Threads

Certainly an excellent representation of something that is more than its material components. The cloth that represents a nation - excellent themefit.

 

While i find the idea to be great I am not a huge fan of the composition utilized. I would either want to see a tighter 'abstract' type shot, without the use of scissors, thimble and pins while also losing some or all of the table or a more documentary shot with a wider angle, maybe with someone working on the article. On my monitor though i must say i think the focus, DOF, sharpness and overall exposure are excellent.

 

Nice one PT

Excellent theme fit. I have been thinking of quilts for this assignment but you've bettered that idea. Well done there.

 

Like Darrell I'm not so keen on the composition. For me there is too much of the red zone in the foreground. I'm quite happy however with all the other elements here. So I offer a simple crop to decrease the weight of the red zone. One other small thing: I'd prefer to see the scissors a bit to the left and down, over the brightest lit zone of the table top.

 

Once again, great idea.

Sorry PT, my comment was a bit too hasty. I want to add that I like the way you have used the table top to include a strong diagonal (repeated in the way the strips of cloth lie across the frame) and also to break up the strong colours of the flag pieces which would be too strong without that break IMO. The scissors, thimble and pins add interest and context.

 

So for me the problem with composition is the big red zone. I like the rest.

Mmmm... what the others said.

 

What I dislike most is the table, and the reflection of hte overhead light on the table. The brown surface of the table is too close to red, imho.

 

And me too I would have prefered something more abstract, something more close-up so we can see some of the texture of the cloth used.

 

I do realise that such comments are a) very personal and b) are not about this shot, but about I shot that I would have taken. So perhaps not all that usefull - sorry.

 

The concept is great, though. Wish I'd have thought of that.

 

Regards,

 

Tom

The composition is almost wonderful. As was previously noticed, there's too much red in the lower right, and the scissors and thimble are too centered. A slight re-arrangement of the elements of this picture would make all the difference. One thing makes me very curious, though, and that's the large white border. I'm scratching my head wondering what that's all about.

 

And welcome back, Darrell. I hope you enjoyed your time away, and expect you to enliven this forum as you had before you left.

Not in the literal sense that we as photographers think but in the emotional sense. I have gotten so far away from the technical aspects of photography lately that I am unsure if my comments even help here on PT anymore. I look more for the soul of an image. If I don't feel it then I fall back on technical stuffs and try to find a reason why the image isn't present for me.

 

This works for me on a purely emotional level. I don't know about the red or centered objects as others have mentioned because (IMO) it just doesn't matter. Considering the theme, the message is all that matters here. I don't find the compositional issues to be hindering enough to the image to take away one smidge of emotion.

 

Just my take. I think this just nails it. If I had time to shoot for the theme this month I wish I could come up with something this good.

 

Dave

Thanks for the comments on this. They have all been taken to heart. I liked this project but was not completely satisfied with this layout. I tried many and still have the components lying in wait for more inspiration. Am also uploading another I think works a bit better.

 

This first layout was produced following the idea that your subject shouldn't be centered. The scissors and thimble can't be removed thought as the photo is about the making of the flag and this requires the scissors pins and threads. The threads run through it literally and symbolically.

 

Its like Betsy Ross's table at break time!