Been playing around with some wider shots and came up with this. Yes the tree annoys me too. 
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weekly photo contest: march 6 - march 13 | aspect ratio 13:4
- Thread starter _timo_redux_
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It's 9 pm, GMT ... contest closed.
@mollyc
Great color palette. The crop for me begins to suggest the picture could be about the verticals in opposition to the dominant horizon line — so the powerpole verticals on the left are finding their echo in the bridge supports on the right. Hence a bit of frustration for me the crop cuts off the supports on the lower rightr, at the expense of highlighting empty sky above. I get that the horizon was set close to a third, but maybe risk it being at half if there’s still meat in the original at the bottom.
@smirking
There’s a my-eye-falling-into-the-cove quality to the crop, which I like. Really good foreground detail paired with a “landscape” of built houses. Double borders (the fence, the water between us and the far shore) add real interest. Wish the fenceposts in the lower right “landed” in the ground, like real posts do (it’s the architect in me!)
@oblomow
Almost cheating with the source material being so good. Two balanced focal points: the figure, the meeting point of the hills where presumably the figure is headed. And as with others; I’m not sure about the blank lower right at the expense of the in-shade but more interesting upper left. If there were more meat to crop higher, I’d do it. Such a crop would also put the figure more in the foreground and strengthen the feeling of depth suggested by the hills. (Of course it’s understood your photo bottom may be the original frame’s bottom.)
@OldMacs4Me
Complementary colors really work … tempted to also include more sky as the foreground seems confused. Or dropping the crop to nearly touch the top far mountains and include the near edge of the foreground’s water. (Of course it’s understood your photo bottom may be the original frame’s bottom.)
@Danfango
Love it. Wish the people werent’ cropped at the expense of the mostly-empty sky. If there’s meat at the bottom of the frame, it would be great to have the pair’s feet on the ground. Love that spot too; Primrose Hill, no? Glad to see an entry trying the extra challenge of multiple people and their groupings.
@Hughmac
Horizon at a third, some sea peaking out beyond (confirming the horizon), sunset moment balanced by the darkish purple clould opposite, tendrils of red scootching to the right while tendrils of purple push left. Great stuff. I migth have lost the little road edge (?) / bright spot on the lower right.
@Strider64
My son has a similar cityscape — it’s a great idea for a wide crop. There’s a tension between the left side of the frame, where we feel nearly frontal in the facade, versus the right, where we’re popping into perspective. I wish you’d backed up and caught the tops of the buildings, or alternatively cropped for the street-level figure action.
@Janichsan
A great subject for this. Watch your edges; I’m not convinced by the tight crop at top and bottom. Points for perfect verticals, which become emphasized in a very-horizontal composition.
@r.harris1
I like this treatment — I feel like this crop is better than a 3:2 (or the like). Tough with the lower right — I wish the meadow grass wrapped into the foreground as a complement of sorts to the low clouds pouring over the mountains. (Of course it’s understood your photo bottom may be the original frame’s bottom, and it was surely correct to not crop the two tall trees at right — or was it?)
@StrollerEd
Horizonal clouds merge into a horizontal landscape, sometimes in the same colors. Forerground’s gently falling to the left is pegged, squarely and surely, by the terrific portrait. Bang. Love it. Thank you flor letting the cow (?) stand on land and not cropping above a hoof. especially as the cow’s right hoof is lower, like the land, than her (?) left.
@JAWJr
Cannon Beach! I’m sure I’ve tried my own version of this picture before, although lucky you to get sun. Foreground emphasized fantastically, Haystack Rock pushed up and to the right, as if to say, yeah, it’s dramatic, but so are the shadows of these seemingly endless tidal flats. The horizon series (sun, stack, stack, STACK) is also pleasant, as is the light-to-dark transiition. Extra points for cropping sky because it’s empty of interest compared to the beach. Wish the sun didn’t posterize above the horizon, but maybe that’s an artifact of the jpeg conversion (if you shoot RAW.) OTOH, the posterized orange “on top” of the blown-out yellow sun is like a mountain of light, contrasting further with the dark void seatack at right. A good take on how to photography a subject that always seems to be the center of other people’s compositions.
