Photoforum Photography Challenge 2011-13 - Subject Selection (Clean up the Clutter)

[TCampbell]

Apologies for the delay in getting this next challenge posted. I've been under the weather for the last few weeks and unable to get out to do more shooting. Now that I'm over whatever that was, I couldn't wait to grab the camera and get back out to do more shooting.

For this next challenge I'd like to focus on taking "clean" shots. Sometimes we see a photo where we just can't quite figure out what the subject is. Sometimes we're even guilty of being the guy (or gal) who took that photo.

Here's a good example (and by "good" I really mean "bad"):



The "problem" with this shot is that there's just too much stuff in it. As I look around, I can see it's a blacksmith's shop, sure enough... the problem is there's no focal point. There are lots of tools in the background -- most of which are too small to see any detail. We don't even know what these tools are.

To improve this shot, I need to look around for something of interest. It might be something familiar and/or iconic. Though it doesn't have to be familiar, if it's not a familiar object then you'll need to include enough "context" so that viewers aren't scratching their heads and wondering what it is. For example... there is a giant bellows hanging from the ceiling used to increase the temperature in the fire, but giant bellows, though interesting, aren't "familiar" objects.

Down on the floor I see something that is interesting. It's familiar and iconic. It has lots of nicks, hammer marks, and other elements of detail. Unfortunately in this photo, you wouldn't know it had any of those things because I'm simply too far away to reveal the detail.

It's time to re-think this shot, and here's what I did:



Since this is the "subject" I don't care about the rest of the room. I've repositioned to achieve two things: (1) I want to eliminate all the distractions from the background, and (2) I want to be in tight enough that viewers can take in the "detail" in this object... basically I want to make sure you can see all those nicks and hammer marks of an anvil that has seen years of heavy use.

If you're thinking this looks a bit like a "still life" shot, you'd be right. Let's call this "still life - lite". It's not that it's intended to be still-life per se, but part of the point of a still life is to create a composition of a lone and/or isolated object, do a study on shadows & highlights, and reveal the interesting detail. Rather than moving the subject (a bowl of fruit or vase of flowers) on a shooting location (such as a table), I'm moving the camera to achieve the same effect (after all... I don't think I'll be lifting that anvil anytime soon.)

(BTW, subjects that reveal lots of detail, structure, patterns, texture, and contrast between highlight and shadow often make great black & white subjects, and you can use your imagination to think about how this might have worked out in black & white. I deliberately did not convert it because I just wanted to focus the challenge on subject selection.)

Take two shots:

Show us a scene that would otherwise just make for clutter and not very interesting. THEN show us what you can do with it... pick a focal point and recompose your shot to show off your subject. Your subject does not need to be a still life, it doesn't need to be indoors... this is just what I happened to pick. Remember... you're not trying to document everything present when you happened to take a photo, your selecting something you think is interesting and isolating that subject from it's otherwise distracting surroundings.

And now for the rules:

1. Only photos taken during the challenge period should be posted.
2. Limit of 2 pictures per post for this topic.
3. Discussion of technique and/or inspiration is encouraged!
4. Remember - this is NOT a contest - no voting, no prizes - other than better photos!

And the most important rule: Have fun!

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[Fred Berg]

1

2

Both taken with my Sigma DP1s. The cluttered shot was taken with auto focus, the clean shot with manual focus. For the close up, I held the camera upside down to get the most out of the built-in flash (this was also turned down a couple of clicks to avoid too much glare). They are both f4, 1/30 shots.

[TCampbell]

You've got he idea to isolate something of interest. Eliminate the distractions to create the clean shot.

The flash is creating a shadow that's just a bit too well defined (A pinpoint source of light creates a shadow with defined edges. A broadened and diffuse source of light creates a soft gentle transition to the shadows.). Inverting the camera was a creative way to use the light because the near parts of the leaf create a shadow on the far parts of the leaf -- just need to get rid of the strong shadow on the wall. Pull the chair away from the wall or change the angle (shoot from the side, etc.) so the shadow doesn't project onto the wall.

