The Old Shealy House

[Barefoot]

Hasn't been lived in for over thirty years.

[Marko]

Interesting shot. I like the boards on the house and the brick as pattern elements to this shot.

However (There's usually one ) The orangey brick doesn't mesh with the window for me so I think I'd bring the saturation way way down or convert to B/w. I think the shot will have more power if you try one of those.
Hope that helps
Marko

[tirediron]

+1 - The image is nice, but the bricks are overworked.

[kat]

I'm with the other two.

Would love to see that in HDR..think it would look neat... (Ack..there goes the HDR freak again)

[Barefoot]

Thanks to all for viewing and the comments. I didn’t save the changes to the raw so it reverted to as captured. I don’t think I bumped the saturation much at all, but I’m sure that I darkened the brick considerably. Maybe that’s why they appear so rich?

[Iguanasan]

Hmmm. I was watching this thread to see what others would say. Maybe this is why I seem to be having difficulty coming up with "good" images. I really like the contrast between the drab grey and the orange. Two thumbs up from me, Barefoot. This seems to be the opposite to what everyone else thinks, however, so I'm not sure how useful my opinion is.

I know art is very subjective, but there also seems to be some rules which I can't seem to quite figure out. I feel like I'm starting to understand the idea of composition and I'm working to find a focal point for the image. Technically, I think I'm getting decent exposure as I'm watching my histogram, etc. but still my photos seem to lack something.

I don't want to hijack this thread for myself but if you don't mind I'd like to redirect Marko back to my recent posting. I was wimping out on my winter scenery shots by not asking for a full critique but now I think I need it. Marko, would you mind?

[Marko]

Hmmm. I was watching this thread to see what others would say. Maybe this is why I seem to be having difficulty coming up with "good" images. I really like the contrast between the drab grey and the orange. Two thumbs up from me, Barefoot. This seems to be the opposite to what everyone else thinks, however, so I'm not sure how useful my opinion is.

I know art is very subjective, but there also seems to be some rules which I can't seem to quite figure out. I feel like I'm starting to understand the idea of composition and I'm working to find a focal point for the image. Technically, I think I'm getting decent exposure as I'm watching my histogram, etc. but still my photos seem to lack something.

.....

Art is indeed subjective so that's where the fun is . Exposure and composition are more concrete than focal point which is the problem for me in this shot. One of the keys is asking" why am I taking the photograph? What element(s) are capturing my eye? What elements do I CHOOSE to be in the photograph and how much emphasis should I show? In a shot like this should the orange brick stand out so much, is the shot ABOUT the orange brick? It plays a part in balancing the image but imo it should not be where my eye goes first...so for me...I'd tone it way way down
(I'll take another look at yr images now Iguanasan and respond in its own thread.)