Please critique!

I liked this contrast but:
1) is there a lack of story?
2) did I loose by converting to B/W?

Device: Nikon D7000
Lens: 35mm f/1.8G
Focal Length: 35mm
Focus Mode: AF-S
AF-Area Mode: Single
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/500s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: -0.7EV
Metering: Center-Weighted
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 100

Not only I see no story, but the entire frame is not sharp enough for this kind of detail pic. The B&W conversion is ok but does not add to the story.
8/12, -2 center of interest -2 lack of sharpness.

I kinda don't get it either. Is it a study in texture or ? If so, I would think you'd want to get as much of it in focus as you can. And as Marcel mentioned, there are a lot of areas that are not in focus. Perhaps a smaller aperture would have helped with the focus, maybe something like f=16 or above would bring the entire image into focus and would really bring out the detail. On the subject of detail, you might consider either a reflector and/or fill light to remove some of the shadows and capture some of the detail lost in the contrast. Or perhaps take the image at sundown or sunrise so that it's more evenly lit.

What is missing is anything to give it a reference or direction.
Is it taken looking straight ahead? Straight down???
Right now it is just a rock with some moss attached to it.

I would have left the shot in colour, and maybe given it a bit of toning to bring out the contrast. And I definitely would have gotten the whole shot in focus! And as Ken said, there's no reference point as to what it really is at first glance.

I was hesitant in saying anything, since i am no better than anyone else on here. However, i am curious as to why you would turn a photo of rock to b&w?? I assume the picture on the bottom is the color version? If so, there really is no difference between the b&w and the color. You should not make the person viewing the photos strain his/her eyes to notice any difference between the two What were you trying to tell us with the picture? No "story" jumps out at me. Again, i am more curious than anything else. Thanks for sharing

Thanks all for your replies. What sparked my attention originally was the little green patch of moss on the rock. Then I though of doing some kind of texture shot... When I looked at the shot I realized it didn't have much color information, hence trying B/W; I didn't think I'd loose much.
This is basically a shot leveled on a rock wall with angled sunlight.


Alex.
There is no place like 127.0.0.1

amonamarth said:

Thanks all for your replies. What sparked my attention originally was the little green patch of moss on the rock. Then I though of doing some kind of texture shot... When I looked at the shot I realized it didn't have much color information, hence trying B/W; I didn't think I'd loose much.
This is basically a shot leveled on a rock wall with angled sunlight.


Alex.
There is no place like 127.0.0.1

Click to expand...

with that being said, maybe you should try shooting from underneath the green moss (as your subject) using the rocks peaks as your background/foreground. we'd see the scene parallel with the camera as apposed to perpendicular. just a thought.


I'm not afraid . . . YOU WILL BE. . . YOU WILL BE. . .

Next time I go to Yosemite thanks all for your input.


Alex.
There is no place like 127.0.0.1