer any suggestions beyond what has already been mentioned. I like Michael’s crop and Jacek’s processing adjustments.
I’m not sure if you said there was access, but I’m betting there are a few interesting details in and around that shed. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Tom,
Lovely little house. There are dozens of these in the mountains of Appalachia. I saw them in Western Maryland and West Virginia all the time. They look like sheds now, but based on the chimney, they were probably a 1 room home at some point, or at least a little workshop.
I like the revision. I’m undecided about keeping some of the sky. It does give us a sense of the conditions, but it also draws the eye a bit.
Either way you look at it, a wonderful find. If it’s near where you live, I would be inclined to go back for Fall foliage and maybe snow, if you get any in that neck of the woods.
ML
Thank you, Marylynne for your thoughts. I have felt somewhat betwixt with cropping out the sky and the deeper foreground but I saw the improved impact by a tighter subject focus. It seems there are two versions: one that is just for the feeling of the moment and the other is to capture the greatest impact; so I guess what I’m saying is I like them both!
tm
