Climber Picture for critique

[Prezwoodz]

Ok i always post the pictures that i like on www.rockclimbing.com (http://www.rockclimbing.com) and they have a voting system on them. I never can get a good rating!! ARGGG. And getting some critique out of them sounds like "newb", "how about getting better?"

So i figured i would see what anyone here thinks of it. Please tell me the good and bad!! Bad mostly so's i can improve!

Took this with a Semi cloudy day. Unfortunatly i have a point and shoot so i had it set to Auto and do not know the exact exif Data.

http://www.alaskamountainforum.com/largepictures/Thailand21.jpg

[mercphoto]

I don't know the sport, and I don't know what good climbing pictures look like. But at first sight this is a shot of a mountain. The climber is small and lost in the noise. The climber does not appear to be the subject of the shot.

[Mitchell]

Looks like tough conditions to shoot in that day.
Unfortunately, the climber is lost in this photo which has no focal point. I've always enjoyed your climbing shots which have had a unique perspective. Perhaps this would have been a better day to shoot up or down at this climber.

I will say that the rock itself is really interesting. I'd like to see some tight shots of the climber engaged on the rock face.

[Prezwoodz]

I do know what you mean about getting in closer to him. Unforutnatly this guys climbing is harder than mine! heh. hes climbing a rating of probably 5.12 and i was lucky to get 5.10's. So getting up to his level would have taken me a heli!

Thanks for critique. Keep it comin! :)

[Shay Stephens]

The problem for me is the question I ask myself when I see the photo...

Where's the danger?

Now what do I mean by that you may ask?!?! hehehe

The climber is centered in the frame for the most part. There is no clue (visually) that I am *not* looking down on someone laying funny on a rock. To me it looks like a birds eye view of a sunbather laying on a rock with the beach/water at the top of the frame.

So visually, there is no danger for the viewer, no emotions are elicited. You might be able to help this out by cropping. Put the climber at the top of the frame with space for him to fall beneath. Or if the photo allowed for it, place him at the bottom with an expanse of rock he has yet to climb.

If you include sky, make sure it looks like sky and not white frothy water or white beach sand. If the sky is not a good blue, then don't include it. If you had included less sky and more below the climber in this picture you might have been able to include some indicator of the height he was at or some other visual indicator that the viewer is looking up.

The climber doesn't have to necessarily stand out, but you could do so by providing a round gradient (or dodge/burn etc) from him out that would brighten the climber, darken the edges and focus the view where you want it a little better.

So when you are taking pictures, think of ways you can illustrate height, danger, and/or strength. It's more than just looking up :wink

[erich6]

In addition to the previous comments I think the picture would've come out better if you used a faster ISO. It looks blurry to me and I think the patch of sky forced the camera to a lower speed and fooled the auto-exposure.

I agree with Shay that you don't really get a "feel" for the moment. Adding space above or below the subject gives more of a story. If you can't get the angle from the top maybe find a lower point and look up. Turn your disadvantage into an advantage....

Erich

[wxwax]

You see a lot of climbing shots taken from the side or from above. Either perspective gives you a sense of height and therefore danger. Means you have to really work to get in position, though, I reckon. You have some fantastic opportunities, I look forward to seeing how you progress. :nod

Like these.

http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=Show&PhotoID=55880

http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=Show&PhotoID=56154

http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=Show&PhotoID=56475

[Shay Stephens]

Looking at that first photo you posted made me start crying for my mommy!

:rofl

You see a lot of climbing shots taken from the side or from above. Either perspective gives you a sense of height and therefore danger.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=Show&PhotoID=55880

[Nikolai]

..with Sid, Shay and the others - while this whole Taiwan negative angles definitely ARE dangerous, this shot does not leave the proper impression. Your other shots from that series are way more "scary".

And while we're in the full crtitique mode - the sky is blown. I know, I know - you're getting the climber. Well, the old trusty "shoot for the sky", or shoot raw, or do bracketing (AFAICR from my past, one does NOT move fast during this exercise, so you have plenty of time to do it:-) could do the trick..

Nice series otherwise:-) You guys were having some serious fun there:-):thumb

[ian408]

What I like about this shot is that you show the relationship of the climber
to the rock face. Except for the sky, the exposure is good. The climber's
position is also good.

One way this particular picture could be made better would be to include
the start and the belayer. Or perhaps more of an angle looking up.

Climbing is such a change from the usual stuff around the sports corner.
Keep 'em coming.

Ian

[ginger_55]

Hi, I liked your other rock shots better. This one, to me, it was the spoiler. It showed that maybe this was an exercise, not real danger. I remember I responded that I liked it, then I asked if you were really going somewhere or ??

There may have been another spoiler, but the first one I saw that you did, where I did not see the other "rock" behind, I thought you were a gazillion miles up and in real danger, with miles to go.

When I saw the other rock behind, I wondered if this was the most expensive climbing wall exercise I had ever seen.

Your sky does not bother me, but you know what Andy keeps saying to me, doG I hate this phrase, "you are only as good as the worst photo in your portfolio".

So, with that in mind, you have to either decide not to care if only one or two people ever want to see your photos again, or whether you are going to please all of them, along with yourself (gotta please yourself).

So, though I do not care at all re blown areas, a lot of people will hang a photo on it, so I do try not to blow my birds, same with you and skies, and I just worked on one yesterday, a blown cloud area, w blue, too. Now I don't know if that is a bad thing.

But since it is mentioned here to you, you probably don't want to blow your skies, if possible.

But I would work on the ambiguous message, make it a personal challenge to try to make every shot look dangerous and not mix anything in that shows that it might not be dangerous.

ginger (I looked at the first example that Sid pointed us to, it was a good wide angle)