Phoenix Arizona 4 Windows at Sunset

Again, every few weeks I check the "ratings" and am surprised by

fairly low marks. This image is also one of my favorites. I've seen

images on photo net with higher marks than I'm getting that I

honestly don't think are as good. I've seen other images on photo

net that are astounding and perfectly and purely - art... and I'm not

quite at that level... some getting higher marks and some getting

riduculously low marks too!~ I don't get it. So when I saw this

forum.. I thought just maybe I could get some verbal feedback ... If

I think this is good.. and I continue to get neg. feedback... I'll at

least have something substantial to work on.... Thanks

I'd crop in much closer since the black, negative space between the windows and the edges of the print do nothing. Othwerwise, a wonderfull, graphical composition.

 

For future experimentation, I'm wondering what a couple of really focused, off centered flash pops aimed at the inside wall during an identical exposure would result in.

I think it is good as well due to its graphical nature. I am not so bothered by the lack of detail on the close inside wall. But what would really make this photo excellent is if the sun were hitting the distant building that is in the window. You have to remember, photographers are a lot of people that go to tremendous effort to make sure they have DETAIL in both their shadows and highlights. so when they see graphic photos like this one it takes awhile to warm up to it.

GO BACK and reshoot this with sun on the building.

See if YOU like it better. Kevin

I agree, it's a fine picture, and well exposed, too. The deep black works well as a frame, so I don't think a flash would yield better results: as for cropping, I'd cut also the two side windows, leaving only the door and the center window (actually, given the nature of the image, this is a composition matter, in that we are not talking about small details, but about 2 out of the 4 recognizable elements of the picture). One window is enough to show the blue sky opposed to the warm light of the sunset (sunrise?), and this also eliminates the big black areas to the left and right of the door. Keep shooting!

I love it! I might crop a little tighter but not a whole lot. I think the negative space adds to the shot. Congrats on a very cool image!

Beautiful composition. I loved the sky colors, the door, and the shilhuette fort at distance. Three different blue shades in skylight windows and sunset sky shade in door make the whole thing beautiful.

But somehow I feel the picture is too symmetrical, as if the picture is just showing three skylight windows and a door. I don't get any mood out of it. My eyes keep moving around back and forth on four subjects in black background. And I simply don't know how to correct it, because the architecture itself looks very symmetrical, so it's difficult to get something asymmetrical out of it. May be positioning camera at different location could help. But in the current picture I don't think father cropping is required. Instead how about keeping some more dark portion in left side (which you already cropped out)? Dark part at the top is good enough. That will make the picture little bit asymmetrical. In my mind, our natural tendency of eyes to go from left to right (perhaps that due to we read from left to right). So let some more dark part at left side, and subject at right side, which will let the eyes "fall" from dark part and stay at the subject composition.

 

BTW, did you try just taking only the the door (with fort shilhuette) with slightly longer lens?

 

Mary, It looks surreal. I'm thinking you intentionally left no detail on the inside of the building to give this effect. I do agree with the rest of the community, it could use a little cropping. I usually try to compose it as close to the finished photo in the viewfinder when I can.

I like both this picture and your icy tree, but in both I wish they were more asymmetrical. Putting the subject at or near dead center is something I like to avoid. This one would have been an even more interesting shot at a different angle through the opening, and the whole placed somewhere other than the center, maybe with slight interior wall illumination for more context/detail. Just a suggestion. It's a nice picture as is!

But I'm a little with Scott on this one. Either more cropping so there isn't so much black or maybe what I also though when I first saw it, a couple of flash pops to bring out a little detail in the walls, not to much as you wouldn't want the wall texture competing with the outside image but just enough to show shadow detail in there. Other than that I think this a great shot in the idea, well done

Your rating doesn't look bad now!

Terrific composition! Contrasting geometry and subtle repeating forms (the three squares and the three rectangles on the tower). An architectural cover shot!

Very nice shot. I like the exposure. Very creative and original. Crop a little tighter and frame it. That's my opinion.

 

Great composition and great colors. I think you nailed the exposure on this perfectly. Nicely balanced. Maybe if that building was framed more in the center along the horizon of the bottom window it would work better? Or maybe it's the one non symetrical element in the picture that makes it work? I don't know. Just something to think about.

what do you think of this? Although the original still looks good.. Just needs a tighter crop.

Thanks to all of you for your helpful comments and Thanks to Tom for cropping the photo - which was very helpful.... I feel like I'm in a photography class.. I've learned alot here.

To add to your comment re: learning - and you teach us a lot too, Mary. It cuts both ways..... This is a beautiful image as it stands. And on a completely different subject - I very much enjoy the candour expressed in the comments on your home page.

Beautiful...

I love the depth given by the light on the left window and the door...

Was it intentional to have a light blue sky on the upper right window ?

Congratulation...

The image is more pleasing to look at in the original format. There's more of a sense of something hidden in the darkness with the large expanses of black. Good calming photograph.

I have to agree with Neil. One of the things that drew me to this photo was the sense of depth and space. Those elements and it's graphic simplicity make this a wonderful image. In fact, you've made me rethink one of my pictures - I think I lost something in the cropping. Thanks.

As I told you in today's chat I _really_ do like this picture ... it somehow looks "painted" which matches my style (at least in most of my pictures)

 

Great sense of a nice view! Great work!

 

Ingo

I was wondering what this would look like with a little off the top, but Tom's example convinced me it is better as it is. The black negative space is a border, and serves wonderfully so, so no detail required. I also like the eccentricities of the off-center chimney and increasing light from perspective change around the windows. I think the larger dark space above lets the center of gravity sit a little lower, and just feels right.

 

Very well done.

composed very well

I like this picture. Nice composition, good lighting... simple and minimalism.

Fantastic picture, interesting light, wonderful colors and contrast, very well composed. I would crop the top get a square form.

I really like this photo just the way it is. The blackness seems to me to be of good proportion to frame the geometric/color subject. Toms cropping isnt bad either, but I like this just fine. I also dont think that any additional detail is needed - the simplicty of the shapes and colors work great, but then I tend to like shapes and patterns in photos. Nice work, D-

Very nice as it is.... with a strong potential of compostions just by cropping differently, I havent read all the comments, but this is the obvious thought all of us can have. This said I'm sure you havent just taken one single picture / or played later on on cropping yourself.... Jean