Benedictine

[Kevin Childress]

Open to all areas of critique. 

I typically photograph statues with a long lens at some distance and in somewhat of a portraiture fashion. But last week I was goofing around with a wide angle lens and photographing a statue at very close distances and I kind of liked the results. Yesterday I decided to try the wide angle/close-up approach again. I wasn't able to achieve my vision of tying this statue to an architectural element in the background, but I thought this one was worth sharing. Just curious how this sort of this strikes you ...

Yes, I know, the watermark is distracting. But you know how it is ...  :)

[© Tom Cooper]

My very first impression is that I have fallen into the hands of an angry God... =8-O

I don't think the watermark is much of a distraction.  There's a lot worse out there and the color (or lack thereof) does not clash.

The convergence works well and leads the eye into the statue's apparently sunken eyes.  This is particularly effective because of the dark and foreboding sky (which was probably blue with thin wispy clouds in color).  Putting the camera just a little closer to the hand holding the staff makes the image more threatening.

And I have had a disturbing day at the office, so cut me a little slack. ;)

Tom

[™Ken Kruse™]

I think Tom has pretty much nailed it on the head. The only thing I might add is that the choice of tilting the composition does a few things; first, it adds a dynamic feeling and keeps the eye moving through the image. Secondly, it adds an extra layer of drama to an already dramatic photo. Third, .....well it just looks cool!

[Kevin Childress]

© Tom Cooper wrote:

The convergence works well and leads the eye into the statue's apparently sunken eyes.  

™Ken Kruse™ wrote:

The only thing I might add is that the choice of tilting the composition does a few things ...

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I hadn't even considered there may be leading lines in this sort of subject but now that Tom mentions it, clearly there are. Tilting the composition was a must to get any sizable bit of the staff into the frame. I thought that turned out kind of abstract like.

 

[Lady GooGoo La La]

Looks to me like he kicked you to the ground, and a groggy Kevin is looking up as if to ask, Why did you do that!  ;-)

LaLa

[Drema Swader]

Kevin, Great comp, as mentioned by the others! I would kick up the contrast a bit more, especially in the dark tones. There is no actual black in the picture. Bringing those down would darken the areas around the head and actually help the leading lines lead your eye there, and the stark contrast would enhance the drama of the scene even more.

[Kevin Childress]

Drema Swader wrote:

Kevin, Great comp, as mentioned by the others! I would kick up the contrast a bit more, especially in the dark tones. There is no actual black in the picture. Bringing those down would darken the areas around the head and actually help the leading lines lead your eye there, and the stark contrast would enhance the drama of the scene even more.

Hi, Drema - nice to hear from you. Thanks for the feedback - I'll definitely give it a look.

 

[Desmond Riordan]

I'm all for a bit of dramatic tension in a picture and this one has it in spades. I was going to suggest an adjustment in curves to bring in some darker tones but as Drema has already been there I am going to pitch in with a slight crop, top and right, to really let the statue dominate the frame. I don't know why but this picture makes me think of Orson Welles films - and that can't be a bad thing!