johnkuo Posted January 3, 2007 Share #1 Posted January 3, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Zhu Jia Jiao, near Shanghai, China, 2006 M7, 35/1.4ASPH, Agfa APX100 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 3, 2007 Posted January 3, 2007 Hi johnkuo, Take a look here A River Runs Through It. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
azzo Posted January 3, 2007 Share #2 Posted January 3, 2007 John, this is a nice and very well captured B&W image with subtle tones to it. IMHO, i would crop from the top till just above the trees on the right, and also just slightly from the bottom. You'll end up with a nice and more pleasing to the eye landscape format, to go along with the houses. Best Azzo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted January 3, 2007 Share #3 Posted January 3, 2007 John - A real slice-of-life photo with nice depth, tonal range and framing. Ivan's suggestions for cropping sound right to me. give it a try. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
svenning Posted January 3, 2007 Share #4 Posted January 3, 2007 Dear John Kuo, What a wonderfull picture - I like it very much. All the best - Svenning, Denmark. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinop Posted January 3, 2007 Share #5 Posted January 3, 2007 Like much the scene and the shot angle.. Brings back memories. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnkuo Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted January 5, 2007 Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted January 5, 2007 Share #7 Posted January 5, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I agree with what has been said about the crop, but, IMHO, it could also do with a little more "punch". Maybe a levels or contrast adjustment? I know it's difficult to tell, but is the horizon straight? (Perhaps I should ask, "Are the verticals vertical? It's not easy to judge on this Dell laptop screen) Nice work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bernd Banken Posted January 5, 2007 Share #8 Posted January 5, 2007 Wonderful! Starts my feet moving - to visit this place... Bernd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnkuo Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share #9 Posted January 5, 2007 Here's another version: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchell Posted January 5, 2007 Share #10 Posted January 5, 2007 John, A very nice shot. I love cropping discussions so I hope you indulge me. I agree with Ivan. I think your cropping of the left side is a mistake. The original has the diagonal getting more and more narrow as it moves left, and then opening up in the distance to let the river go out of sight in a very pleasing way. I find my own cropping can greatly improve a picture, but that I can get heavy handed, and loose the grace in the picture. At, any rate lovely shot. Best, Mitchell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnkuo Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share #11 Posted January 5, 2007 I generally try to avoid heavy handed cropping. In this case I think it might work well in a panoramic format by only cropping top and bottom. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicamann Posted January 5, 2007 Share #12 Posted January 5, 2007 I agree with you John..crop nothing, if it doesn't happen in the camera, give ot take, then for me its not worth all sorts of manipulation "to get it there". For me when I place the negative in the enlarger holder and "frame it on the paper", it must be good right from the get go. So when shooting, I try to get the frame lines more or less where I want the final print. Yes it can be frustrating, time consuming etc. The result is always more resolved and complete. On rare occasions, in order to "salvage" a photo , I might resort to cropping. Great shot, love APX 100..I suspect you used Rodinal ? Thanks for sharing Regards, Leicamann Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arminw Posted January 5, 2007 Share #13 Posted January 5, 2007 The second version is wonderful indeed. It just shows what a bit of cropping can do.. Beautifully captured image , stunning !!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnkuo Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share #14 Posted January 5, 2007 I believe getting it right the first time too, and make use all the negative area. I usually only rotate if it's tilted. The sky in the original picture doesn't bother me and I thought it gives it a balanced look, but I did try the cropping to see how it would look like. I also left the contrast low because that's how I remember the scene. This is my first time trying the APX100. Sorry to say I haven't done my own processing yet, but I'm going to try soon. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchell Posted January 5, 2007 Share #15 Posted January 5, 2007 Just curious, but I never understood the sentiment against cropping. It seems a kin to deciding to only take one shot of a subject. (Or even as I've heard someone do, taking only one shot a day.) I can see it as a useful training exercise to help one concentrate when shooting, but I find it can help images to crop them, and I learn a lot from trying different things. I really am curious if someone could explain. It's always seemed related to some sort of purity of the shot or experience which I didn't understand. Best, Mitchell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicamann Posted January 6, 2007 Share #16 Posted January 6, 2007 Mitchell , as an artist/painter/oils and watercolors and drawing... I am always thinking of how to "contain" image and composition"before hand". This is really a "process" and kind of meditation...and then later I would never think of "cropping" my paintings..thats an absurdity..though I am sure some painters do that too. So the same principle would extend to the photograph....to work out all the issues ..within the framelines.....as you would imagine it in print....then you shoot, frame,,,focus, refocus , reframe..shoot again..etc. etc...its sooo much more satisfying to see the image"succeed" when the negs come through..... and lastly for some its a mark of maturity, skill and professionalism as a photographer. I think today, people have less qualms abouth this....the beauty of digital by the way, is you can"work out" those issues almost spontaneously..there should be no excuses whatsoever to getting into a cropping syndrome. Especially with landscapes..get it right... on the pre PhotoShop level is my modo. Regards, Leicamann Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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