[binary visions]

When I take shots that catch my eye but aren't quite "there" I like to inspect them and find out what I like.

Help me with this shot:

I keep coming back to it. I like it a lot. But I don't know if I love it.

Thoughts?

 

[mntbiker2]

its ugly

 

[binary visions]

its ugly

Nice input. Summarily dismissed.

Provide details, or leave the grownups to talk.

 

[mntbiker2]

alrighty tough guy

 

[narlus]

i think you need a bit more space on the top and right. the hard framing works against it, imo.

 

[fortenndu]

I like the sharpness and the color but that one little twig or whatever it is that is out of focus on the front left hand side takes away from the shot. I think I might have cropped it a little bit differently but the lines are awesome so I like it anyways. Nice shot.
Edit: Narlus beat me to the framing part. Damn.

 

[Quo Fan]

I think maybe the DOF is a little too shallow. I'd like to see a little more in focus. I also agree with Narlus about the framing.

Is it possible to re-shoot?

 

[Damo]

It reminds me of fireworks.

I like fireworks.

I disagree with Quo on the DOF. I think its spot-on.

My eye keeps drawing to the white out-of-focus thing in the top left however....

 

[binary visions]

Meh, it's not such a complex subject that I couldn't find another setup roughly the same. I know where I took it.

When I framed it in the viewfinder I didn't really initially like it giving any space around the upper right, felt like the subject matter required some kind of interesting framing. I framed it with the idea that it might look interesting after being matted.

Here's an idea of what that would look like, with that twig also cloned out (ignore the messy job, it was just playing with it for the purposes of trying again and seeing what would look better):

Thanks for the comments. I'll probably try a similar setup next time to see what different framing and/or more depth of field might do to it.

 

[Toshi]

i think you need a bit more space on the top and right. the hard framing works against it, imo.

that was my first thought as well.

 

[Silver]

I'd try a speedlight camera left with a CTO on it and have it fire into the top right of the frame to warm up the stuff in the foreground a little. I don't like the slight color contrast between the foreground object and the background orange.

 

[PatBranch]

I think it could look better getting lower and looking up at it with some space above it, maybe the sky. At that angle, they could look like trees.