Greetings from the Critique Club
Let me start off by saying that I really like the deeply saturated blues and I think you accomplished your goal in post processing very well. I know with a subject like "powerlines" it is difficult to tell a story, so I think a successful approach to this challenge would be to go "graphic". In other words, forget about a story and concentrate on the beautiful shapes and lines, even to the point of abstractness. Your photo seems to be a "tweener", or part graphic abstract and part story telling. I suppose in certain situations that could be a good thing, but I think it hurt your photo in this case. The story just wasn̢۪t bold enough to grab the attention of voters.
If I were entering this photo, I would have gone to the graphic side preferring a tight crop on the 6 power "poles". That would have created a very strong diagonal and diminishing line with no clutter (good for quick voters). The right side of the photo takes away from the overall balance of the image because of the trees and out of place power pole. The brighter area on the right steals all the attention away from the wonderful shapes and patterns of the 6 poles. I would have also not left so much black on the bottom. I would have left some, but not as much. Take your hand and cover the right 1/3rd of the photo and see if you like it more.
As far as processing and exposure go, I think you did an excellent job. The photo is plenty sharp with all lines being visible and no halos from over sharpening. There is a "crispness" to the photo that is excellent. My only recommendation here would be to watch the banding in the sky. The transition of blues is not as smooth as it could be, perhaps because of what you did to adjust the colors and saturation.
On the story telling side, think about these 3 elements of your story: Main subject, Supporting Elements, and background. For this challenge, the story being told is "Tethered Titans", the main subject is the actual power lines and Titans, the supporting elements are the trees, tall sign post, ground, and small posts and other items. The background is the beautiful blue sky. I think all of the elements of this story are competing with each other rather than being in harmony to support the main subject.
I really enjoyed critiquing your photo and spending some time getting to know it. I have touched on some things that might have helped it score better, but a good score isn̢۪t always what the photographer wants. Thanks for allowing me to post my thoughts.
Jason Price
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