Which photo is better? Tips on taking outstanding pics!!

[m0t0-ryder]

Which one of these pictures do you think is best?
lets call them 1, 2 & 3 from top down.
(and do you know where it is?)

[pashnit]

Hi John - that's a famous curve in the Santa Cruz Mtns. Pretty easy, but I'll let someone else name it.

The second one by far imo. It follows the Rule of 3 and has the right balance.

In the first one, the camera doesn't compensate for the bike in the shadow, since it's reading the light in the foreground of the photo. And the 3rd one has the bike a little overpowering the shot. Another thing you might try is 'shoot from the hip' or rather put the camera lens at the level of your headlight. It'll change the feel of the pic a bit.

Another angle of this fun lil curve... (notice the benefit of a cloudy day, even lighting and no harsh shadows)

[m0t0-ryder]

Thanks Tim!

I'm trying to understand how you determine this.

I guess these photo's are close to your alternate photo as well.

Which of these do you think?
I think the colors are deeper in the first.
But the road is "linked" in the second and I think the center tree looks better.
(not nearly the panorama of your photo though)

[pashnit]

Originally Posted by m0t0-ryder

Thanks Tim!

I'm trying to understand how you determine this.

Well, first off, I'm color blind so I really don't notice the variance in color. Too sublte I suppose. But what is a good photo? And why do some photos look very pleasing to the eye, and others are just sort of ho hum.

But feel the way your eyes look at the photo. They start in the bottom left, and actually follow the curvature of the road up and over to the right. And since we're trained to look left to right, it works well. The greenery of the shot fills all the dead space. And when you add in the bike, it completes the story of what's about to happen, or rather what is happen in the photo.

Another aspect is the balance of the shot. In the shot above the bike is too small, and the road too big. The road overpowers the shot, and the bike is a mere afterthought.

But in the shot below, you'll note a better balance of how much space the bike takes up in the photo (physical size).

Here's the shot cleaned up a bit...

[pashnit]

Here's another example of 'balance' in the shot. Andy's shot in virtually the same place as where your bike is positioned. Notice the balance of how much physical space the bike takes up in the shot (in a 2-dimensional sense) vs. everything else that's happening in the photo....

Also notice what your eyes do when you look at shot, first you drink in the bike (note that it's not inside the shadow and therefore glows in the sun! Really pops.), then you look left to right following the shape of the road, then you wonder what's around that corner...

[pashnit]

One other thing to note is the shadows and where you stand. Here in Cali, it's often the case where there's not a cloud in the sky for months on end. The downside is some pretty harsh shadows when you run in and out of forests.

In this shot, you're standing in the light and shooting into the shadow which as you can see doesn't work especially when because of how your camera is designed. Note the 2nd shot, now you took 3 steps forward and you're standing inside the shadow. Rule is shoot from dark to light on these bright sunny days, and the camera's light meter should measure the amount of light in the bright part of the shot. Have shot rolls and rolls of film that didn't come out because of this.

[CRASH]

Pashnit has an eye for photos. 2 is the best of your orginal 3 by far. Steve has already pretty much explained most of why. I think the biggest thing for me in 2 is the balance of bike and road, it is not one or the other, but the combination that is so compelling. Even a non-motorcyclist will look at it an understand teh synergy of teh bike and the road.

But now where is that curve, I know it seems familiar, but it would have been eons ago.

[m0t0-ryder]

Thanks Tim!


I appreciate the feedback.
This type info will help me set up for better photo's in the future.

You had mentioned previously about the rule of 3.
Can you elaborate (or provide a link)?

CRASH...
a hint on the location...
It's about 3-5 miles off of Hwy 35 / Skyline.
Somewhere between Hwy 9/35 intersection and Hwy 84/35 intersections.
(trying not to be "too" specific)

[deaconblues]

Hehehe. Those of us that have ridden it know where it is.

[pashnit]

Originally Posted by m0t0-ryder

You had mentioned previously about the rule of 3.
Can you elaborate (or provide a link)?

Let me expound a bit more on that 'Rule of 3' and see if it makes sense (I actually don't know if that's a real rule but probably as Joe indicates), maybe it's 'Pashnit's Rule of 3'.

Some of the best photos have no more than 3 things going on in the photo, no more no less - and I'll use motorcycle photography as the general example since that's what you see the most around here.

You might think of the 'Rule of 3' as 'Bike + Road + Background' and achieving a balance b/n all that. Nothing really overpowers the other. For example, in the third photo, it's pretty obvious that the bike overpowers the pic a little bit. We're looking 'down' on the bike which may not be its best side either. In the 'Pashnit Picture Contest' thread - the exceptional photos really stand out, but the reason why is they stick to this rule- achieving that sense of balance.