A Family of Houses

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.

Since no one else has said anything, I'll start it off. First off, I think the picture is well worth discussing. I like it, not that that matters.

My only question is the cropping. At first I was a little disturbed by the houses on the sides being chopped in parts by the frame.

I dragged the image over and tried cropping it a little more to include only entire structures. When this is done, there are too few (only 4) and the effect of repetition is lost.

So then I duplicated the houses on either side and made it wider. This is too static, so in the end, I'm back to thinking that the cropping of the houses is better at suggesting a sort of infinite series than showing complete houses would have been.

In short, I think that Sherwin has done very well.

 

With a horizontal series as a theme, I find the height of the sky confusing. Cropping down, maybe to a standard 2x3 proportion landscape emphasizes the horizontal progression of the houses. The extra height of the sky does create a tension or unease with the state of things.
The colors make for a comfortable winter scene, even to the houses matching the dormant grass. The horizontal line in the low center gives depth and invariably leads us to the houses. I'm still left feeling/wondering the sky is too tall. For what reason?

It is a strong horizontal subject matter and I feel the large sky works. You have the walkway adding a vertical element to it. All framed into a square format. I love the composition & minimalist element to this

I feel the amount of sky in conjunction with the foreground creates the vastness that this subdivision of cookie cutter homes has been placed. What is or was the intention of the developer? Are there more homes on the back side? If not, will the foreground be filled with homes? This is obviously in the mid west region of the United States. I am pretty sure of this because I think we are the only country where we allow developers to run wild.

Sherwin:

First and foremost, congratulations.

What primarily attracts me to this image is its perspective, with the sidewalk, which is unadorned on either side, leading vertically to the horizontal row of houses. The large area of sky, in my opinion, lends itself to, and dramatizes, the perspective. In addition, the color contrast is striking, which helps to reinforce the impact of the photograph.

My best,

michael

I personally find the image pleasing to the eye, however the sky does seem a bit overwhelming as it is in this image. I thought maybe with a different lens we might get a different prospective on the sky to make it more brilliant.
Could anyone suggest a lens that could do this? Like I said earlier, I like the image as it is, but I sometimes have this problem where the sky is overwhelming to what I really want the subject of the picture.
R. Preston

Sherwin, firstly congratulations and I definitely like your image. IMHO the cropping just plain works for this composition as some have already pointed out (and I like the scale of the sky).
The only point I wish to bring up is that after looking through your portfolio I noticed that all of your images are cropped exactly the same and wonder if this is due to upload restrictions, your personal tastes, etc...? I would hope this isn't a "default setting" which you may be restricting yourself with. Either way it seems to work in this case. JG

First of all: Thank you for the PotW opportunity!
Secondly: Thanks all for the great comments and feedback.
Here's the original photo (before the crop):

I actually like the original crop the best! I have to agree though that the sky seems a bit overwhelming.
Diane

Common sky, common road, what else have people who live here in common?

This question does not arise when I look at the original crop.

I love the beautiful blue sky with the clouds fading off, I think if you could crop some of the field and the sky, not much, it would look alot better. Other than that I like your photo.

There's a reason places like Kansas and all are called "big sky country". The picture is a great indicator of that sort of space -- and I like the original photo too!

I also prefer the original crop. I get a more clear idea of the vast flat empty feeling in front of the homes as well as a more impressive feeling of the lines from both the sidewalk and the sky itself converging to the horizontal line. Great colors!

I'll add my vote to the origonal image is the best. The clouds are more dramatic and the image is more alive. While the crop was nice and striking it looked a little too plastic. They both seem to say something a different though, both might be quite appropriate; just my favorite is the original by quite a margin.

the cropped version is graphically more powerful. the saturated sky against the earth tones is a strong combination. this is a solid image. I wouldn't change a thing. congratulations.

It looks cute, and well balanced but it's far too small. Hard to fairly critique a small 3.5" sqr. image. I don't understand WHY such small, potentially gorgeous images are even posted.

