On Signal Ridge

[NewHampshire]

Ok, I'll admit I have always focused my energies, photography wise, on straight up landscape. So people in pictures is not really what I am used to. Be that as it may, I am trying to expand a bit. I caught this couple as they were getting ready to head off Signal Ridge for the summit of Carrigain. So be honest, keepr or flop?:

Brian

 

[nartreb]

Not bad at all - it clearly tells a story: "we're here, we want to get up there." The light is very good, and you did a good job of eliminating much of the flat sky while leaving space around the summit.

This particular view can be made more dramatic by recropping to a vertical orientation -
like this - and it will still tell the same story.

One tip for including people is that when you just see their backs, you don't connect with them as much. For a more interesting shot (but a completely different composition), try moving off the trail and shooting people from the side.

 

[jwind]

Not bad at all - it clearly tells a story: "we're here, we want to get up there." The light is very good, and you did a good job of eliminating much of the flat sky while leaving space around the summit.

This particular view can be made more dramatic by recropping to a vertical orientation -
like this - and it will still tell the same story.

One tip for including people is that when you just see their backs, you don't connect with them as much. For a more interesting shot (but a completely different composition), try moving off the trail and shooting people from the side.

Good points, I agree with the vertical crop suggestion very much. I don;t, however, agree, with the need to see faces. One thing is for sure, faces can certainly create a mood and involve the viewer -- this is great if that's what you are striving for. Shooting a "faceless" person is one of my favorite things to do. Why? b/c the view isn't distracted by the face ( we look at each others faces everyday to decide if someone is happy, sad, pissed, horny or mad. ) I want to be responsible for sitting the mood in MY photographs, not the person(s) in them....

And I can't help but to wonder what's t the peoples left.

 

[nartreb]

Moving to the side doesn't necessarily mean making faces visible, just getting away from a full-dorsal pose.

However, sometimes the face tells the story

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Here is a related discussion from this same forum:

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17714

Tim

 

[DougPaul]

And I can't help but to wonder what's t the peoples left.

The Captain.

Doug

 

[NewHampshire]

Under normal circumstances I would have gone with a verticle capture. But for some reason the mood moved me to go with the horizontal because I liked how the ridge sort of helped to nudged my atention of to left and into the hikers and summit tower. But I understand exactly what you mean about going verticle.

Thanks again,

Brian

 

[JohnL]

I'll be another one who would have voted for doing this as a vertical shot. However, there are some very nice items about your image that I like: exposure, clarity, the colors on the hikers (reminds me of what they used to call the "Red Shirt School of Photography") and the striking diagonal from lower right directly towards the summit tower. Including all these items in the vertical format would make for an impressive image. the only thing that troubles me about the hikers is that they appear lost and/or indecisive since there is no visible trail for them to travel along toward the summit (they appear to be blocking our view of it). An inclusion of that would also enhance your next image. Very nice.

JohnL

 

[kmorgan]

I try to shoot both a horizontal and a vertical just to be on the safe side. If I really am moved by the scene I'll take several each and try different framings and zoom levels. The more you shoot, the more you have to work with, and, after all, digital film is free! (Once you have the memory card(s) that is.)

Kevin