Urban Desert

[jmaccs64]

I got a bunch of great comments on my last whipping, and learned alot...
So I am at it again. What do you all think? Thanks!
EXIF (http://joemacchia.smugmug.com/photos/newexif.mg?ImageID=139694813)

http://joemacchia.smugmug.com/photos/143980490-L.jpg
*EDIT* Changed picture based on Gary Glass suggestions! 4/15/07 3:53pm

[Gary Glass]

I really like the theme and the tonality and detail. Extreme wide angles always make me feel a little dizzy, but what recommends it here is the way the length of the van is exaggerated. The one thing that really bugs me is this: the framing looks out of balance and/or tilted. I think there are a couple of reasons: although the foreground is perfectly horizontal, the bridge in the background looks crooked, and this is emphasized by the downward slope of the ground from right to left. The other reason is that you have two strong compositional elements: the converging lines of the road, and the horizontal color-break across it, and the latter is not centered within the frame. What if you cropped the right edge so that the horizontal line terminated at the frame edge the same way the left side does?

[jmaccs64]

Thanks for the insight Gary, I have cropped the picture and reposted it in my original post. Any other thoughts?

[Gary Glass]

I think it's stronger. Keep shooting!

[LiquidAir]

The line in the pavement for me breaks up the flow of the shot for me. It feels amost like two photos rather than one and my eye tends to get stuck on one side or the other. You might try softening that transition in Photoshop.

[SloYerRoll]

Thanks for the insight Gary, I have cropped the picture and reposted it in my original post. Any other thoughts?I wish you would have posted another post for your 'after' so others that don't get to dgrin all the time could have seen this shot.

I really like the post technique you used. Very much Dave Hill (http://www.davehillphoto.com/)'ish. I'm kind of surprised I'm not sick of that over-sharpened look due to other forums (non dgrin) dragging it over the coals. It still makes me stare though.

Good job composing the shot so the barreling (while visible) adds to the picture by giving more of a sense of dimension.

I also like the horizontal line in the street. It helps give the photo more layers of interest and separates the machine from the landscape. Giving even more depth to me.

Additional critique:
Crop the top of the shot at the top of the bridge so you don't see any sky in the shot. This will give the feel that this road is endless, adding even more depth to the shot.

[jmaccs64]

Thanks! That is some wonderful advice! I would have to say that I gained some insight and knowledge, submitting to the whipping post, and others should do so....