Pacific Coast Hayby
JPRComment by wewillexplore: Greetings from the Critique Club
Hey Jason! Fancy meeting you here!
Composition
I like parts of the composition here. The symmetry is wonderful (good job using what we learned from a previous challenge). However, I think the hay is the main interesting thing to look at and only takes up 25% of the surface of the picture. We have a great zoom, and I would have used it to isolate the hay and the land around it.
Color
Because you're using browns, greens and blues, nothing pops here. There is no 'wow' color in this shot, like a guy in a yellow rain coat walking through the fields. That would be interesting enough to take a picture of. As it is, the subject must carry a greater weight and here the colors don't contrast enough to set it off.
Focus
Your focus is good - glad you didn't get caught in the f2.8 to get enough light, focus on one bale of hay and there goes the focus issue. I like landscapes being landscapey. Our landscape mode works wonders - did you use that?
Lighting
See color - with the white sky and no dramatic lighting, it is kind of flat and dull. (no offense meant) If the sun peeked through the clouds here 3 minutes later, again, you'd have something well worth taking a shot of.
Subject matter
Hay = country. You definitely met the challenge here. I am as interested in hay as anything else I didn't shoot myself, so good job here.
Overall
I think the score was lower than you may have wanted because a) the light is dull and b) the colors are muted and almost appear washed out, plus the white sky phenomenon...
You know I follow your work and you know I like it. Good luck as always and keep shooting!
Photographer found comment helpful.
