Celtic Cross & Rock.

Desperately seeking critiques....even the bad ones would be welcomed

with enthusiasm !! Thank you in advance.

Compositionally I like this and I like how the cross is a silhouette but there is detail in the rock. The foreground is a little distracting for me, though - there's too much detail to be black but not enough to see much.

AWESOME SHOT!!I LOVE MOODY SCENES @ DUSK!!!BUT I AGREE THERES NOT ENOUGH DETAIL IN THE BLACKS AT THE BOTTOM AND IT IS DISTRACTING.BUT I STILL LOVE IT!!!!!!(p.s. use the zone system and youll never have this problem again)

Hi,

I think that a too large part of the photo is dark. I understand that the silhouette is supposed to be dark, but in my opinion the composition would have been more effective and nicer if more details at the bottom would be visible or alternatively removed.

Also, ask yourself, when you take a picture, what you want to express, why and which visual elements and their interaction could maximize your message. Without rush! On a static subject you have all the time to think about it, after all,

 

best,

Marco

 

Thank you all so much for offering your valued critiques...beginners like me badly need this kind of constructive criticism . You are all quite correct about the detail in the dark area. When I viewed this photo on my P.C it was in a much smaller format and the 'debris' was much less obvious.... so, as you suggest I will have to use it or lose it !!

Go raibh mile maith agaibh.. FRANK

p.s., Megan ..I'm afraid I dont know what the "zone system" is ... perhaps you would kindly point me in the right direction on this one ( afterall, my ambition is to become a 'Improver'). Slan, FRANK

hello again,the zone system is a tool designed (by ansel adams) to help you to previsualize the densities on your film(b&w)wich then helps you to previsualize the densities/tonality in your prints,the zone system makes it possible to make a viable interpertation of a real object in terms of exposure,devolopment & printing,,in other words to see the finished print before exposing your film.....that was a deffinition from a hand out from a class i took (the best class ever) i'm not a super smart technical person but this technique really helped me take black and white photos(i used to extremely overexpose everything ,now i have controll) so basicly in black and white photography you have 10 "zones"a zone is a representive of a certain print value, just like a grey scale from black to white. it starts with "zone 0" total black in the print...."zone 1"first step above total black in a print with slight toneality,but no texture......."zone3"average dark materials and low values showing addaquate texture......."zone4"average dark foliage,dark stone or landscape shadow, normal shadow value for cacusian skin portraits in daylight.........."zone5"this is middle grey(or 18% grey)(simaliar to cement)when you take a meter reading (even if you use auto focus, or just use the meter in your camera),all light meters do is give you a reading for middle grey, but you can use this to your advantage (bear with me).......zone 6..avrage caucasian skin in daylight, light stone, shadows on snow in sunlit landscapes......zone 7..very light skin,light grey objects,avrage snow scene with accute side lighting.......zone 8 ..white with texture and delicate values,texture in snow or highlights on cacusain skin.....zone 9...white without texture approching pure white,compareable to zone 1.......&zone 10..pure white/paper white with no texture,a glare or a light sorce..........ok so here is a simple way to use this:(set your camera to manual mode) first compose your shot, second find the most important shadow area (or the darkest part of your photo) that you want detail in and meter it (if you are using the meter in your camera you have to fill the frame with it)(spot meters are the best way to use this,)if youve never used your meter before it should tell you how to use it in your manual---ok so take that reading (the meter will tell you the exposure for zone 5 middle grey)and stop down two stops(this puts it on zone3/black with detail)i hope this made sense