Project 2: horizontal vs vertical

Personally I think that both landscape and protrait formats work. In fact I find many situations when I prefer portraits shots. The work well when rivers or marshlad drains lead into an image, with trees and towers and even with fences and roads leading into a picture.



Here I think that I prefer the landscape format as it gives more space for the tree to 'breathe'. The receding storm clouds save the sky from being bland.

Here I think that the portrait shot works better. The tree gives foreground interest and the path leads the eye into the picture. The same could be said of the landscape shot but I don't feel the crop of elephant grass adds anything to the image.

I took these two images at first light on the top of the scarp slope of the northern Lincolshire Wolds looking from above the village of Worlaby down to the valley of the river Ancholme. I think that the view perhaps suits a landscape format better but the portrait shot works because it helps to focus on Carr Lane the road running into the shot. The road leads the eye into the picture.

I took these two images of the same tree as featured in Project 1. I think that both work in their own way. The portrait imahe perhaps suits the tree more but the landscape image gives more space around the tree. In both shots I have placed the tree and the horizon on 'thirds'.

Project 1: the horizon line

When I took the images for this project I was out late one Sunday afternoon recently looking for shots for Assignment 1, conscious of the fact that I wanted to complete the shoot for the assignment whilst we were still in winter in view of the mild weather this year. Whist out in the North Lincolnshire Wolds I came across this tree as the light was fading. Despite the low, rather flat, light I felt that, with the obvious clear horizon line and the tree for a focus, it would make an ideal location for this project. I decided to use a portrait format, partly as I thought that it was appropriate for the tree and I also thought that it would allow me to position the horizon in a greater variety of positions in the frame than landscape. I did take a landscape image which I shall include in the next project. I used a 17-85 zoom lens on my Canon 50D and shot at 81mm with the camera on the tripod.

My preferred images are 2 and 3 and if pushed photograph 2 as there is balance in the picturebut interest in the sky, whereas the foreground lacks interest. Had the sky been plain it would have detracted from the shots. All of the images would have been more interesting with attractive side lighting. If I get the opportunity I may go back and take some more shots in these conditions.

Image 5
In the final shot, Image 5, I have placed the horizon towards the top of the picture squeezing the tree to the top of the frame and not giving it enough 'space'. I also feel that there is too much uninteresting foreground.

Image 4
In image 4 the horizon line is cutting the image nearly in half and I feel that the interest begins to wane.

Image 3

Again more foreground has been included in Image 3 and the horizon is close to a line a third of the way up the picture again giving more feeling of balance.

Image 2

In image 2 I have included more foreground and it is becoming more balanced and interesting.

Image 1

I framed this shot so that there was very little ground and a great deal of sky. I feel that the image is rather unbalance with far too much sky, although there are some interesting clouds.

Reflection 2: First Steps

OK, I have done all of the housekeeping: Student Profile and contacted my tutor. I have skimmed through the course notes and looked at the assignments in detail. Now it's time to get started. I have been busy trying to take images for assignment one. Although I realise that this is a bit of putting the cart before the horse, I am conscious that I need images to show the current season and the way this winter is going we shall soon be out of winter and into spring. There are already snowdrops and aconites in flower and I have seen daffodils and hazel catkins. Anyway - now to begin the course work.

Reflections 1: Early Days

Well after a year of procrastination I have finally taken the plunge and registered for my first Level 2 OCA module: Landscape. I have completed three Level 1 modules: Introduction to Digital, The Art of Photography and People and Place. I achieved C grades in each of these modules gaining 52, 55 and 58 marks in that order. Although disapointed with this I am pleased that the trend is upwards. Two more marks in People and Place would have given me a B - if only!! My aim in this module, despite moving up to Level 2, is to achieve that elusive B grade. I soon found that I was not as good as I thought I was so was inspired to read the quote on an OCA flyer: "It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be."