Assignment 3: Revisited

This post is just to follow up on my original post for the third assignment, Buildings In Use, as a chance to reflect upon tutor feedback.

I have already posted some details on my use of metadata, so this is to look at the more specific image comments from my tutor.

Set 1 – St Michael's Church, Linlithgow

From OCA P and P Assignment 3

"The fall-off in illumination and composition are the strength of the shot of the bible although the subject is slightly too close to the right hands margin."

I can see that having the bible positioned slightly more to the left could help, I hadn't cropped the image on the right so cannot now achieve this with a simple edit, I would need to retake the image with an adjusted composition.

From OCA P and P Assignment 3

"Although the vestry image is quite a good picture it is lacking in energy and interest which is not helped by the immobility of the composition."

I didn't take a flash with me as I had not expected it to be permitted inside the church but I am thinking a bit of extra light on the gowns would have enhanced the colour and so added a little energy.

Set 2 – Stanley Mills, Perthshire

"In my opinion this section is the weakest in your assignment. The subject does not yield the nature of its history, not because of the quality of the images but because they do not provide the viewer with sufficient information.
...
As you have submitted the full quota of six sections, perhaps you would consider omitting this one. "

I think I probably agree. I did the set from a single visit as the location is a rather long distance away but really would have wanted to explore more. I think I got caught up between a couple of different ideas, I wanted to look at signage but then was a little lacking on people.

From OCA P and P Assignment 3

"The shot of the young man watching the video display does not compose with enough energy to make the point. By shooting from behind the boy’s back his shape is submerged in outline of the console. If it were shot from one side his attitude would have conveyed more animation and interest, particularly if his facial expression were included."

I appreciate the constructive comment and agree that the suggested approach could have improved the image.

Set 3 – Cairnpapple, Lothians

From OCA P and P Assignment 3

"The shot of the two tourists examining the information panel would have been improved if their faces had been visible from the camera position to enable the viewer to see their interest in this exhibit. If the eyes of the principle subjects are turned toward the action it forms a focal point in the composition."

I was trying to show the steps and ladder of the entrance down into the underground site in addition to the tourists and information board but agree that some visibility of the eyes would have provided some direction, something to work at.

Set 4 – Scottish National Equestrian Centre (SNEC), Lothians

"This section succeeds by virtue of the amount of human (and animal) activity in all the images."

From OCA P and P Assignment 3

"Your comment about the plastic bottle is quite correct as it appears to be the centre of focus. Because the horse is quite soft it must have been further away. Do you think you could clone the bottle out in Photoshop because it is persistently dominant?"

When I first selected this image I considered trying to edit out the bottle but it sits over a complex background with various elements including; a glove, some wood, peoples arms, a horse etc so I feared it would be hard for me to make all that blend and not look too false. I would prefer to have the benefit of something like the content aware fill in CS5 but have tried anyway,so here's my attempt having used the patch tool, heal brush and regular brush in CS4:

From OCA P and P Assignment 3

Set 5 – Boys' Brigade Event at Broxburn Parish Church

From OCA P and P Assignment 3

"The picture of the Boys Brigade banner bearers is one of the most important images in the set and in my opinion I feel that it should have been shot from front to give precedence to the boys and the flags."

Getting good images of the flags proved tricky. To see the flags themselves a side view works. To have been 'front side' rather than 'rear side' would have required me to levitate over the pews somewhere so wasn't immediately practical.

Here's an alternate image of the fronts taking at a different moment, given a 16:9 crop to accommodate the tall flag poles, but the higher angle of the poles means the flags are not shown off as well, I don't think I like this image as much as the one originally selected:

From OCA P and P Assignment 3

Set 6 – Crinan Canal, Lock basin and sea locks

"You have captured a set of images which carry the calm serenity of the scene. There is an over-riding feeling of peace which pervades atmosphere which is sought by those users of the inland waterways system. All the images are well composed and fit into the harmony of the sequence and give the viewer an excellent impression of the event and its location."

Well I am happy with that!

Further suggested reading

The following were suggested as further reading,one for my wish list and one I found at my library:





Read my review of A propos de Paris here.

Conclusions

From the tutor on a positive note:

"Your assignment has been very well researched and is accompanied by neatly presented, illustrated notes for each section. The images are of good quality and you have found a selection of widely varied subjects of considerable interest. In every case except one you have included figures engaged with the subject. Your project presented a variety of technical problems for the photographer but you have dealt with low light levels, depth of focus and depicting stained glass with skill. You have included the highest number of images required and completed this assignment in a very competent manner."

And areas for improvement:

"I would advise that you should concentrate on improving your composition. In a number of cases your images do not help the viewer to understand their meaning. Your subjects should guide the viewer’s attention by their attitude, gesture or glance. Try to avoid subjects looking out of the composition which pulls the viewer’s attention away from the centre of interest."