Inbound Green Line

[rutt]

http://rutt.smugmug.com/photos/473689114_pZMTn-L.jpg

I'm taking a documentary photography class and it's pushing me way outside my comfort zone. Let me have a whipping on this one.

[TonyCooper]

I'd prefer a square crop on this. Not all photographs need to be cropped in a rectangle. You can get everything that makes this photograph work in a square. You lose the distraction of the bit in the upper-left.

[pathfinder]

John, it is great to see you back here on dgrin again!!

I agree that cropping the left border costs nothing and omits the pointed distraction in the upper left.

I wish the young lady were in sharper focus. I can see her, but wish she was sharper.

I think I might burn down the white corner in the upper right also, as it tempts my eye and offers nothing in return.

Is this image really more powerful in B&W than in color? This image is not about shape or shadows, but a human face in a sterile environment - might the warmth in her cheeks and eyes be worthwhile?

I am asking questions here, John, not making statements of certitude. I will be interested in hearing your answers.

Interesting photo! I like the framing a great a lot.

[rutt]

You are addressing at least two of the things about shooting for this class that have me out of my comfort zone. There really are no rules, but there are guidelines:

Crop only if absolutely necessary and preserve the aspect ratio in any case, and
B&W to emphasize composition and content.

That isn't all. The thing that has me most outside my comfort zone is getting close to strangers on the street or (as here) in the subway. Almost the first thing that happened in class was showing us the film, War Photographer (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309061/) a film about James Nachtwey (highly recommended .) And the first thing in the film is a quote from Robert Cappa:
If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough.
This was shot with 24mm, too extreme, I think. I'm going to back off and use 35mm or 50mm (maximum allowed) from now on for this kind of thing. The 24 has me just a few inches from people's faces sometimes and to be honest, my composition skills just aren't up to using it in this context.

John, it is great to see you back here on dgrin again!!

I agree that cropping the left border costs nothing and omits the pointed distraction in the upper left.

I wish the young lady were in sharper focus. I can see her, but wish she was sharper.

I think I might burn down the white corner in the upper right also, as it tempts my eye and offers nothing in return.

Is this image really more powerful in B&W than in color? This image is not about shape or shadows, but a human face in a sterile environment - might the warmth in her cheeks and eyes be worthwhile?

I am asking questions here, John, not making statements of certitude. I will be interested in hearing your answers.

Interesting photo! I like the framing a great a lot.

[TonyCooper]

Crop only if absolutely necessary and preserve the aspect ratio in any case, andI cannot believe that a qualified instructor in photography would promulgate such a rule. While it not always necessary to crop, the difference between a good photograph and a great photograph is often how it is cropped. The instructor should be teaching the students how to improve a photograph by cropping rather than discouraging cropping.

Equally unbelievable is that the instructor insists on aspect ratio being maintained. A stroll through any exhibition of prize-winning photography will prove that this rule is totally invalid.

Perhaps the instructor is offering this rule for beginners on the premise that you first learn to take photographs that work without cropping, and then you progress to learning how to crop effectively.

The second rule - B&W adds emphasis - has some basis in truth, but it's not an absolute. B&W can add emphasis, but it doesn't always. Just going to B&W doesn't always work; sometimes the result has to be tweaked in contrast or otherwise manipulated to make it work.

I like this one in B&W, but only if the image is cropped so that the girl's face is placed in the cropped result to be the central point of attention. It shouldn't compete with all that gray mass to the left.

[rutt]

I do agree with the cropping suggestion. I think the reason for avoiding cropping and maintaining the aspect ratio is to force better shoot-time composition, something that I really could stand to improve.

[pathfinder]

Cropping is an interesting area for discussion.

I agree that the rule encouraging incamera composition can be helpful and instructional, but very challenging in a candid type shooting environment. If you are composing with a camera on a tripod, it makes more sense to me. Requiring a given aspect ratio is a bit rigid in my opinion.

I agree that composition with a wide angle requires more care, as its wider view invites more chaos in, that the shooter must somehow corral.

I am not able to shoot strangers well either, so I feel your distress, John.

I think you did pretty good, actually. And I like the B&W. Jay Maisel says shape is the enemy of color, and color is the enemy of shape or something to that effect.

[sara505]

http://rutt.smugmug.com/photos/473689114_pZMTn-L.jpg

I'm taking a documentary photography class and it's pushing me way outside my comfort zone. Let me have a whipping on this one.

I saw the title and I knew it was Boston. The Green Line runs right past my apartment (Beacon St.). This about sums it up during rush hour.
I think I would crop way in on this, make the face larger, framed by the crowd.