Some Pics for C&C

PaulieC

and I mean C&C, especially the criticism part, but in a constructive way

What I'm trying to do is a sort of photographic project on the area I live - trying to document everything from old to new, nature to industry, poor to rich etc.

That probably sounds like a whole pile of ****, but it gives me some kind of direction when I go out with my camera. These were taken between 1-2 years ago....I may start again completely...anyway, here goes...
046.jpg

051.jpg

122.JPG

Recycling.jpg

storm2.jpg

FreeAnd..

some nice colour across those photos, overall a decent urban series. The first one seems overexposed for the powerstation and sky and i would try to tone that down as even though they are background i think they are a focal point (because everyone knows them)

I feel the second one would probably have more impact if there was not as much sky roughly the top third.

I like the grittyness of the third one. The fourth one, again the sky doesnt do it for me. Too much and too bright leads away from the detail...

The last one is simple and works really well. The grain and the colour creates a atmosphere

PaulieC

thanks Freeand... so lesson 1 is lose the sky !! I suppose I am a bit partial to a bit of sky!
What did you mean by colour?

FreeAnd..

by colour, i mean lack of colour and the consistent urbanised feel across all the shots, it gives the feel of a set of images that look well when viewed together.

CONMIKE12

Very nice shots there.I have to disagree with Freeand on a few points.The first shot would not work at all if you exposed for the chimney,you'd lose everything else in darkness I would think.
I think the second one is very much enhanced by such a dramatic sky and overall well composed.
But thats what photography is all about,people seeing things differently and then presenting them that way.

eas

ok you asked for it :

I think storm is far above the rest myself, really like that one.

a bit more of a 2nd rate critique

1) I think there's too much competition between the tubes vs. the stacks. Is there a connection? If the idea was to get a bit of both in I would have tried to separate the edge of the tube with the base of the stacks. see where they touch? Same on the other side of the tube too, where it's touching the fence thing.

2) Think it's quite nice, but maybe lacks a point of interest? Steal a car and burn it out in that grassy area!

3) Nice, but kinda the same as the first one - I'm not sure what the picture is of? I'd crop a good bit of the left off.

4) I like it much more on second look, I like how the frame is neatly devised into sections horizontally. The craziness of the centre section contrasts well with the relative plainness of the top and bottom sections.

5) Love it.


personally I'd be more critical of your project brief than anything. I think it lacks focus to come to anything more than pictures from around where you live. Not that there's anything wrong with that really.

But from experience I find if you pull smaller bits out of the whole you end up with a much better collection of photos. Have a think about what makes your area different? What you like, what you don't like. How could your project make a difference.

anyhow, just my 2 cents. Sincerely meant to be as helpful as possible

5uspect

I quite like your style. How are you converting to B&W? There was a discussion on different ways in photoshop to get different effects a while back, would be interesting to see some of those shots using different methods. No.2 for example feels a little bit dull for me. Great work tho.

PaulieC

Thanks for the comments....

Eas, you're right, I was a bit vague on the brief. What I really want(ed) to do was to document the locality where I live and how it's changing - building new apts/office at a phenomenal rate, incinerator looks to be going ahead, sewage treatment plant etc etc. The pics I posted where the only ones I had handy on my work PC and don't really convey the brief, maybe except for number 2 which is a pic of the Irishtown nature reserve, just one of the locations that will be destroyed when the developers get free reign in there.
I need to go through the rest of the images and sort them out - as I said in the original post, I took these a couple of years ago, which brings me to my second point....

5uspect, I cannot remember what I used to convert to B&W, although I think some of them were taken using my previous camera in B&W mode. I use MS Digital Image Suite to edit the pix mostly, so it was probably just a matter of sitting there unitl I liked the look of them. Looking at them now, methinks there was a lot of contrast bumping up

Anyway, thanks for the comments - they've helped me focus somewhat on what I was trying to do and give me a definite aim when I manage to get out next

kjt

Some nice pictures there.
My favourites would have to be the 1st and the last.
I think the first one is a really nice idea but it is slightly
ruined by the fence you had to take the shot through.
If you were able to get in just behind that fence it would
be a far better shot.
Storm, Wow lovely shot. Really nice picture, Makes me
want to go out for a swim.

Nice shots

PaulieC

thanks Kjt, I love the storm one myself, here's another one from that day..
poolbeg_storm1bw.jpg

it was pretty scary that day with the wind so strong and the water so high

Redundo

As a collection, like others have said, I can't see the connection between the industrial shots and the landscapes.

Individually, I think you've got some really fine images. Particularly the Storm as others have mentioned, but I also really like the first shot too. I think it's the most interesting of the industrial shots, thanks to the cluttered composition there is more for the eye to examine.

FreeAnd..

Posted by CONMIKE12

The first shot would not work at all if you exposed for the chimney,you'd lose everything else in darkness I would think.
I think the second one is very much enhanced by such a dramatic sky and overall well composed.

I do agree with you CONMIKE that you want to keep the foreground as it is the main part of the picture but i definitely think the towers should be burnt a bit just to clarify them, not overdone but just slightly to give a better contrast.

As for the second one, i wouldnt reccommend removing all of the sky just the top as it appears bland to me as opposed to the rest of the sky and i believe removing it would give an even better dramatic effect.

smk135

yep like most of the posters, i really think the last one is the most powerful, although i think i may have focused on the lighthous a bit more.

the 1st one i just found to a bit messy and irrelevant (focusing on the tube...?) and i wouldnt be able to comment on the other ones that much only for the fact that maybe colour would be good as the sky is very overwhleming in the content of the photos.

but loved the last one.

good luck & keep it up!

kjt

Dang I really like that shot aswell. Can you remember around when you took these? THey look like their VERY VERY wintery shots, dec/jan.

Lovely

PaulieC

27/10/04 and 12.03 PM according to the EXIF.

I actually remember the day now - it was very stormy when I was driving to work, along the beach road in Sandymount. The tide wasn't yet full in but waves were still coming over the wall onto the road. I knew I have to go back down at full tide - left work and went home for the camera and off down to Poolbeg...I've never seen weather like it either before or after.

Anyway, glad you like them