On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:28:01 -0400, "Peter"
<> wrote:
>"tony cooper" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>> On Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:54:50 -0500, Ben Dover <>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>>>First one is great, the shape of the wings is clear.
>>>>>Try a square crop on it.
>>>>
>>>>A square crop would work, but not offer much in the way of
>>>>improvement. Kinda iffy on square or rectangular on this one.
>>>
>>>A square composition would not work for this one. I knew that when I shot
>>>it. Thanks for showing the whole world how little you know about
>>>composition.
>>
>> Here's a squarish crop of a photograph I shot earlier today of a
>> Four-Spotted Pennant dragonfly. Not a perfect square, but not in a
>> standard rectangular ratio.
>>
>>
>> http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/Other/...3_YFpsT-XL.jpg
>>
>
>
>Try flipping so that the body runs from lower left to upper right.
>To my eye the composition strengthens.
Generally, I prefer the leading space in an image to be on the side
where the object faces if the object is the kind where a "face" is
discernable. A "face" can be the side of an inanimate object as well
as a living object. I have a slight preference for left-to-right
photos with the leading space on the right.
I also prefer the "face" of a diagonal object to be placed at the top
where the diagonal runs from the lower part of the image to the higher
part.
General rules, not mandatory rules.
In this photograph, there is no leading space side because I cropped
more to the square than the rectangle. Your suggestion follows my
other rule about the direction of a diagonal. However, the stem the
dragonfly is resting on kinda requires the downward facing that I
used. Try it, though.
This image is not a "pride of the portfolio" image. The lower
left-side wing is out of focus and the two extra branches don't help.
Dragonflys are interesting mostly because the detail of the wings is
delicate and pretty. Basically, a dragonfly photo is good if you
catch the lacework of the wings and some body detail. You'll never
get a really interesting dragonfly photo, though.* They don't _do_
anything interesting.
I posted it because I went out yesterday with the specific intent of
looking for an insect photograph which would lead to being best
displayed with a square crop. Dragonflys are in abundance in this
area if you go near water**. They are "snap and hope" shots, though,
because they don't light long and the wings keep moving. I couldn't
afford to shoot dragonflys on film and pay-per-shot.
*Same with moth shots. They are never really interesting shots, so we
judge them only by sharpness and background. They are in the
category of "You did it right but it doesn't do anything for me"
shots.
**The same reasoning our troll shoots moths. My range includes areas
of standing water and dragonflys, and his range is limited to his back
yard around the porch light. I don't think he's ever ventured out
beyond his mother's property line.
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
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