17960

August,

Honestly, not quite enough for me. I would have taken the shot when the light was more directional, to try to raise the rivet points. I realize this might have been difficult, as you chose a very smooth surface to do a texture study. I would also be interested to see results in color and with more contrast. The corrosion on the fuselage is likely to have several tones of color in it, which would help.

my 2c.

I don't think you achieved your objective, but then considering the subject raised rivets (even slightly?) surely would be undesirable? I bet some poor Skunk Works tech spent hours sanding them down!

Nice original shot though, good application of the "rule of thirds". Cheers, Alex

I think I see what you were going for - but I have to say, I think there is more to be pulled out of this photo. I would suggest experimenting with printing this photo a grade harder - see if that does it for you. Perhaps a matter of a slightly lighter print, while still keeping the blacks at dmax.

Wait - is this print?

Thanks for your thoughtful comments, guys. This is probably the first pic I have submitted for critique that I wasn't sure I liked, and you've confirmed some of my misgivings.

This is a scan from an Ilford XP1 neg taken in 1991. So there is no possibility of adding color, although that is somewhat beside the point; I appreciate critiques from a what-you-could-have-done-then perspective just as much as a how-can-you-fix-it-now one. Alex is right that there is no raised detail to be caught by indirect lighting; however, maybe a late-afternoon color shot could have brought out the weathering better and also added some dimensionality. I can certainly continue to experiment with the contrast to see if I can get it to look more interesting before it starts to look artificial.