I don't know, Richie, what prompted the shots? Whatever it was that did, is it in these images? Where and how?
You show two pairs of photos. They're paired by subject. The first sample renders the background in focus. The second appears to be an attempt at the reverse -to render the foreground in focus, yet there is nothing clearly in focus here. Since it obviously not an abstract photograph or one which could possibly be conceived as making good use of this deficiency for some pupose, I'd trash this shot.
The remaining (first) one, it appears to me, is awaiting a cropping. There is just too much redundant foreground information. You need to decide, what if anything, of the foreground is critical to the (final) photo. The silhouette (background) bears some interest, but the interest is an aesthetic one and (to me) not really profound. If you were to include the chain and the weathered red paint on the wood (which incidentally is also the colour of blood) would the photo be more or less interesting?
The second pair poses its own questions. Is it necessary to depict the billboard in its entirety, for each word to be legible or does it suffice (as you have done with the first (darker) image to include only as much information as necessary to get a sense of this place)?
The shots, the manner of it, appears to be too preoccupied with the subject at the expense of mood and light (!). It also seems to me that the purpose of depth of field (which is an issue with the first two shots) is not quite clear to you. I agree, that the best way to learn about these things is to do what you have done and then -to ask yourself why and when you would want a shallow depth of field or a deep one. When this is clear to you, you will know what to keep and what to discard.
Another thing I would suggest is to forget about subjects altogether, at least for a while, as an exercise. Man, everybody is photographing subjects these days, but the best photos are about light. Try to set a mood by becoming aware of the role of light in this. This, again, will lead to an interest in exposure, which is a way to make light, to render it appropiate.
I hope this is helpful in some small way. If not, I apologize for the bandwidth.
|
