travel Hangin out

I assume that you really do want to improve and that's the only reason I'm supplying my opinion.

First of all, the angle , the placement of the camera and the cropping are good. The stairs and that door in the background add to the sense of place and depth to the picture, and are given proper weight. As per the other elements - their placement is not that good. Ideally, the window should be more to the right, but obviously, you couldn't do anything about that. I would move the bicycle to the left and place it so that the front wheel partially obscures the stairs (about one third). That would yield more even weight-distribution, would fill up that empty spot of the wall and the wheel itself would add more to the 3-dimensional feeling. The loose wheel I would probably just lay flat on the ground close to the bottom right corner of the picture and move it away from the wall, closer towards the camera. Maybe I'd get rid of it altogether. As per the angle of the light - not good. Plus the sky appears to have been partially overcast and that's why the colors appear so murky and overall the objects lack definition. What you need in a photo like that is direct sunlight from a nice, low angle, coming down through cloudless sky. Want a truly remarkable photograph? Do everything I said plus find a white cat and have it sitting on those stairs looking at the camera.

Many thanks Yuri, for your very helpful comments. Everthing you say makes total sense. I will bear these in mind! Thanks!

Hi Liz,

Where do you find a white cat when you really need one...

Yuri is right about the stairs and the door giving depth. I don't mind the lighting so much. A partly overcast sky is usually more friendly.

I would've tried cropping from in between the orange shirt and red trousers. But keeping the same aspect ratio, the electrical lines and door light. As a result the bike would 'move' to the bottom right corner.

Arranging the objects isn't my thing. It either is nice enough for a photo or so nice it is worth recreating in a studio to achieve perfection?

Keep up the good work. Oh, and I almost forgot: lower the camera for a new perspective. As a dog would see the scene walking by. Added benefit: more out of focus street.

Regards, Nico



Many thanks Nico for your helpful comments.  I have to say that I am the same...I prefer not to interfere with my subject...i prefer to take the shot as the scene truly is. Every photographer is different though! I guess it makes it much more difficult for me to capture that white cat!

Kind regards, Liz