@kenoh
Tree doesn’t annoy me that much; just glad you kept it “below” the far mountain’s top edge. The uncertain lower plane crop gives this picture a touch of vertigo (perhaps that’s pleasant, perhaps not) while emphasizing the “slot” through the mountains or valley between the mountains. The tree is tough. On the one hand, it lends scale and contrast (dark vs light, organic vs rock, etc.) On the other, it doesn’t land; again, maybe that can be a part of some story of unease.
***
I want to thank everyone for indulging me on this topic, and for the spirited entries. A general comment: watch the edges of your frame! when you compose, when you crop.
1st — @StrollerEd: of your fourteen candidates, you appear to have chosen wisely
2nd (tie) — @JAWJr, @Hughmac
3rd — @oblomow
@mollyc
Great color palette. The crop for me begins to suggest the picture could be about the verticals in opposition to the dominant horizon line — so the powerpole verticals on the left are finding their echo in the bridge supports on the right. Hence a bit of frustration for me the crop cuts off the supports on the lower rightr, at the expense of highlighting empty sky above. I get that the horizon was set close to a third, but maybe risk it being at half if there’s still meat in the original at the bottom.
@smirking
There’s a my-eye-falling-into-the-cove quality to the crop, which I like. Really good foreground detail paired with a “landscape” of built houses. Double borders (the fence, the water between us and the far shore) add real interest. Wish the fenceposts in the lower right “landed” in the ground, like real posts do (it’s the architect in me!)
@oblomow
Almost cheating with the source material being so good. Two balanced focal points: the figure, the meeting point of the hills where presumably the figure is headed. And as with others; I’m not sure about the blank lower right at the expense of the in-shade but more interesting upper left. If there were more meat to crop higher, I’d do it. Such a crop would also put the figure more in the foreground and strengthen the feeling of depth suggested by the hills. (Of course it’s understood your photo bottom may be the original frame’s bottom.)
@OldMacs4Me
Complementary colors really work … tempted to also include more sky as the foreground seems confused. Or dropping the crop to nearly touch the top far mountains and include the near edge of the foreground’s water. (Of course it’s understood your photo bottom may be the original frame’s bottom.)
@Danfango
Love it. Wish the people werent’ cropped at the expense of the mostly-empty sky. If there’s meat at the bottom of the frame, it would be great to have the pair’s feet on the ground. Love that spot too; Primrose Hill, no? Glad to see an entry trying the extra challenge of multiple people and their groupings.
@Hughmac
Horizon at a third, some sea peaking out beyond (confirming the horizon), sunset moment balanced by the darkish purple clould opposite, tendrils of red scootching to the right while tendrils of purple push left. Great stuff. I migth have lost the little road edge (?) / bright spot on the lower right.
@Strider64
My son has a similar cityscape — it’s a great idea for a wide crop. There’s a tension between the left side of the frame, where we feel nearly frontal in the facade, versus the right, where we’re popping into perspective. I wish you’d backed up and caught the tops of the buildings, or alternatively cropped for the street-level figure action.
@Janichsan
A great subject for this. Watch your edges; I’m not convinced by the tight crop at top and bottom. Points for perfect verticals, which become emphasized in a very-horizontal composition.
@r.harris1
I like this treatment — I feel like this crop is better than a 3:2 (or the like). Tough with the lower right — I wish the meadow grass wrapped into the foreground as a complement of sorts to the low clouds pouring over the mountains. (Of course it’s understood your photo bottom may be the original frame’s bottom, and it was surely correct to not crop the two tall trees at right — or was it?)
@StrollerEd
Horizonal clouds merge into a horizontal landscape, sometimes in the same colors. Forerground’s gently falling to the left is pegged, squarely and surely, by the terrific portrait. Bang. Love it. Thank you flor letting the cow (?) stand on land and not cropping above a hoof. especially as the cow’s right hoof is lower, like the land, than her (?) left.
@JAWJr
Cannon Beach! I’m sure I’ve tried my own version of this picture before, although lucky you to get sun. Foreground emphasized fantastically, Haystack Rock pushed up and to the right, as if to say, yeah, it’s dramatic, but so are the shadows of these seemingly endless tidal flats. The horizon series (sun, stack, stack, STACK) is also pleasant, as is the light-to-dark transiition. Extra points for cropping sky because it’s empty of interest compared to the beach. Wish the sun didn’t posterize above the horizon, but maybe that’s an artifact of the jpeg conversion (if you shoot RAW.) OTOH, the posterized orange “on top” of the blown-out yellow sun is like a mountain of light, contrasting further with the dark void seatack at right. A good take on how to photography a subject that always seems to be the center of other people’s compositions.
