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Gazebo in Spring
Gazebo in Spring
TooCool


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Beauty (Advanced Editing IV)
Camera: Canon EOS-300D Rebel
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Location: Glencairn School
Date: May 29, 2005
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/15
Galleries: Landscape, Rural
Date Uploaded: May 29, 2005

Shot with soft focus effect by shooting through a plastic baggie... I know the soft focus will get slammed by the voting public, but wish this wasn't a given...

File: - F:\Photography\2005_05_29\CRW_7233_RJ_2.JPG

Make - Canon
Model - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Orientation - Top left
XResolution - 96
YResolution - 96
ResolutionUnit - Inch
DateTime - 2005:05:29 17:43:30
YCbCrPositioning - Centered
ExifOffset - 196
ISOSpeedRatings - 100
ExifVersion - 0220
DateTimeOriginal - 2005:05:29 17:43:30
DateTimeDigitized - 2005:05:29 17:43:30
ComponentsConfiguration - YCbCr
ShutterSpeedValue - 1/15 seconds
ApertureValue - F 8.00
ExposureBiasValue - 0.00
FocalLength - 50 mm
UserComment -
FlashPixVersion - 0100
ColorSpace - sRGB
ExifImageWidth - 3072
ExifImageHeight - 2048
InteroperabilityOffset - 1280
FocalPlaneXResolution - 3441.72
FocalPlaneYResolution - 3437.95
FocalPlaneResolutionUnit - Inch

Statistics
Place: 198 out of 255
Avg (all users): 5.0119
Avg (commenters): 5.5000
Avg (participants): 4.8231
Avg (non-participants): 5.2131
Views since voting: 1107
Views during voting: 341
Votes: 252
Comments: 12
Favorites: 0


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AuthorThread
06/11/2005 08:09:23 PM
Ron, I am so glad you pointed out that you don't mind negative comments. I was soooooo biting my tongue during the challenge on this photo, but now I can let loose:

The reason is would have loved to comment at all, is because of the potential I saw in a photo that had gone wrong.

There are times where a soft focus effect works well, and this could be one of those times. However, the WAY you did it - didn't work. Perhaps a proper soft focus filter would have helped for that. At the very least, I think you should have left the trees soft, but brought some sharpness back into gazebo.

It just doesn't look right, the purple fringing around the sky is very distracting, and the rest of it just looks somewhat off focus rather than soft.

It is not the most exciting scene out (but I still think it is pretty) and the lighting is dreadfully dull. Very early morning or late afternoon light would have made that part more interesting.

How about adding a point of interest to look at - perhaps a large windchime of some natural type design that would fit into the scene - strategically placing it so it catches the sun with a little sparkle.
(oh and make a fairy flutter around while you're at it *g*).
I think you found a very pretty spot and you were trying to do the right thing with it. I hope you can go back to that same place and try again.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/11/2005 02:21:00 AM
since you asked for contructive (read - you know what) comments...

the soft focus effect doesnt really work here. First the effect isnt properly executed and rather than a "mystic" glow you have an OOF image, plus the overexposed top right corner isnt helping either.

However the bigger problem, at least imo, is that the picture is plain boring. A few trees and a outdoor resting place thingy (forgot what its called) shot straight on. Even the best filter in the world couldnt rescue the lacking artistic value of this shot. You should have tried various angles, maybe further back to make this more of a landscape or closer to the ground to give a different viewpoint with blades of green grass in sharp focus in the foreground, maybe having the house frame the trees or having a reflection if there was a stream behind the house.

My suggestion would be to browse some articles online dealing with composition, color theory and light. Two good starting points are //www.photozone.de/4Technique/compose/third.htm and //www.photoinf.com/
Best of luck
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/11/2005 02:18:57 AM
Your framing could be better. Gazebo is the title, but a good portion of it is hidden behind a tree, and there is too much of the tree behind it in the frame, and the light in the top right does not need to be in the frame either. True, it is your artistic expression, but I would ask: what does the tree behind it add to the shot? what does the light source at the top right add to the shot? If the answers are nothing, then take them out, or work them into the frame differently.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
06/03/2005 12:07:52 AM
I like shots like this, but this one needs some work, imo. First, it appears to be OOF. Also, I think you could have cropped out the tree in the lower right hand corner, which would also eliminate the blown out, detail-less sky.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/02/2005 08:57:26 PM
Love the soft focus,
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/02/2005 04:13:45 PM
Very nice. More light on the gazebo might have been even better.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/01/2005 02:43:07 PM
not sure if it was intentional or not but I don't think I like the soft focus here.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/31/2005 03:22:46 PM
Too soft. Makes my eyes try to focus.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/31/2005 10:47:15 AM
This really is beautiful. The greens! That huge tree! It has an old timey, other world feel to it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/30/2005 01:31:29 PM
Nice misty effect.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/30/2005 12:13:00 PM
I think you've overdone the soft focus here a bit otherwise a lovely dreamy place
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/30/2005 12:14:05 AM
you will probably get blasted with the soft focus but I like it...the only thing I would have changed is work on the sky..it's too lavender
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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