- Location
- Milwaukee, WI USA
- Name
- Luke
I sometimes feel like the title of this thread would make a great title for a photo forum. Maybe I'm just indecisive. 
It's getting dark early. I'm done working for the day, and my wife isn't due home for a couple hours. So I took the dogs for a walk, and now I'm playing some tunes.... and playing with the camera. The living room is completely dark. About 10 feet behind me is our kitchen with an overhead light on. It's just enough light to add atmosphere (and barely enough light for the Fuji to focus). I dial down the exposure compensation to try to match the light level I am in.
Now generally, I prefer my compositions kind of "Rules of Thirds"-ish. I generally dislike images where the "subject" is centered (unless the "subject" is the actual symmetry of the composition). So here is my first shot of the dogs sharing a chair while we listen to Jason Isbell on the stereo.
DSCF7575 by Luke, on Flickr
What I like about the above is Charlie's eye contact with the camera. I also like Lucy staring out the window (and through the negative space of the photo). I like the out of focus elements like the lights of the neighbors' house across the street. And I like the mysterious murky out of focus "foreground" elements to the left of Charlie. You really can't make out what it is, but to me it adds an element of intrigue.....maybe I'm just
Still, I'm a little unsure....there's an AWFUL lot of nothing going on to the right... and maybe there's just not enough to carry the photo with that much dead space. So I try a different angle (and the camera also give me a different white balance reading......one of these days I should really decide ahead of time to set the WB.....or at least care enough to think about it instead of just "fixing it in post"....either way, I'm OK with it....I like the warm orange-ish cast in the first....and I like the more natural honest correct one in the one below).
So here's my second shot.
DSCF7577 by Luke, on Flickr
Now maybe I think I prefer this more accurate WB, but either way, the shot will probably look better in mono, so that point MAY be moot. Charlie still has the great eye contact. I kind of like seeing the shadows cast by that small side table ..... and actually seeing that it IS a side table (which is just the foreground out of focus blob in the first shot). I'm now missing the drama on the right side of the frame.....where is Lucy looking?
I think I've already (just while typing this) decided I prefer the first.
But I'd love to hear your take on the two photos. Which do you prefer? Would you do something different? I may actually try a widescreen b/w processing of the first one. The shots are just throw-aways so you won't hurt my feelings. But I feel like it's good to talk about photos (which we don't much here...and maybe because it's difficult).
It's getting dark early. I'm done working for the day, and my wife isn't due home for a couple hours. So I took the dogs for a walk, and now I'm playing some tunes.... and playing with the camera. The living room is completely dark. About 10 feet behind me is our kitchen with an overhead light on. It's just enough light to add atmosphere (and barely enough light for the Fuji to focus). I dial down the exposure compensation to try to match the light level I am in.
Now generally, I prefer my compositions kind of "Rules of Thirds"-ish. I generally dislike images where the "subject" is centered (unless the "subject" is the actual symmetry of the composition). So here is my first shot of the dogs sharing a chair while we listen to Jason Isbell on the stereo.
What I like about the above is Charlie's eye contact with the camera. I also like Lucy staring out the window (and through the negative space of the photo). I like the out of focus elements like the lights of the neighbors' house across the street. And I like the mysterious murky out of focus "foreground" elements to the left of Charlie. You really can't make out what it is, but to me it adds an element of intrigue.....maybe I'm just
Still, I'm a little unsure....there's an AWFUL lot of nothing going on to the right... and maybe there's just not enough to carry the photo with that much dead space. So I try a different angle (and the camera also give me a different white balance reading......one of these days I should really decide ahead of time to set the WB.....or at least care enough to think about it instead of just "fixing it in post"....either way, I'm OK with it....I like the warm orange-ish cast in the first....and I like the more natural honest correct one in the one below).
So here's my second shot.
Now maybe I think I prefer this more accurate WB, but either way, the shot will probably look better in mono, so that point MAY be moot. Charlie still has the great eye contact. I kind of like seeing the shadows cast by that small side table ..... and actually seeing that it IS a side table (which is just the foreground out of focus blob in the first shot). I'm now missing the drama on the right side of the frame.....where is Lucy looking?
I think I've already (just while typing this) decided I prefer the first.
But I'd love to hear your take on the two photos. Which do you prefer? Would you do something different? I may actually try a widescreen b/w processing of the first one. The shots are just throw-aways so you won't hurt my feelings. But I feel like it's good to talk about photos (which we don't much here...and maybe because it's difficult).
