'The Diagonal'

A workman loads a beam from torn down construction for possible

recycling. Note the very strong diagonal, as well as other lines. Your

ratings, critiques and observations are invited and most welcome. If

you rate harshly, very critically, or wish to make a remark, please

submit a helpful and constructive comment; please share your

photographic knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks!

Enjoy! john

Hi John

Good shot! Opportunity, white/gray balance, contrast, textures, sharpness and brigthness. Best regards. Roldao.

Hi,

A shot like this may not be 'magic' but sometimes it's fun just to take technically and visually interesting shots as a challenge.

In other words, to transform the mundane world around us by using vision and the capabilities of the camera (and processing as you note) to make something compelling to look at, though it has no 'message', no 'magic' or special 'anything' but just being an example of how to take a good photo from literally almost nothing.

I especially like your critique because although it points out many good things about this photo, by what it leaves out, (what I mention above as manquee), it helps illustrate the point I am making here.

Thanks for a helpful critique.

john

John (Crosley)

A great capture,impressive!Great effect!

Your photo reminds me a statues complex named:The blinding of cyclops Polifemo.

Compliments and best regards from Italy.

It looks like a bayonet attack!

What a Great Analogy.

Very often I try to find a way to show a diagonal in an otherwise static subject, because in its own way it bisects the rectangular or square frame into two triangles, and as you may be aware, the triangle is absolutely the most dynamic geometric shape.

We are most used to seeing the horizon and things in parallel to the horizon such as building floors, ceilings and roofs, as well as street curbs, streets, center lines etc., and other things so often are at right angles to the horizon, so in our vision, diagonals are somewhat more rare.

Visually, a diagonal such as this leads the eye directly from foreground to background.

I've many times written about the complexity of the 'S' curve which so well draws the viewer into the photo, and its near variant, the front to back 'C' curve, and I'll have to say that when a diagonal leads from front to back, it belongs in that company.

Armed with that understanding, as an exercise when shooting, one can literally 'construct' a photo to be dynamic photo that engages the eye and literally draws the eye into the photo e.g., using the 'S' curve (classic), the 'C' curve, and now the front to back 'diagonal'.

That's one reason why this critique forum (my comments and others') are so important, and your comment is so dear to me.

Notice that the statute illustration literally prescribes a right triangle, which is an excellent use of geometry in composition in my view, as the spear is used as the long side of the triangle.

Thanks loads.

john

John (Crosley)

You ARE inventive!

And you're right in your analogy.

Thanks for your contribution.

john

John (Crosley)

You seized the moment here as the man had balanced his piece of timber like a javelin to project it into the waiting truck.I like that the man is smiling and how you so skillfully cheat the horizon like in many of your shots to turn out this excellent image.Again...Bravo!

Meilleures salutations-Laurent

What a wonderful way with words.

He's holding the beam 'like a javelin', balancing it ready to throw into the truck.  I had not through so deeply into my own photo.

I've 'cheated the horizon' -- wonderful words.

Yes, indeed, left and right, the horizon is 'cheated', but in the centermost area, the vertical is indeed vertical (see building) and that shows not only was I aiming first and foremost to emphasize and capture the line as a diagonal, but also to try to preserve the relationship to earth's center, but this was taken probably with a 10-24 mm lens at the 10 mm setting of likewise with a 12-24, mm lens and same applies.

You get a gold star for writing an outstanding critique, regardless of whether you had praised or panned the photo, by your great choice of illustrious and very descriptive words to describe to me, the photographer, what I had mostly glossed over.

I'll be more aware in subsequent photos now of just those points, and once again, you've proved the worth of putting up photos (especially 'street' photos for critique.

Thanks so much.

john

John (Crosley)

Correction.

x x x I had not thought so deeply about my own photo. x x x  

is how the second paragraph should read.

The editing window closes far too fast; the phone rings, someone's at the door, or PN refuses to respond and voila, no editing possible without making a new, corrective post like this one.

john

John (Crosley)

I had understood!

Meilleures salutations-Laurent

I appreciate it so much when you take what I know is the enormous trouble to comment.

Thank you so very much.

john

John (Crosley)