Hi Glyn,
I can see what you are trying to achieve. I will try to describe what I would have done had I been there with an R1 using your parameters (bike and bench). First stand point of the camera would have been on or just above the seat of the bench. Location a bit farther left than the left part of your photo. The camera is facing the bike but for starters on the left you first see the tubes of the bench. The tubes will be leading the eyes to the bike. Next I would try to isolate the back of the bench and the bike by using limited DOF (which is probably more difficult with the Ricoh). The R1 has flexible autofocus so you can exactly pinpoint the location that you want to have in focus. If possible I would try to only have a vague but recognizable form of the bike showing. The problem could be the bike isn't aligned properly. It should be moved a bit to the back.
Shooting this scene my style: I would have gone for the tubular bench's lines and only the lines.
Your mileage mat vary.....
Glyn
18-Dec-2008 06:38
Hi Jo. What rocked my boat was: Colourmatch of tubular bench and main wheel. Also the circularity of each. The tubular bench's line flowing into the diagoal bars of th ebike and the cobblestones across the road, thus unifying them. I was 'quite' liking the redness of the bike. Those were the 'at the time' criteria. What clinched it for me was when I got home and moved 'offet' in 'exposure' tool and the wet reddish warmth of the pavements and the wet red of the bike really unified one of the three main colours .... the Red of the Red, Black and Brown.
So, Jo, you have the account of why I took it and what grew to like. BUT here's where I messed up. The row of shops in the background have a LOT of disagreement with my subjects in terms of content detail and olour. before I entered it, I CONN-vinced myself that the agreememnt of movement toward the horizon off to the right wuold 'cover it' and make up. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Those are still a distracting mess. Furthermore, that bus, I kept in, thinking it might balance, positionally, the red of the bike. Maybe so BUT did the picture NEED such stabilization? I think not. It was yet another element of distraction. I had ruined what I 'saw' that was the core of the picture.
That's my final assessment. Still might not have rocked your boat, but could have been a less 'bad' picture ... by which I mean you might have had more of a sense of what was rocking MY boat without my having to write an essay.
I lick my wounds and run to the the bag of Clille-Rice Crackers. And I thank you because you've helped me learn a hard lesson which improves my chances of doing better in the future.
Best wishes, Jo, and a Very Merry Christmas to you and yuor family.
Jo/Geetwee
14-Dec-2008 16:07
Those wheels are going nowhere unless you have the key of the lock. This image doesn't rock my boat but I am curious to why you took it Glyn? What rocked your boat?
