Don't ask me what it is. All I know is it is a train part. It caught my attention while out walking past the Norfolk Southern Juniata Repair Shops. I do know whatever it is, it does have repair markings on it and if you look really close the serial numbers which are fairly worn off are still slightly visable at the top.
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Hi Anna,
it seems that we meet again through the critique club. Well, here goes...
Overall
You certainly meet the challenge. The subject fills the entire frame, and I think that this is where the main problem lies. Unless the subject is scintillatingly exciting, the end result will be a tad dull. Your title suggests we'll see something broken down, but it's difficult to get the context just from that part only. In your comments, you point out that the serial numbers are worn. That's fine. However, I can't really see anything more than an old piece of machinery.
Conceptual
For this to work for me, I'd like you to have captured the actual broken bit, or presented some of the emotion, the nostalgia of what the machine was or did.
Technical
I see no problems here. You've caught realistic colours well. The image is sharp, and your dof is just right.
My impression
As I said, I feel that it's a touch dull, the subject matter, that is. Otherwise, you've done a good technical job.
Suggestions
My last question before I press the shutter release button is always 'is this image one that I'd want to hang on my wall'? What's special about the image that grabs me? Why is this image unique? Are other questions that I need to answer when I like something that I see. If I'm faced with photographing a dull subject, I need to ask myself how the image can be enlivened.
For this shot, there are a few ways which spring to mind. The first is to use the Dimage's macro function and focus in on just one tiny part of the scene. Candidates might be the bevelled lettering which might produce an interesting viewpoint if shot flat on, or a single nut. There is a strong light source coming in from 2 o'clock. Maybe you could use that somehow in photographing how it hits a chosen part of the image. That suggests using the shadow, too. Even combining the shadow and the lettering and macro ideas.
Another suggestion is to move further out and provide some context. Show the actual broken bit. If no broken bit can be found, then you need to treat the object purely artistically. You might concentrate on the concentric circles in the image. You might change the camera angle to place the nuts on the same line, or create lines using the existing objects. Photographically, you might think about how texture is created by looking at some of the very good entries in this challenge and seeing what kinds of texture were captured there.
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