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Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> CSLR Challenge 82: Roads, Paths and Passages (hosted by iso) >> Challenge 82: Exhibition > Wallaby tracks
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09-JUL-2005 Melbob

Wallaby tracks

Anglers Reach

One of my favourite fishing spots with a friendly local checking out the scene.
First tine I have seen this track covered with snow.

Canon EOS 20D ,Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
1/250s f/11.0 at 17.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Canon DSLR Challenge13-Dec-2006 04:24
I guess it's not for the photog or for the viewer, but more for what's right for the image itself. Sometimes we may not want to lop off a piece, but it becomes necessary in order to keep the viewer in the picture - because, after all, if the viewer wanders out, they're no longer your customer - they're gone. I find, in this case, that you lead me down the road and I get stuck waaaay out there in the field. You left that part of the image there, and lead me to it, by then I've missed the point. If it's there, I've got to figure it was pretty important to you, so I'm hanging around, out there in the cold, searching for some hidden subject of importance. Now, as for my ever beloved rule of thirds, I didn't weigh it's possibilities here to determine an exact point of lopping. A quick glance tells me that if you lop just to the right of the furthest tracks, you're not going to get the squirrel prints to hit that right line of thirds. If you crop off the left a tad to get the squirrel prints on the thirds line, you end up screwing up the tire tracks, which, appropraitely, go right out of the corner of the frame. Therefore, it looks like you'd need to crop at both the left and bottom a tad, to keep the tire tracks at the corner, doing so accordingly with what will allow the squirrel tracks to hit that line of thirds. But, of course, you have to decide if you want to be true to yourself, the audience, or the image. Big danged decision, huh? LOL! BTW, I'll deny this conversation ever happened b/c I said I wouldn't talk about the rule of thirds anymore, which I didn't, until you brought it up, so I had to resond to it, because it would have been rude to ignore you, even though it means I talked about that naughty little R.O.T. :) I do really like the shot. ~ Lonnit
Canon DSLR Challenge09-Dec-2006 22:21
Thanks Lonnit I appreciate your comments. I have pondered over this image for some time now and it raises a number of issues for me. I played with various crops similar to that which you suggest and I don't really like the result although it produces a technically better image having regard to the 'obvious subject' and rule of thirds etc.
My reasoning is: My main subject was in fact capturing a broad vista of the 'rare' occurrance of snow in this area and the impact of my tyre tracks down this usually dry road, but added the tree and wallaby. I shot wide (17mm accordingly) BUT.... anyone looking at this image would immediately focus on the tree/wallaby and the rest might be nothing out of the ordinary?
So... the issue really is to whom should the image be composed??? Selfishly for me as the photographer? or to those for whom it was posted? It really should be the latter shouldn't it, otherwise I shouldn't expect people to appreciate it?
I would be interested in following this perhaps in the forum.
But thanks Lonnit, you always give good food for thought and I appreciate it very much. ~ Regards, Bob
Canon DSLR Challenge06-Dec-2006 17:55
Man, your squirrels are HUGE!!!!!!!!! Nice shot. I would say that everything to the right of the squirrel, no, strike that... everything to the right of the distant tracks can be cropped out. It doesn't add to the story. Good capture. :) ~ LOnnit
Canon DSLR Challenge06-Dec-2006 14:27
Thank you for your comments Mary Ann, Silverfish and Traveller. I did play a little with hue, unfortunately I have only the jpg image to play with not the original raw file!... so... my excuse is that it was very dull and greyish day and the snow cover is only a couple of inches thick so it got dirty real quick?... and my grey card was extra grey on that day... and canon is not real good at other than bright sunny day 'white balance'... etc. ... and I prefer reality!...(how am I doin?)

Trav... you are such a kind person, always find a positive thing to say and I really appreciate your support. (but... I am led to believe that an 'expert' is often defined as: "the ex... stands for 'a has-been' and a 'spurt' is a 'drip under pressure' :-)... so I shy away from that word... LOL.

Regards, Bob
Canon DSLR Challenge06-Dec-2006 09:01
Fabulous...almost as if it is praying! I fugure that you are such an expert at PS, that you want the grayish tone to the sky and snow. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm saying that you made this choice. Best Wishes, Traveller
Canon DSLR Challenge03-Dec-2006 17:21
Thank you for posting this, Melbob. I was never aware that wallabies lived in an area that gets snow. BTW maybe you'd want to do some WB work to make the snow look whiter?
--Mary Anne