Scared....

[goldilocksandmy3bears]

This is my first time posting here. I went out this evening and took a few pictures of old run down building here in my town. I am an extreme newbie but I figured if I am ever going to get better the best place to learn is from the wise.. so here it goes.. The old cold storage building.. many say it is haunted.. I didn't want to find out.. so heres the outside... I'm ready for the whip.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b241/capri956/coldstor1.jpg

[goldilocksandmy3bears]

:scratch does no replies mean it was bad or good? :scratch

[Sam]

Courtney,

No response doesn't always mean anything.

I will give my take on it though. I don't find this one very interesting. I don't see a point of focus. It also seems tilted to the left, and or some wide angle distortion.

By your post I take it this bldg gives you a sense of fear. Unfortunately I don't get a spooky feeling from the outside image. Maybe try the inside. :D

I think an image should show something, and, or generate a feeling. Is it dramatic, colorful, show an activity, or can it generate a feeling of calm, soulful, exciting, humor?

You want an image that pops off the page, and gets an immediate wow, or an image can have depth that draws the viewer in, and leads the eye through the image.

DON"T give up!!!!!!

This is a quantum leap better than my first images. :D

Sam

[ceemitch]

:scratch does no replies mean it was bad or good? :scratch

I'm new here too so here goes. I think you've picked a good subject. You could probably photograph it in a more interesting way though. I think I'd go back on a very gray, maybe even rainy day. Some dark hovering storm clouds might give the sense of foreboding you're looking for. Even though the pic is B&W I can see that it's a clear and uninteresting sky. Look for some interesting shadows, angles and sky to help your composition. Well, that's my two cents. Good luck.

[goldilocksandmy3bears]

Courtney,

No response doesn't always mean anything.

I will give my take on it though. I don't find this one very interesting. I don't see a point of focus. It also seems tilted to the left, and or some wide angle distortion.

By your post I take it this bldg gives you a sense of fear. Unfortunately I don't get a spooky feeling from the outside image. Maybe try the inside. :D

I think an image should show something, and, or generate a feeling. Is it dramatic, colorful, show an activity, or can it generate a feeling of calm, soulful, exciting, humor?

You want an image that pops off the page, and gets an immediate wow, or an image can have depth that draws the viewer in, and leads the eye through the image.

DON"T give up!!!!!!

This is a quantum leap better than my first images. :D

Sam

Thanks for viewing/commenting Sam. I think the emotion of fear from the building comes only from the stories in the community. Your right looking at the picture does not give a sense of fear. I did venture out today and took a few shots of an old abandoned seminary that was later turned into a insane asylum then later shut down because of the "hauntings". Perhaps I did a better job with those. I will be posting them up soon. Thank you for your comments!

[goldilocksandmy3bears]

I'm new here too so here goes. I think you've picked a good subject. You could probably photograph it in a more interesting way though. I think I'd go back on a very gray, maybe even rainy day. Some dark hovering storm clouds might give the sense of foreboding you're looking for. Even though the pic is B&W I can see that it's a clear and uninteresting sky. Look for some interesting shadows, angles and sky to help your composition. Well, that's my two cents. Good luck.

Thanks for your comments. I think you have a great idea in using shadows and stormy skies. Thanks again!

[HoofClix]

Harlingen! I used to deal with the cotton gin...

If you're trying to convey the hauntedness of this place, I think ceemitch is on to some good ideas.

If you're open to doing different things with this capture, maybe try some converting it by filtering various colors to get a darker sky, perhaps cropping out everything from the dock roof on down, to make a more abstract study.

If you can try shooting at different times of the day, and perhaps with a polarizer, to get more shadows out of the concrete walls. Mmaybe even a day when there are some puffy clouds in the sky.

Come back to the image after some time and see what you see in it that might not be what you thought when you took the image.

[goldilocksandmy3bears]

Harlingen! I used to deal with the cotton gin...

If you're trying to convey the hauntedness of this place, I think ceemitch is on to some good ideas.

If you're open to doing different things with this capture, maybe try some converting it by filtering various colors to get a darker sky, perhaps cropping out everything from the dock roof on down, to make a more abstract study.

If you can try shooting at different times of the day, and perhaps with a polarizer, to get more shadows out of the concrete walls. Mmaybe even a day when there are some puffy clouds in the sky.

Come back to the image after some time and see what you see in it that might not be what you thought when you took the image.

wow whata small world! I can never go to far without running into someone who has ties to the Rio Grande Valley. Thanks for your comments I will definately use your ideas!

[dlibrach]

Don’t worry about being a newbie. We’ve all been there before and I think it’s great that you’ve posted here. Putting yourself out there is one of the best ways to grow as a photographer.

You’ve received a lot of great advice from everyone already. I would like to add though that you may want try working with the perspective in post processing. Unless you are able to use a tilt-shift lens, a shot like this will create the perspective of the building falling away from you. Sometimes this can work in your favor (but usually requires it to be more extreme) and other times you need to straighten things up. Here, I think the latter is probably in order.

I also find the BW conversion to be a bit bland. A boost in contrast (blacker blacks and whiter whites) I think would really help. Right now there is just too much middle gray which doesn’t convey the drama that I think you were after.

Another thing to consider is maybe a slightly tighter crop. I think you could lose a bit off both sides. The trees on the right are a bit distracting as is the little shack on the side of the building to the left.

Overall though, great initial attempt. I think your intentions were spot on. Just need to tweak the technique and execution some more. That'll come naturally over time.

Cheers,
Dave