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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 2/20/2007
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Hi Andre!
Exactly! This is what I mean when I say that it is better to try to get rid of the overwhelming state and try to keep some distance to the scene, looking at it quite neutral, thinking of the composition as it will appear on the photo and forget the rest. It is not an easy thing to do since nobody can be completely neutral. After all we are influenced by what we see and it is this influence that makes us take photos. But it is a good thing to try to do. Getting influenced and being overwhelmed is the source of the photographic action, but its flow should be cool thinking and considerations about the composition. Much like a painter that gets overwhelmed by, say, some expression on a face, but then tries to paint it in the most distinct way thinking about colors, shapes, etc. It is much like writing a story. The best plots avoid characters that are not necessray for the evolution of the story from its start to the its end.
So, perhaps a foto could be considered as some kind of "simultaneous" story that contains anything between the start and the end on the very same page. Such stories are of course more difficult to follow since the whole plot is present at a single moment of time. And so any superfluous "characters" are better to be eliminated in order to make the plot clearer and more understandable. Or else the message gets "fuzzy".
My ancestors in ancient Greece stated once: Not in the plenty is the good, but in the good is the plenty. I think they hit the nail on its head. And they didn't have even pinhole cameras at that time! :-)
Have a nice day and many many thanks for your steady meaningful comments.
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 2/20/2007
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Hi Nick,
I think it does make a difference. Sometimes a little less in the image can be very effective to help a viewer concentrate on the main idea.
Someone here, (I can't remember who) described this phenomenom of including extras in our shots very well. He says it usually happens when the photographer becomes overwhelmed with the subject. It understandably happens a lot when people first start shooting nudes, flashy cars or wildlife. They get so flustered and nervous and try so hard to concentrate on all the good things about the subject and end up ignoring the odd things in the surroundings. So then you end up with a portrait with a telephone pole sticking out the back of a head that you didn't even know was there when you took the shot. :) We have all done this from time to time :)
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 2/18/2007
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Many thanks for the kind comment, Nilanjan. Well, indeed there is much tree and leaves in Switzerland, and nature is allowed to be nature in many places, but there is also the opposite in many towns. Anyway, I am glad that Lucerne somehow manages to balance between the needs of humans and the needs of nature. Something very special to see that urban life is really possible hand in hand with nature.
Best wishes and thanks again,
Nick
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 2/18/2007
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Thank you for the nice comment, Raissa!
Best wishes,
Nick
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Nilanjan Mitra
{K:12955} 2/17/2007
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this is what is swis beauty all about :) very well captured nick...
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p p
{K:1765} 2/17/2007
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Tnx! Nick
Is nice to see you and i like your picture.
Nice shot!
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 2/17/2007
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Hi Andre and thanks a lot for your detailed comment and the idea about composition. I find it indeed much mich better this way - see also attachment.
I do crop many times, though. But still, a photo that doesn't need additional crop does have something special for me. It's like being perfect - if there can be such a thing.
Back at the time when I shot this one, I was not used to really forget about the rest and see the world only through the view finder. Of course I did look through it but the next step was to forget about what I had seen priorly to looking through the view finder. And I was also much too quick when deciding to press the shutter button. I think i was much too influenced by colors and not really also by composition - which is the more active part. Of course now I do use many helps for composition, including similar frames like those you described, but for some of those photos of the past I still can't find out what is not so good on them.
So it is very nice to have additional opinions since the suggested croppings allow conclusions about "cropping" at shooting time, composing, in order to aceess that kind of "perfect composition" that doesn't need any scissors later on.
Such things, like for example your suggestion, are for me the most important part here, since they can be taken as some kind of "photography lesson". I only wish we had more of that here - you know, instead of only "great image". :-)
Bets wishes and many many thanks again,
Nick
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Andre's crop/composition suggestion |
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 2/17/2007
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Hi Nick,
An okay shot over-all, but since you mention you are not happy with the composition, I'll make a suggestion.
You could crop away a bit on the left to eliminate that little brown rectangle on the fence. Also you could cut away some from the top to eliminate most of or all of the dark branches.
These changes would present a much simpler composition. Good or bad... depends on the viewer?
I know you like to use the entire "taken" shot for your images, so the composition is very important in the viewfinder of the camera. It is a good habit to be in because then you are going to get the best possible quality out of the negative.
One of my instructors years ago taught us a little common trick that goes back to the turn of the 20th century. We had a field trip and were armed with blank, cut-out 5x7 mats/empty frames. The idea is that you look for images to take and look at them through your blank frame at arms length. Then you attempt to take the same image with the camera. It is an old composition technique that really helps to eliminate unwanted items from an image. I remember this being a lot of fun at the time with about eight of us all going around pointing our empty frames at everything in the city, looking for just the right shot.
Also good for landscapes and woodland scenes, especially when you have time to compose.
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 2/16/2007
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Thank you for your kind comments, Riham!
Well, as already said, for this one I have some doubts about composition, but it is still OK to me.
Best wishes,
Nick
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Riham Essam
{K:4931} 2/16/2007
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Amazing view ...!!
and so romantice
Thanks for ur visit
& ur kind comments :)
Best Regards,
Riham Essam
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 2/16/2007
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Many thanks for your encouraging words, my friend Leo!
Have a nice day,
Nick
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Leo Régnier Я£
{K:67696} 2/16/2007
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Very beautiful shot and colors Nick!!
Congrats my friend,
Leo
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 2/16/2007
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Thank you very much for the nice comment, Ralf. I have some problems with the composition here, but I like the light/colors very much myself too.
Best wishes and a nice day my friend.
Nick
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Ralf Denguth
{K:3353} 2/16/2007
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Like the light and colors in your picture! Very well done my friend! Many greetings, Ralf
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