Composition: Foreground Study #2

The red dinghy is back again. I received a few good comments on yesterday's post, thank you. While similar to the first pics, this set is more focused on keeping the foreground in focus rather than the objects in the distance, if you get my... um, focus.

This photo is nearly identical to this one posted yesterday. Shifting the focus forward and the horizon up seems to reduce the crowded feel that it had before.

Angel emailed and suggested that I crop this picture, which I posted here yesterday, to improve it. Did it work?

Composition: Foreground Study

I've been trying some different things with photo composition lately. The other night I took these with the object of keeping objects in the foreground in an attempt to create a sense of depth and make the pictures more interesting.

What do you think? Does the technique improve any of these shots for you?

The Raymond E. Baldwin Bridge over a rack of dinghies. I like the solid red and green in the foreground, I just wish I could have taken this from a slightly higer position to reduce the crowding of the boats on the river with the dinghies.

Another shot over the dinghies. Again, I wish I could have positioned it so the boats on the river weren't obstructed.

Bridge over grass #1

Bridge over grass #2.
These two shots are similar and there are things about each that I like. Which one do you like better?

Drive-By Shooting

Sometimes I'm amazed by the scenery in this little corner of Connecticut. On the way back from the beach with the kids this evening we were blown away by this sunset. The camera was already out so I just picked it up, pointed it forward and let the shutter whirl. Here are a few that we liked.

I actually looked through the view finder on this one while we were stopped at the light.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

First of all, thanks to all those made comments on my recent posts! I enjoy hearing your opinions both in emails and in the actual blog comments online. The opinions on my fishing lure pictures were quite mixed. I think each of the four shots got at least one vote from someone. This just goes to show that everyone has their own opinion and sometimes there is no wrong answer!

The other evening a couple trains came past while we were down taking pictures by the river. As the first one came past I decided to try tracking it to see if I could keep the train in focus while showing motion in the background. I didn't have time to slow the shutter speed down and they, ehem, sort of turned out.

I take so many pictures now that I am really trying to become more ruthless in my editing. I delete far more pictures than I keep now but I didn't want to give up on these without at least trying to liven them up a bit. So, I cropped them, adjusted the contrast ratios, and even added a graduated tint to them to give them some more depth. I used to spend a lot of time making this type of adjustment in Photoshop but now I find that Google's Picasa does most of what I need very quickly and efficiently.

So what do you think? Were they worth saving? Does the gradient shading work for you or do you think it is somehow cheating? I have included one unaltered photo for comparison.

I think this turned out to be my favorite...

Here's the first one right out of the camera with no post-processing

My 12-year-old daughter likes this one best

See the driver's silhouette in the window?

Later on a sleeker train came from the other direction. This shot was cropped and the contrast was tweaked just slightly -- no shading added.

And this picture of a boy watching the train go past is almost unaltered with only minor contrast adjustment made just to lighten up the foreground detail.

Scottish Highlanders

So, there was this time earlier in the year when I was in Utah and I took a bunch of pictures of some cows. They weren't just any cows, mind you. They were Scottish Highlanders! What's that, you're still not excited? Well that may be because you didn't have the same grandpa as I did. Grandpa used to raise cattle and the most infamous was a Scottish Highlander named Shadrack. She ruled the pasture with an angry eye, flared nostrils, large polished horns, and flowing locks of orange fire. In fact, she was about the color of the really "intimidating" heifer with the bagel on her horn pictured below.

Here are some of my favorite portraits from the cattle shoot, along with a link to a few more gems from this pasturial pictorial. Do you have a favorite?

I don't remember ever seeing a black Scottish Highlander in Grandpa's pasture...

Scottish Highlanders
See the album (17 pics)

Reflections in Old Lyme

Crop 1

I couldn't decide which crop of this I like better. I like the lines in this one with the entire dock leading out to the island.

Crop 2
But I also like this crop which makes the woman and her bike the focus of the shot... What do you think?

Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic, CT

Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic, CT is located on the bank of the Mystic River. It affords some magnificent views of the Mystic Seaport and a walk amidst its headstones feels rich with history.