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broken composition


broken composition
Photo Information
Copyright: Kristaps Klavins (zmey) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1130 W: 72 N: 1094] (4275)
Genre: People
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-01-01
Categories: Daily Life
Camera: Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm / F 4-5,6 G AF
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Ecuador People [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-04-18 7:08
Viewed: 552
Points: 44
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
yup... broken... composition. :)) i know... but, of course, all sorts of TE police are welcome to yell at me for that ;) however, i still like this shot with the half-cut lady walking out of the frame, firmly holding walking cane in her protruding hand. i do not think any yelling can change that ;)

oh, yeah... one more thing... you can blame Stan Obert (scobert) for me posting this foto. the other day, in his archives, i found a fantastic composition titled "la llarona dance". it served as an inspiration for me to go ahead and annoy fine folks here with my own broken composition :))

i met these charming ladies on their way home from the morning New Year's service at the Basilica de la Virgen de Agua Santa in Baņos. some of you might have seen my earlier post titled 'clash'. the subject in that one is part of the same group represented by the two ladies here.

have a great weekend, folks! :)

--

other titles considered: 'walk this way', 'the wall', 'procession', etc.
isabela_sor, scobert, belido, dlevy23, Wandering_Dan, Floydian, bertolucci, leo61, MayaG, fulvio52, Gerrit, plimrn has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To avene: workshopzmey 1 05-15 13:15
To plimrn: stink eye ;)zmey 1 04-22 09:07
To ifanik: no worrieszmey 1 04-22 09:05
To MayaG: wonderfulzmey 2 04-19 02:53
To MayaG: about the originalzmey 1 04-18 23:41
To gunbud: no ice cream...zmey 1 04-18 19:09
To diegomach: holazmey 1 04-18 19:06
To Polonaise: love itzmey 1 04-18 18:57
To bertolucci: walk this wayzmey 1 04-18 14:48
To Floydian: :)zmey 1 04-18 14:46
To Wandering_Dan: wallzmey 1 04-18 12:00
To belido: placezmey 2 04-18 08:30
To scobert: Similarities Between our Photosscobert 1 04-18 08:15
To scobert: timing :)zmey 2 04-18 07:52
To pboehringer: motionzmey 1 04-18 07:47
To isabela_sor: theyzmey 1 04-18 07:40
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Critiques [Translate]

They still preserve their customs,their traditional clothes..My admiration for this
The woman there in the second plane too bussy looking you instead to eat her ice-cream:)
All the best
A great weekend too

Hi Kristaps,
You just commented about my "La Llarona" Dance photo that you liked the one dancer partially being cropped out of the frame. I like the way that the lady on the left is cropped. The Impressionist artists used this trick deliberately with their paintings. Many of the Impressionists were avid photographers and liked having people and animals moving into and out of the frame. This technique, if properly done, makes the photo less static and adds a sense of action to the image. This is an outstanding travel shot and I like your unusual but highly effective composition! Great work!
Stan

Hi Kristaps,
very nice composition
dood colors
very natural shot
thanks for sharing
Ozhan

Kristaps,
one of the interesting thhings at TE is to see the diversity and presentation, interpretation and sense of aestetics. Personally I never would have posted this shot like this. I'm to classic in my view and certainly would have done a huge crop around the lady to have a close up portrait of her with the ice cream. But no, you have to do it diferently and I appreciate that a lot. Looking into this image and reading the critiques so far gives an additional view ofr my single minded brain and who knows it even triggers me to do something different in future.
Thanks for the controversy!
Peter

Hi Kristaps,

TG you didn't delete the woman from the image. You told us about her hand and the hand is what it matters. I don't feel it would be necessary to include anything else. Well, the other one looking at you is a great bonus. Very well done!
Have a nice weekend,
Carlos
PS: I'm scary about going outside for shots like this. It's not my place.

Hi Kristaps, another great photo. I have to say that I wish the half lady wasn't on a half. I do think it is cool that the other lady is holding this colorful icecream. i like the colors of the overall photo. The lady with the icecream doesn't seem to be happy, maybe her icecream is melting!
Buen fin de semana y espero ver una foto nueva pronto.
Un abrazo

Daniel

Hi Kris,unusual to see this woman whit a ice cream in the hand!Very nice situation and wonderfull colours,my best compliments,Luciano

Hi, Kristaps -

Rules, like compositions, are made to be broken! In this instance, the lady walking out of the frame to the left works quite well, as it gives a better sense of movement than a full frame shot would have. In particular, her head down position gives the impression that she is charging full steam ahead right past you! If I find anything strange, it's the expression on the other woman's face - is it you, or the ice cream?

If I have any comment to make, it's that I wonder if you could have toned down the wall a little. It's not burned out, but it is a bit bright. (See, I had to find SOMEthing!)

