Smart Photography reader Manoj Tilak from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, has sent us this photo of a young lad diving in to the water.
The photo was shot at Shipra river, Ramghat, Ujjain. It is a very nice picture; the subject is positioned as per the rule of the thirds, the clouds in the background are great, the sunset is good, and the exposure is perfect for this silhouette.
So, could this picture be improved? What would I have done if I were you?First, let’s accept the fact that this is not a posed picture. It is possible though, that Manoj may have asked the young lad to dive in, or there could have been several children taking a dive one after the other. While I like the picture, I think that the position of the setting sun is too close to the vertical center of the frame. I also realise that there may not have been enough time to shift to a better location.
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Unfortunately, the diver’s hands are aligned, thus making it look as if he has only one hand!If I were you, I would have fired a continuous burst*. This would have definitely given me some frames where both the hands would have been visible, as you can see in the edited image. Also note that as the diver nears the water, his angle changes.
* My camera is always set to fire a continuous high-speed burst (CH). I have enough practice to fire off a single frame as and when required. This habit has often paid rich dividends, when something unexpected has demanded a continuous burst at high frame rate. If you try to change the firing rate when the action happens, you will definitely miss the boat.
Survival of the Fittest
SP reader Devmalya Das has sent us this picture of fighting pair of mynas. Devmalya was quick enough to seize the opportunity and capture the action. But even then, could this picture have been improved? What steps could he have taken to ‘create’ another picture?
Before I give my two cents worth, let me clarify that it may not always be possible to do what I am about to suggest. Even then, it’s worth a try.
The idea here was to ‘stop the action’; to ‘freeze the flying feathers’ – to show a sharp image of the fighting birds. That’s fine. But guess what would have happened if Devmalya had to use slower shutter speeds? Are you with me? Are we on the same wavelength? If you use a very high shutter speed to photograph a fast speeding car, you will probably stop it in its track, but will that impart an impression of speed? The answer is ‘No’. Same way, it could have been worth a try to photograph the fighting birds at say, 1/125 sec or 1/250 sec. At slower shutter speeds, may be the birds would not have been pin-sharp, but the blur would have created a different kind of impact. I have seen such birds fighting for quite a few seconds and if I were you, I would have experimented with some slow shutter speeds. Maybe I would not have succeeded, maybe I would have! You can never tell till you try.
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Mother and Child
Here is a picture of a monkey with her baby. Baby monkeys always look so sweet, especially when they are up to antics. In this picture, back-lighting has separated the pair from the background and the background itself is blurred. How could this picture be improved? What would I have done if I were you?While the background is diffused, it is still somewhat disturbing – especially the white flower. I also feel that the picture needs to be deeper in tone. Notice that the monkeys are looking out of the frame. This forces the viewers’ eyes to follow suit.
Using Photoshop Levels, I adjusted the contrast, and re-worked the composition. In the edited version, there is enough space in the direction of the monkeys’ gaze. Finally, the image was sharpened.
Does it matter that the mother is cut off at the side? Generally we try to include the full figure but in this particular case, I don’t think it matters.
Paddy-field Workers
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Edited Image |
This colourful photo of paddy-field workers has been sent to us by SP reader Ajay Kumar. What care should have been taken while framing this picture? What would I have done if I were you?
Ajay, keep in mind that photographs have only two dimensions – height and width. The third and very important dimension – that of depth – is missing. Hence we need to ‘create’ that missing depth. We can do that by focussing on a nearby element in the picture and providing a reasonable foreground, so that the main subject appears to be some distance away.
You shot the picture at 300mm setting using your 70-300mm lens. In doing so, you left almost no space for a foreground, and you also cut off the two women on the right. You could have shot the picture, may be around the 100mm setting. That would have shown more of the surroundings. The trio in the center are aware of being photographed (two of them seem to like the idea, but the elderly lady seems suspicious of you!). One of the guidelines for composition suggests that you do not place the center of interest in the center of the frame. Finally, to the bottom left of the frame, you have left a part of a egret showing. This distracts the viewer’s attention from the main subject.
Using Photoshop, I have re-constructed the frame as it should have been. Of course, I cannot make the three ladies look away from the camera! But, that too is not impossible, if you know how.