POTM [04/07] Old dog, new tricks

Trying to highlight the working heritage of the canal in contrast with the way it is used now..
click for bigger image.


comments/criticism welcomed

 

The picture doesn't exactly make it look like they're used as holiday boats, just like it's newer clothing. Shame you couldn't get one with someone lounging on top.

 

It seems that the midtones in the image wash out the rest of it. perhaps a bit more emphasis on the 'new things' in the image with a bit of grain added for the 'old' effect.

 

Looks good, however i think it'll be better in it's normal colors.

 

tried playing with a grain effect put still not got it right, however i can do the colour version.


Thanks for the feedback.

 

It's a nice composition, but I would have tried to get the vanishing point more towards the centre of the frame (else crop a bit off the left side).

It does indeed work better in colour --otherwise there is nothing to show that it is obviously in present day (if there was an obviously modern object in the picture, then a sepia tone would have worked as an ironic statement). It's a pity the people on the boat didn't wear anything brighter.

I would bump the saturation a little bit, and also lighten the mid-tones a little.

Also, a polarising lens filter works wonders in shots like these.

All this is just my opinion of course, and should not be taken any more serious than the ramblings of a mad tramp (buggrit!).

 

I agree with Nexxo, I'd have preferred something obviously modern (like someone riding a mountain bike along the towpath) to highlight the contrast. The people's clothing isn't easily distinguished enough. Even a UV filter would have darkened the sky a touch.

 

Thanks for the feedback, I'll have a play with the image when i finish work tonight.

I'm sure i did have a polarising lens filter on that day...

 

You may not have oriented it correctly. You need to rotate it depending on your direction of the shot relative to the position of the sun to get best effect. I sometimes forget myself.

 

i didnt know that, thanks

 

No prob. You'll notice that unlike other filters, a polarising filter has (or should have) a moveable ring that you can twist (which is separate from the ring that screws onto the lens).

This is kind of handy, because you can choose how much you want the sky to darken, or how much reflection you want off e.g. windows or water surfaces. In my shot Reflection and Contrast I twisted the filter so that the reflection in the glass was maximal; had I turned it by 90 degrees you would have seen no reflection at all.

 

i did wonder why that turned
ive only had my camera for about 2months and im very much still learning how to use it. Ive looked into doing a photography course at my local college, is it a good idea or is it just better to get out there and play with my camera?