@kenoh
Tree doesn’t annoy me that much; just glad you kept it “below” the far mountain’s top edge. The uncertain lower plane crop gives this picture a touch of vertigo (perhaps that’s pleasant, perhaps not) while emphasizing the “slot” through the mountains or valley between the mountains. The tree is tough. On the one hand, it lends scale and contrast (dark vs light, organic vs rock, etc.) On the other, it doesn’t land; again, maybe that can be a part of some story of unease.
***
I want to thank everyone for indulging me on this topic, and for the spirited entries. A general comment: watch the edges of your frame! when you compose, when you crop.
1st — @StrollerEd: of your fourteen candidates, you appear to have chosen wisely
2nd (tie) — @JAWJr, @Hughmac
3rd — @oblomow
Thanks for the feedback. There were no feet. Can't fix that one in post unfortunately 😩. Primrose Hill it is.
Nice job everyone and congratulations to the winners. Thoroughly enjoyed all these entries 👍
Thank you for the feedback! I don't do a ton of panos, in general, though I guess that needs to change this week with the P52 theme
. I like this image in its original mode, and did struggle in 13x4 on where to place things. I did think it was better to not crop the two tall trees on the right but do agree that the meadow grass could be better presented - which leads to the choice of...cropping (or not) those trees on the right. Sacrifices. I'll play with the original and the crop to see what a different balance might be and perhaps post here. Thank you for a great competition!
Yes, I had a similar experience as @r.harris1 in that I liked the idea of a panoramic for my image, but cropping it to that specific ratio left me with some difficulties in awkward chops. I need it just a bit wider and just a bit taller, but I like the idea of leaving out a lot of the dead sky space that was in my original 3:2 ratio.
Congrats to the winners!
Congrats to the winners!
I should add a hearty congrats to the winners indeed! Excellent stuff and I really love @StrollerEd's image! He appears to be suspended, unfortunately . @JAWJr and @Hughmac may need to fight it out for coming up with the next competition.
. @JAWJr and @Hughmac may need to fight it out for coming up with the next competition.
Rats, re: @StrollerEd. Hopefully @JAWJr and @Hughmac can decide who wants to post the next contest.I should add a hearty congrats to the winners indeed! Excellent stuff and I really love @StrollerEd's image! He appears to be suspended, unfortunately
I really really really liked your edit. It was what made me decide to give this a try.
Thank you for the detailed feedback- beautiful entries this week! Yes Cannon Beach- during king tides last January. We try to run all the way south past Hug Point, tide willing, every week. Beauty and temperature are often not congruent I can confirm.
In reference to the comment made last week regarding this specific aspect ratio creating a picture within a picture, I submit my 2nd choice crop and its original. Pretty amazing what you can find within a single photo. I don’t have the experience most do here, but I just try to capture a single moment in time as best I can.
On to the next! Happy to relinquish the next competition topic to @Hughmac, or discuss as needed.
Cheers guys-
In reference to the comment made last week regarding this specific aspect ratio creating a picture within a picture, I submit my 2nd choice crop and its original. Pretty amazing what you can find within a single photo. I don’t have the experience most do here, but I just try to capture a single moment in time as best I can.
On to the next! Happy to relinquish the next competition topic to @Hughmac, or discuss as needed.
Cheers guys-
FWIW I'd have extended your crop into Haystack Rock, to capture some of that light on that face. Maybe, on the right side, it'd be OK for the crop to end in darkness? On the left I would have cropped out any incomplete figures; maybe just in-between the two far-left figures.
Cool stuff.
I’ve just come back to this after a couple of days away from the forum, so thanks very much for the unexpected podium; I didn’t expect anything after seeing some of the wonderful photos presented.
A so-called safe 2nd is usually the most prized position
Sorry about the bright patch bottom right - if I’d noticed it I would have cloned it out.
I shall fall on my sword if @JAWJr doesn’t feel able to judge the next contest, and upon his/her confirmation, I will see if I can come up with something more stimulating than the last time I tried
Cheers
Hugh
A so-called safe 2nd is usually the most prized position
Sorry about the bright patch bottom right - if I’d noticed it I would have cloned it out.
