What technical feedback would you like if any?
How does the exposure work for you?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any
Any pertinent technical details:
1/80 sec at f/7.1, iso 320.
A private cemetery on an old plantation which is now an 8000 acre wildlife preserve in South Carolina.
Hey there Larry. My honest first impression is that I’m unsure what the main subject of this image is or what story it is trying to tell. To me, the contrast between the hanging moss in the light and shadow is the most interesting part, or perhaps the gravestones as well, but I don’t think either of them grab my eye enough. I was thinking that a stronger image from this scene would fill up the frame with the main subject (perhaps by getting closer) and with light from a different time of day that helps to tell the story you want to communicate (say, a graveyard at dusk would be pretty spooky and make me reflect on the end of the day and life on earth). I hope that’s helpful advice.
Hi Brent. The scene is a forgotten cemetery in the midst of Southern woods. I thought the lighting variation was interesting, as well as the tree to the left which adds a sort of framing to the image. If I could change one thing it would be sharper focus on the gravestones.
Thanks for the feedback.
Larry,
I like what you’ve seen and captured. While the cemetery element is small, your framing does work such that the cemetery and headstones help tell part of the story. The trunk/branch on the left is dark and heavy, but you’ve included enough to work well in framing the scene. I also like the silhoutted vs. lit Spanish mosses giving the scene a bit of depth.
I do have a couple of minor suggestions to help tighten up the comp. Some work on the far right as I think the very light tree could be burned down quite a bit. Also, I would crop in some from the right to eliminate the fall color that draws the eye a bit. In general, the right is a bit heavy; although it does contribute to framing the scene, so don’t want to lose it entirely. I guess it’s easier by showing rather than describing. Also, burned down the grass a bit. Small changes, not sure if they fit your vision or not.
BTW, this does have a “Southern charm” to it. I like it.
I like the idea here showing the mystery of the place. I can see where you were going with tree on the left, and the bush on the right framing the monuments. The large branch on the left throws the compositional balance off, to my mind. You might consider cropping it out entirely, and try to pull at least a little detail from the heavy darks on the right.
I really like the Spanish moss and the monuments–that is what you might consider making the point of interest.
–P
Wow! An 8,000 square mile wildlife preserve? That’s mighty large. Spanish moss can often make for excellent compositional options, and you certainly have loads of that in the frame. Seems you were fortunate to shoot it in calm conditions, as often the slightest breeze messes up the placid aspects of moss. For me that large tree, rather than helping to frame the comp, tends to disrupt the image. It might have been different had it not been in complete shadow. Cemeteries can make for really interesting subjects, and as it seems this was your intent, if possible and assuming accessibility, I would have walked into the frame some, eliminating the large LH tree, also eliminating the dark bush at bottom right, in order to show the gravestones with more prominence. I note that there is also what appears to be a very old fence, which could make for a nice component.
Oops, that should have been 8000 square acres.
Thanks
I appreciate all the comments. It is helpful to know how other people view this image as opposed to how I view it.
What I saw when I walked up to this spot was a well-lit area framed by darkness created by the tree on the left, Spanish moss up above, and the bush on the right. To me, it was like looking through a window. The cemetery was the focal point, but everything in the view was important and added to the image in my mind.
One thing I would like to do, though, is take down the grass in the foreground.