Photo Critique and Advice Picture 8
Hello everyone
We have one more picture submitted by one of our readers in this category. All we ask of you is to add your comments in a very constructively way. Critique the picture and give the best advice possible. Remember, many new photographers can learn a great deal from this project. Anyone can have a picture critiqued and you can stay anonymous if you wish so.
Guidelines
Be nice. There is no need to be rude. Besides, rude comments will not be published.
Submitted pictures might have faults, please be constructive and give the best advice possible.
Try to avoid comments such as “Very nice”. Instead, explain what you like or dislike about the picture (in a nice manner).
How would you have approached this scene? Would you have done things differently? Please leave your thoughts in the comments area below.
Windmill, Village Over, Cambridgeshire, England
This is the restored Windmill near the village of Over in Cambridgeshire, England. When I saw the cloudscape I tried to get the best position to capture the windmill sails in the early evening sunlight against the brooding storm.
Just to say that I have only just taken up photography and have yet to learn any post-processing techniques (just starting with photoshop). I’m only really just getting to grips with the camera!
| Photographer: | Rod Mackenzie |
|---|---|
| Website: | |
| Camera: | Canon 450D |
| Lens: | Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS @ 21mm |
| Aperture: | f/3.5 |
| Shutter Speed: | 1/640 sec |
| ISO: | 200 |
| Flters: | |
| Other Equpment: |
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I really like this shot – good detail in the clouds and you’ve done well to get that composition. I know where this windmill is, but haven’t had a go at it. I’ve considered how to get the best position to photograph it because of where it is, so I can get the best shot with the light and the sails facing in. Not easy.
I don’t know what the restraints were for the taker but I think I would move in closer to the fence and crop to just the white tower in the background. I think the left side is too dark even though I understand the mood, but that is a choice. good alignment of the mill and clouds. like the dynamics of the potential movement of the blades and th eclouds.
Lovely picture of a windmill.. composed beautifully. Yes, I would have avoided village thing by repositioning my point of view. But we never know what were the challenges when the photographer was taking the pictures, so i guess its a good shot.
But, one thing bothers me why f-3.5 in this case. I would have gone for f- 8 at-least. coz i know it might be necessary to keep that high shutter-speed to freeze blades.
@Doug
My apologies for not explaining. There is no second version, only the main image in the post. The one at the top is a featured crop from the main one.
You did a great job planning out the placement of the windmill and its blades, they have really nice seperation with the clouds behind them. You’re second version is much better than the first, the fence in the second version is more visable and now carries across the image. There is such old world charm with a windmill that mixing it with modern buildings tends to take away from its fascination. I agree with Bob but possibly a simple crop from the right side to the left of the white building would really make the image. As it sits now the image is very weighted on the left side; heavy thick clouds above, the windmill, and dark grasses below, and the opposite on the right side. The crop would go a long way to balancing that. Really nice composition as is, it has a painterly feel to it.
I love the detail in the clouds. I have a tendency to overdo this but you have captured it just right. I also like the focus immediately in to the windmill arms. Great balance.
As far as constructive criticism is concerned, i would have taken the distant village out of the picture in Photoshop, or at least the white tower. to me it is somewhat distracting.
I like the image and it captures a moment. In terms of graphical impact, I think it would be stronger with less information – a tighter portrait image with just the windmill and clouds.