Best,
Dan

You had me grinning while reading your funny note Kristaps, especially the 'walk this way' reference - my minds eye immediately superimposed rappers and old rockers on this scene (check out this song). Yes I know, it's a quirky association ;-). Anyway I like this a lot, it bristles with life and I love the ice cone in its function as cultural counterpoint. And the partial woman adds a nice narrative tension. So well done !
Have a great weekend !
Bert

  • Great 
  • leo61 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3603 W: 333 N: 7093] (30107)
  • [2008-04-18 13:32]

Hi Kristaps!
I like your note and this unusual composition with the "half cut woman".It`s a very good exposure ,with great sharpness and good contratst with the background.
Regards,Leo

Hola Kristaps, veo que has estado men mi pais, te felicito por el formidable registro fotografico que has obtenido, creo que has podido reflejar en cada una de tus fotos nuestra realidad y a nuentra gente.
Tuienes fotos muy expresivas y muy interesantes.
Gracias por dar a conocer nuestra cultura a travez de tu registro
un abrazo

Since you've started - you have to finish

Once you've said 'A' - you have to say 'B'

Once you've decided to go impressionism - you've gotta go impressionism

Once you've entered - you've got to continue...

Wink, wink...

Have a lovely WE, best buddy

g.

  • Great 
  • MayaG Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 263 W: 15 N: 363] (2039)
  • [2008-04-18 17:23]
  • [+]

After reading Henk's comment I almost feel guilty to say that I - like the crop!
And not because it's 'breaking the rules', or like 'oh let's try something different that makes no sense'. I don't know if this is a full frame shot, and if it is then you couldn't crop the woman better then it is, her face and the hand coming to complete attention. I am even tempted to say I would keep her if I had to chose between the two.
Now, to me the little problem is balance. If the left part is cropped like this, then the right part doesn't seem ok to me. And that means, more cropping :)
All this, of course, imho (I'm so glad someone made up an abbravation for this).
The colours are really beautiful!
regards
Marija
p.s. I just saw George's ws, we uploaded critique at the same time - that's exactly what i had in mind!

  • Great 
  • gunbud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 4173 W: 3 N: 3603] (16646)
  • [2008-04-18 18:57]
  • [+]

Hi Kristaps,
Hey I'm wondering if the first lady is packing a tastey ice cream cone like the latter lady. Actually like your composition which makes one wonder what makes the single file walking necessary. At any rate great clear colors with excepttional details.
Regards, Tom

Hi Kristaps,

I think this is the eigth time that i come back to this picture and trying to find the right words in Dutch and after translating them in English somewhere in my brains to put them on screen for you so that you know what i mean ;-)

What about if this was my picture. Two options, i had delete him, or a second option is to show only the woman at the right. Never i would post such an image. Why not? It's not my style to present something like this. I know a lot of people do, and i am really glad about that, i really mean that. I for myself am not really in this kind of work. Is it a bad picture? No way, absolutly not, but i am not in to this kind of work. So i can tell you nothing that would add anything to your picture that makes sense ;-)

Is there anything i like? Oh yes, that icecream and the way she looks at you, but also the different layers of colours. From purple to blue and red and the marble looking wall, that all is placed in a superb way.

Maybe i would have placed the right woman more to the other one in the post-processing so there wouldn't be a gap between them. Does that make sense...bet no ;-))) You are right about her fist, that's a strong key in this photo, i like that part.

You see, when i do not really no i type to much, bad habit :-)

Have a super weekend, Henk

Hi Kristaps,
Stan is one of the most talented and intelligent guys on TE, and he pointed out exactly what I think about this shot. Pure Impressionism in a new (photographic) jacket! GREAT thinking and GREAT shot! I don't give a flying **** about the brightness on the wall. We're talking Impressionism, after all.
VERY GOOD!
You guys have a wonderful weekend.
Fulvio.

Nice shot yes i like the expressions your full lady in the frame.

Hey,
Interesting juxtaposition of the traditional lady with a pink icecream! The cut lady doesnt really bother me.

Cheers

  • Great 
  • Gerrit Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4032 W: 86 N: 4879] (23843)
  • [2008-04-21 1:18]

Hi Kristaps,
The expression of the woman on the right is very strong looking through you with some kind of annoyance and pride. The hands are fantastic, all three of them.

Hi Kristaps
Very nice capture
If it was mine i crop the left woman and keeping right in vertical frame
The colours are very good
Best regards
Nick
e.g. No points because i am punished until 20/5. I owe theme to you

Hi Kristaps,
Is that a stink-eye look she's giving you over her ice cream??? Or are those half-closed eyes a defense against the sun? In any case, the combination of the traditional garb and that to pink ice cream cone is priceless.

Being a chicken, I would have cropped the second woman; but then we would have missed that firm grasp of her hand on the cane. Like Peter, I find that Stan's comments give me new insight into this as a technique. TFS,
Pat

  • Great 
  • faubry Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3531 W: 353 N: 4231] (27408)
  • [2008-04-27 13:17]

hello Christap, very good composition with half body woman...i like her hand at the left... greatwork for me
soon
francine

  • Great 
  • avene Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1129 W: 68 N: 1375] (5184)
  • [2008-05-15 12:36]
  • [+]

having seen George's workshop, it's difficult to comment fairly on the original shot. on the other hand, no WS would have been possible if you didn't have all the strong elements already here - the colours, the hands, the ice cream. daring approach, but it works, right?

best,
K.

Kristaps, between the hat and the smile (?) and the ice cream cone this is about as incongrous as a picture gets, and I love it. These are the type of shots that completely change the way we look at things, great capture.

Greg

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