Wait

[Frank Calesso]

Wait by Frank Calesso on Light Stalking

Nikon D300S, 50mm, f/5, 1/400S

The red and yellow on the pavement is sunlight through the coloured glass roof of this light rail transit station. I’m hoping to get a critique on this photo, particularly the composition.

Thanks,

Frank

[Gordon James]

Mmmmm. I can see what you were trying to do, @fcalesso, but I don’t think this quite works as it stands. The lights on the ground are interesting, but not strong enough to compete with our innate interest in ourselves, and my eye really goes pretty much straight past the lights to the people on the platform.

Also I don’t think the fences and building top left contributes anything to your image beyond an element of distraction.

What can be done? I have played around with some alternative crops without much success. You could try a square format, chopping the left quite radically, up to the first person in, then trimming the right to achieve 1×1 format.

Or how about being completely radical? If the people distract from your subject (the lights) chop them out! How about taking all the top off down to the people’s ankles, leaving the feet? Different and you do focus on the lights on the ground.

Sorry I can’t be a bit more constructuve!

[Frank Calesso]

I see what you mean by the building on the left. I would like to keep the people in the photo, I think they add to the story.

[Frank Calesso]

_DSC4115 cropped.jpg by Frank Calesso on Light Stalking

Here is the cropped version.

[Anonymous]

What about cropping the sides so that you only get the people and the red and yellow on the pavement? For me, both sides seem to distract me from the coloured pavement and the people -as that seems to be your intented focus for this photo. Interesting photo.

What about including the coloured glass roof in the photo. It almost looks like the pavement was painted red and yellow. Including the glass roof in the photo might help tell the story about the coloured pavement better.

Another suggestion is to stage your photo by asking a couple of friends or family members to be your ‘models’ and casually stand there on the platform- wearing red shoes and another with a yellow shirt, etc. With the glass roof, one or two wearing a little red and yellow and then, the yellow and red on the pavement might really help to bring it all together. Or if you want to keep it more natural, you could wait until someone shows up wearing red and yellow to take your photo. 🙂

[Sanjoy Sengupta]

i love the composition, as I like to have people in teh frame as always. However, focusing on teh lights on the railway track is not what i liked, wish there could be more sharp objects to focus on and making the people oon the platform more blur with still lower DOF. coud there be a more interesting pix. I wonder !may be you already have tried that option !

[Tobie]

I actually like the 1st photo as it gives you a glimpse of life rushing by at this particular spot. It reminds me of a movie scene which I have not seen yet! 😉 The cropping in the 2nd photo does not work for me.

The colours are not the centre of attraction (I think) but it gives the whole scene a nice soft, warm feel.

The composition is great because the main line (under the pavement) starts at the bottom 3rds line (right) and ends at the top 3rds line (left).

The only thing you needed to make it really pop is something of interest in the (coloured areas in) the foreground (a bird / dog sitting in the sun – or perhaps even a hobo sitting in despair with his face in his hands or between his knees)…

[Author]

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