Was the photog's intent for a mini photo you can frame and put under a light switch plate?

Great composition. 1. cutting the houses at the edge gives the feeling that there are more houses there (rule of the visual design). 2. the choice of amount of space for sky and foreground in well thought out. 3. The colors are close to complementory. The image is original and has a special feel and simplicity. Congratulations, Jana

Kansas, eh? What do they say about New Jersey?

After reading JDM's comments above, I concluded that I liked your crop best. But now that I've seen the original, I think I prefer it. Either way, I think it was wise of you to show the partially cut-off houses at both margins. It makes a stronger image in my opinion. Nice work!

Well, it might now be apparent the problem with showing versions!

The original image seems to offer us several symbols/metaphors to ponder. First, we can't help but feel that this civilization represented here is overwhelmed by its environment. An isolated row of cookie cutter homes placed in the middle of (?)--we don't know. But the lack of houses either in front or beyond raises questions, as does the nature of this field and the path that divides the, now, two sides. The sky expanse seems to challenge the "American Dream" as does the sameness in style and color of these boxes.

I think the expanse of the sky presented here as the POW, Sherwin's crop, really makes us notice the sky more than the original and I do believe that this adds a charge to the symbolism. The limited number of houses and the angle of view here also leads us to see more similarities in the houses than the wider view gives. Also, the foreground has a sense of being bigger and more isolating in the cropped POW.

It was noted before, but I also felt that I wanted to see this a bit larger yet I know that it doesn't matter really, we deal with what is presented and maybe the size, preciousness of the piece, becomes part of the message.

So, I really liked this POW as soon as I saw it. I felt it was beautifully seen, loaded and a complete story full of questions--and then you posted the version! Well, when I first saw the original shot, uncropped, I have to say that I went for it. There is a greater elegance to the sky and a certain comfort in the proportions of the elements and the frame. I even started writing this thinking I might have to say that the uncropped version was better IMO, but I don't really think it is, it is just more comfortable and maybe a bit more predictable. It still holds many of the same qualities, but I don't think it challenges in the same way.

I personally don't like seeing version for the reasons we see here and just the idea that we need to learn to be decisive and committed to our images. Looking through portfolios and seeing color, black&white, cropped etc versions of the same image can be a learning tool, but at some point, and for me as a viewer, I think it is important to execute a vision. Here, I think the original cropped post has a power lost in the uncropped version--and just serves to confuse and dilute.

Finally, the only technical consideration would be, and one reason I wanted to see this larger, how well this blue sky would hold up in other media--like a print. It is almost electric here and it just makes me wonder if it needs to be toned down a bit. I see this a lot with digital and rarely does it translate well in print--or on screen generally.

Anyway, I love the image as posted as the POW. Nice job.

PS I don't know if this style is a new direction for you or not, but I do like it a lot and see some similar "vision" in the "The Beginning and The End" shot. These seem a little more individual than some of the other work. Good Luck!

Received some fantastic feedback here!

Thanks again to the Elves for posting to PotW.

John A - I appreciate the in-depth and insightful write-up you did. My intent was not to cause confusion with my posting of the original, but just to provide some insight into my cropping to square.

Ken Papai - I have had some of my photos used, without my consent, by others and claimed as their own, so I am a little weary of posting larger photos, without watermarks. In the future, I will try to make them a little bigger for photo.net. You can always see larger (and much more) of my photos on my online gallery (see my profile page for link).

Hi, I have one comment: one thing jumps to my eyes is that the horizon is not flat, that is the impression I have at least, that it bends from left to right. I have noticed this al the more as the picture is bery symetric ... Is it a visual effect, is it on purpose, or is it just my eyes ? I am curious about your answer.

I am not the follower of cutting off in square the rectangular frame. However in this case cutback is on good of picture.

Hi, This is maybe a lovely picture, but is too small to have a complete idea of its quality and what are things on it.
Just I can say I like the idea of symmetry.
Cheers
Marielou