We Have Been Waiting for You

Wonderful, dream shot. Great colors and reflections. I amazed about the reflections of light here. Composition is exceptional too. Really inspiring with elegance.

Please note the following:

 

This image has been selected for discussion. It is not necessarily the "best"

picture the Elves have seen this week, nor is it a contest.

 

Discussion of photo.net policy, including the choice of Photograph of the Week should not take place here, but in

the Help & Questions Forum.

 

The About Photograph of the Week page tells you more about this

feature of photo.net.

 

Before writing a contribution to this thread, please consider our reason for having this forum: to help people learn

about photography. Visitors have browsed the gallery, found a few striking images and want to know things like why is it

a good picture, why does it work? Or, indeed, why doesn't it work, or how could it be improved? Try to answer such

questions with your contribution.

 

I think is a beatiful shot, very good light and wonderful compotition and colors, congratulations

Nice composition and lighting, overall. I see the rule of thirds applied here to good advantage. It is an attention

grabber of a photo, however I find myself falling off the floor as we approach either the left or right lower corners.

Especially the lower left. I tried cropping away that portion, but It didn't stop the distortion so evident in this image. I

know distortion comes with wide angle lenses, but I think PhotoShop could reduce the problem.

 

Congratulations for being selected and I thoroughly enjoyed viewing your landscapes. Some really nice work there.

 

Willie the Cropper

I think this is a really beautiful photo. I love the light, other worldly feel and the softness of the arches.

The exposure is fantastic. The

only thing I can see that I don't care for is that the top of the closest arch has been cut off. However, I'm

not sure if that could have been

avoided. Indoors can be a challenge. You did a great job on this!

 

Katherine

At first glance this photo really grabs you. After studying it for a while, there are a few things that bother me. Whatever appears to be projected on the screen at the back is distracting, I don't particularly like the random lighting of the arches, and I agree with Mr. Tate about the distorted floor at the bottom corners.

 

I do like the way that the tile pattern leads you into the photo where you eventually meet the table. Even though there are elements that I dislike, no photo is ever perfect. All-in-all this one is very good and deserving of our attention.

I have to confess that I didn't notice the distortion in the corners at first. I just reacted to my first impression of the photo. I would agree that it could be distracting. Certainly in serious interior architectural photography one would want to probably minimize that type of distortion, if not avoid it entirely. That being said, I don't necessarily dislike it. I think it might depend on the original intent of the photo in the first place. If you were looking at this in an architectural type magazine, then the distortion would be undesirable. If the intent was to create a more surreal type scene, then it could contribute to the overall feel of the photo.

 

Upon closer inspection, I do think the screen in the back competes with the desk just a little bit. The varied lighting bothered me at first, but I don't mind it now. I also like how the arches are all just slightly different from each other.

Great composition and well exposed.

you certainly have not been waiting for me sir, however, the use of light is excellent in this composition, making it worthy of discussion.

Here's some much needed information. Yes it was taken at 17mm using a 17-40 f4l and a 5D. The camera was placed on a tripod as close to the wall as I could get it, lining up the camera was a spirit level and taking the camera on and off the body to check composition as I couldnt even look through the viewfinder. I had to press the button and stand in an alcove to avoid being in the shot. Many of the improvments would not have been possible (like removing the 40inch screen!). But I am glad you like it, its here to be discussed, not honoured.

of course David is a master of his craft and this image is very nice too, but i find myself having issues with the floor: it doesnt look as one could stand on it, it seems to lean heavily to the front. of course i know this is caused by the height of the camera (i frequently catch myself making this mistake);

 

do you think this couldve been improved by choosing a lower standpoint?

Seems like interior architecture is popular with the elves these past two weeks. That said I can see why as both the

previous and current photo of the week are worthy of this forum. Firstly, I'd like to say the title for this photo is clever

and well chosen. Secondly, the use of natural and artificial light in this pic is fantastic and well captured with good

exposure, tones and perspective. Given the texture colours in this photo (white or lightly coloured consistent walls

and ceiling) the definition of lines (arches and alcoves) through the use of light rather than texture is also well

captured. The table draws the viewer into the background well, but doesn't take anything away from the room as a

whole. Well done on that David. Most people would place a chair behind the table, however it's omittance here is a

perfect choice as it would have been too distracting. good job Dave, thanks for sharing

I agree, this is a lovely shot of a very beautiful room. A credit to David, and of course to Mr. Gaudi. Does anyone have advice on how to deal with the floor distortion in shot like this?

Like your perspective, geometric patterns and tones... When I fist looked at the image, my first thought was the light in the background may have been too harsh. The more I studied the image, I realized (in my opinion) that the lighting being soft in the foreground and brighter in the background really enhanced the image! In fact, the lighting is the strongest element of the image that held my attention. Overall, Beautiful Composition!!! Congrats David, Job Well Done! Best wishes, Glenn.