Your depth of field is just a bit narrow and revealing a soft foreground. Depth of field can get surprisingly narrow when shooting close subjects and you often need a higher focal ratio than you might otherwise guess. You could also crop out some of the foreground -- notice that in the anvil photo I cropped off a bit of the back. I can get away with this because there's enough context that everyone knows what it is even if the cant see the whole thing.

[arian29]

My first ever pic post

The Clutter (50mm, 1/60, f4)



And The Boat (50mm, 1/60, f2)

[TCampbell]

For the second shot, I'll offer two tips:

1) consider going further. If I'm shooting in a room (e.g. say I'm doing a wedding), and I don't like the background, I'll consider re-arranging the furniture (briefly of course - I do have to put it back) so that I'm shooting my subjects with a background more fitting to the shot. If I'm shooting in nature and there's some random debris in my way, I'll move it. e.g. I'm shooting a flower but there's a weed or a dead branch in front of it, I'll go ahead and either remove the dead branch or at least have a friend hold it out of the way while I snap the shot.

If the sunscreen is the subject, then I'd move the tape out of the photo.

2) consider a bit higher focal ratio for a sharper shot and a little more depth of field. I shot my anvil at f/5.6 because I knew that, on that angle, I wouldn't be able to get the whole thing in focus with a narrow depth-of-field and I wanted a sharp subject. Then the lens-to-subject distance gets short (as it is with your sunscreen shot) the DoF can get really thin. It's sharpest just about where the "SPF 30" logo is printed but quickly goes soft in front and behind that point.

The second reason -- especially in a close up shot of a subject that isn't "flat" -- is that most lenses tend to yield their sharpest results at roughly 2 f-stops down from whatever "wide open" happens to be. In the case of your 50mm f/1.8 lens this will be roughly f/4. Since you're subject is on a bit of an angle and fairly close to the lens, you might need to go a bit more... to about f/5.6.

Keep shooting!

[tilettos]

Hello Guys,

I'm new to this forum. Your shots are amazing. Can you please explain how to join to this challenge? It seems interesting and fun, if ever I would like to join.

Thanks,

[TCampbell]

Hello Guys,

I'm new to this forum. Your shots are amazing. Can you please explain how to join to this challenge? It seems interesting and fun, if ever I would like to join.

Thanks,

Every few weeks we post a new challenge. The challenge isn't a contest -- they're based on tips & techniques designed to help improve your photography skills and/or expose you to ways to think about approaching a shot.

Since not everyone has a DSLR, as often as possible I try to come up with ideas that don't require any particular gear but I can't promise that will always be the case (I'd hate to not offer a useful tip or technique just because it assumes a certain type of camera.) These may range from basic techniques regarding exposure, composition, lighting, modeling (or not modeling as the case may be), etc.

To "join", just read the theme of the challenge and go shoot some pictures that fit with the theme. You can then post them here. The "Uploading or Posting your Photo" forum has messages that explain how to post your photos here -- as well as the guidelines (e.g. size limits, etc.). See: Uploading and Posting Your Photos

Welcome to Photoforum!

[SaraiD83]

Here's mine... :-)

001.jpg
ring 005.jpg

[banannabiker]

[TCampbell]

Ron, I'd go even closer on that old wagon wheel - go ahead and fill the frame with it. There's a LOT of character in that old wood and rusty tire. If you get in tight, you can show that off and the rest of the background isn't showing off anything of interest or related to the subject.

If you look at the anvil I shot, notice that you can see all the nicks and hammer marks of the years of wear and I don't actually show the "whole" anvil... because it's obvious enough that is an anvil (if it's an odd subject that won't be familiar to viewers then you need to back away to give people some "context" of what they're looking at... but when it's a familiar object, you can crop in tight, fill the frame, and show off the detail and it's not really necessary that they see the "whole" thing.)