I shall fall on my sword if @JAWJr doesn’t feel able to judge the next contest, and upon his/her confirmation, I will see if I can come up with something more stimulating than the last time I tried
Cheers
Hugh
It’s been quite a while since @JAWJr was active in this thread, and nearly 24 hours since my last post above.
So, I have to assume that I will be setting and judging the next contest.
Watch this space
Cheers
Hugh
So, I have to assume that I will be setting and judging the next contest.
Watch this space
Cheers
Hugh
@StrollerEd, I see you are back with us - as the actual winner of this competition, are you able to take over the mantle?
Cheers
Hugh
Cheers
Hugh
I’d first like to thank my parole officer for letting me be here to accept this award, Steve Jobs for launching the iPhone which took the winning shot and of course the Highland Coo for standing so still in front of me with such an engaging grimace.
I am humbled by the skill of all who entered this fun and interesting competition and also very grateful for the kind words and good judgement of our adjudicator.
OK, it was a crowd pleaser of a subject but personally I liked the happenchance of including the Queensferry Bridge in the corner of the background - it’s known as the 3rd bridge over the Firth of Forth to Fife and features in one of others on the shortlist I had drawn up for this 13:4 competition. With your indulgence I’ll post the others on that shortlist for your critical comment?
I’m happy to set the next competition and equally happy to forgo that duty and defer to Hugh.
I am humbled by the skill of all who entered this fun and interesting competition and also very grateful for the kind words and good judgement of our adjudicator.
OK, it was a crowd pleaser of a subject but personally I liked the happenchance of including the Queensferry Bridge in the corner of the background - it’s known as the 3rd bridge over the Firth of Forth to Fife and features in one of others on the shortlist I had drawn up for this 13:4 competition. With your indulgence I’ll post the others on that shortlist for your critical comment?
I’m happy to set the next competition and equally happy to forgo that duty and defer to Hugh.
- FYI, I was given a temporary suspension for alluding to UK politics in a thread on an Oscar-winning animation film. Can’t say more in case that’s triggered again
- Suspension ended today at 19.21 (UK time)
Thanks, my work schedule can make logging in difficult at times. Hoping as well that @StrollerEd will come up with a neat topic as winner.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Glad StrollerEd has returned ... that coo's got person-al-ity.
Reminds me of another, clear across the planet, on California's "Lost Coast," south of Eureka, where California One doesn't reach:
(both cows have a bit of a "now just what are YOU up to?" quality)
Reminds me of another, clear across the planet, on California's "Lost Coast," south of Eureka, where California One doesn't reach:
(both cows have a bit of a "now just what are YOU up to?" quality)
Re: Queensferry -- yeah, it's a nice, subtle counterpoint (or just pleasant encumbrance on the horizon), and if you have other attempts featuring it, post away.
Thanks for the acceptance speechI’d first like to thank my parole officer for letting me be here to accept this award, Steve Jobs for launching the iPhone which took the winning shot and of course the Highland Coo for standing so still in front of me with such an engaging grimace.
I am humbled by the skill of all who entered this fun and interesting competition and also very grateful for the kind words and good judgement of our adjudicator.
OK, it was a crowd pleaser of a subject but personally I liked the happenchance of including the Queensferry Bridge in the corner of the background - it’s known as the 3rd bridge over the Firth of Forth to Fife and features in one of others on the shortlist I had drawn up for this 13:4 competition. With your indulgence I’ll post the others on that shortlist for your critical comment?
I’m happy to set the next competition and equally happy to forgo that duty and defer to Hugh.
- FYI, I was given a temporary suspension for alluding to UK politics in a thread on an Oscar-winning animation film. Can’t say more in case that’s triggered again
- Suspension ended today at 19.21 (UK time)
I would appreciate it if you could step in and run the next contest as I too am in the middle of lots of stuff.
Cheers
Hugh
Back home after an evening of indoor bowls. We lost, but narrowly.
I'll turn my attention to accepting the burden of success and set up the next weekly competition but before that I'll post some other 13:4 cropped images that I considered entering.
I'll turn my attention to accepting the burden of success and set up the next weekly competition but before that I'll post some other 13:4 cropped images that I considered entering.
I also played with this one, taken at the Giant's Causeway - altho' I've had to reduce the file size in order to upload:
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