The shot grabbed my attention immediately. It's very well done in exposure & composition. The subject matter is pretty unique. Personally, I would have preferred to see t curve of the first arch finished, instead of cropped. I would find the arch's sweep more interesting & would have gone with just a little less floor

Having attempted a similar shot in Gaudi's Casa Batllo my self ( http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=7495365), I can fully understand the troubles occurred. Your shot is a pleasure to look at; the coloured approach seems to work better than the subtle B&W tones I used.The composition is impeccable and a real tribute to Gaudi's genius. That said, I would like to salute a young Master in Landscape photography and applause your achievements so far . Your article in AP (November 22) was a revelation. Warm compliments and respectful regards. Chris Panagiotidis

Very nice perspective in this shot. Excellent light and soft color tones. The table at the end is nice eye catcher. and yes, there is some distortion in this photo which could've been corrected. thanks, Vandana

I dont think I could have got a better perspective by shooting from a lower angle, its as far back as I could shoot and the placement of all the elements was quite critical. As I said earlier I wish I had the Nikon 14-24 lens on my Canon like I have now, it would have been even more amazing to shoot this scene at 14mm and get that top arch in the shot, but alas it wasnt possible. You can read about it on my website if you like.

 

The floor, which others have mentioned, is just a disadvantage of shooting at such a wide perspective. The image has been corrected for barelling using PTLens. What most people would rather see is the image shot from further back with a longer focal length like 28mm for instance. This would eliminate the stretched look entirely, but again alas it wasnt possible, the camera was as far back against the wall as it could go. Its an attic space. Sometimes getting the shot is the most important thing.

 

Anyway keep all your thoughts coming, I am very pleased to read them and answer any questions.

I love the perpective and this photo of course. I can see how David placed the camera setup as far back as he could, going the extra mile of using a level (or why not micro adjustments and shoot this 5 times and Horizon Level in Photoshop?).

 

Nice composition, clever title, superb exposure combine to make this a winning shot. The screen at back adds to the mystery imposed by the title. However, the "JaoLen"? signature at lower left is distracting.

Superb ..... I was there for many times but never I didn't see this place like this ..empty and pure ! Fantastic mood ...

Its supposed to say my name... it turned into an arty squiggle when I realised I was a rather unimportant 15 year old.

Love this much.

Purity and simplicity mean for me elegance and harmony.

You got all of this in this image.

A treat for my eyes even if there is a kind of tiny distorsion, afterall the Gaudi's arcades are already "distorted"... :-))))

Really well captured showing a superb architecture beautifully with a sweet lighting.

Regards.

I agree with all the comments David Clapp gets here underlining the good professional work this photo exhibits in line with many of his

other photos in his portfolio or on his web site. All very very impressive and far beyond what I'm personally able to realize in

photography. Much to learn !

 

I find however that there is one question which the POW invites us to put forward: Why was it taken ? What does it tells us ? Why does

it grasp our immediate attention ? That was three questions, I admit, but there is surely more to this photo than its technical perfection,

its eventually technical flaws and the challenges related to shooting it. It is not like so many others of David's photos, and especially his

nature scenes, which are obviously spectacular with a shared beauty that attracts the viewer, but which in my eyes do not provoke

much further reflection or questioning.

 

Here we have a scene with an intriguing title: We have been waiting for you !!! One table, no chairs but a white bench, a screen with an

unreadable message in faded colours, chains at the wall, strong white walls, soft bows of the modern architecture and then the floor that

is as hard as the white colour of the walls. Is all this understandable to the viewer ? Does it give meaning ? Is it worthwhile reflecting on

who is waiting for who and why ?? Or is it all there for its forms and technical photographic challenges ? I believe the latter is the case,

but I find it a pity because the talents of the photographer are obviously present but his photos and maybe this in particular would be

even more interesting if the scenes have more to deliver and communicate to the viewer apart from immediate beauty and aesthetic

qualities and the admiration that he managed to answer by 7/7 the challenges of the task he set himself.

 

Having said that I continue to admire the photos of David Clapp and congratulate him with this POW

I have to second Anders, though I am strictly an amateur: this photo shows me how very much I have to learn.

 

I frankly cannot see any real weaknesses in the image. Short of going down to 14mm, I don't know how one might have gotten the full effect of the nearest arch. I love the airy openness of this shot. Sometimes one shoots a beautiful subject and comes away with a rather miserable representation of it, but in this case the mastery of the architect is matched by the mastery of the photographer.

 

Frankly, I am just sitting here in awe. I have been wanting to comment all week but simply have not known what to say. Finally, I can only say this, that this is one of a very small handful of photos that have been named Photo of the Week that are almost beyond any conceivable improvement. As for the floor, I love it. I love everything about this photo. Great work, David.

 

--Lannie