"no.....it's beyond a flat tire"
by Bus352

Comment:
Congrats! What a mess, and good capture of it. :)

Infinite Possibilities
by BeeCee

Comment:
Congrats on your first ribbon and a new personal best!

Houston at night!
by scarbrd

Comment:
Thanks for the story! It's a great shot, too. Err ... great couple of shots. :)

Duck 42
by Art Roflmao

Comment:
LOL.

I should've known you'd come up with something from the thread!

Crayon Go Round
by Tuckersmom

Comment:
Thanks for showing how to take everday items and make an eye-grabbing picture.

In particular, the off-center shot. Many people here score in the low 5s and upper 4s partly because they put together something with potential and then shoot it straight on.

The angle here not only makes it more visually interesting, but it gives the illusion of being a 3-D amusement park ride. :)

Forgotten and over grown
by Phillydigishooter

Comment:
This is a nice photo of an old building. I'd say your score reflects that.

But it's a pretty straight-on shot, with minimal visual interpretation. There's nothing breathtaking about it, and your score also reflects that.

Finally, when I first saw it, I thought "oh, a nice cottage in the woods." And that conveyed emotions of happiness. Whereas your title indicates you were going for abandonment. That stronger emotion needs a photo that grabs you or jangles your nerves.

There are two or three things you could try differently here to better convey abandonment. Two mean reshooting it, and the last means reprocessing it.

All of these are aimed at conveying stronger emotions.

1) Try a different angle. Low down along one wall, looking up diagonally. Looking down the length of the porch. Stepping back some and almost losing the outline in the trees. Those are just my ideas sitting here at my desk. Go try them out and try out anything else that strikes your fancy. Digital's wonderful for allowing you to play around.

Here's an example of something that'd be much less interesting straight-on:


2) Try different lighting arrangements. Even with the sun, you can vary it. For example, you could put the sun directly behind the chimney, which would darken the details, enhancing the dreariness. Or you could shoot from the inside looking out, like this pic:


I don't necessarily mean focus only on the window, but do you see how the brightness outside contrasts with the dim, emotionally draining interior?

3) Try this in B&W. I find that to convey negative emotions, esp. sadness, abadonment, despair, etc., B&W is terrific. Depending on the angle of the shot, you might be able to get a feeling of the trees looming over the house.

Look at this one, for example:


Those are just some ideas. Basically, they come down to trying angles, lighting, and post-processing beyond the typical "stand in front and shoot it" thing.

Message edited by author 2006-08-04 13:57:05.

Yellow Papilio Troilus
by TonyT

Comment:
Congrats on your new high score!

It's not easy being green on green...
by DrAchoo

Comment:
I voted this a 9. To me, the background was the grass. Perfect focus, great composition.

Pink Moon
by geekssweet

Comment:
Here's an example that might benefit from more "negative space." That means not cropping so tightly. Look at some of the results of the negative space challenges for some ideas. Here's one example:


Your image doesn't have the same vibrant background, but do you see how the large space away from the subject gives some interest?

The other main issue here is focus. You want the marble to be sharp and the background to be soft.

You also want to avoid the harsh "spotlight" effect of the lamp. My first entry suffered from the same problem.

Search Google for "light tent" to learn some things about lighting. I've been experimenting with many ways to diffuse lights, like pillowcases, tissue paper, and even my hands.

Putting the light to the side will not only hide its reflection but also create some drama with shadows. Long shadows coming out the side are more interesting than short ones directly behind. They also look deliberate.

Lit Stained Glass in Gold
by geekssweet

Comment:
I gave this a 6. I like the varied tones, and I like the red dot off-centered.