This shot was taken with the Oly E-330 at ISO 100 at sunrise.

James

Is this a polite way of telling me that it stinks, LOL?

James

James,
I would say what is the subject? There is nothing to grab the eye. I just kind of wander around the frame aimlessly. It is a nice looking area, and good lighting, but there is nothing to grab my attention. I have a lot of these, I call them documentation snapshots. They are representative of being there, but that's it. You know there is a shot in there somewhere but just can see it. You feel the light is to good to waste, so you snap away. My HD is full of these.
This is where we need Roman and the Tokina. Perhaps something in the foreground would have helped, a lizard basting in the morning sun?

James,
without getting into a critique of the shot, can you tell us whether or not you're going to publish your overall reaction to the E-330 as a "pro" camera?

Jim

James, the more I look at this the more I think a wide angle would have helped little. I think cropping into the upper left may be a little more helpful. And I cropped to 2:3 ratio instead of 3:4. The crops look better then the whole, but still lack something.

Perhaps a basic problem with the 4:3 format?

Jim

Jim, I think you are right. I like the 2:3 myself, but sometimes it can be very difficult to find frames:) I think there are ways to work with the other format and when setting up you can fill the frame nicely, but some things are more difficult with it.

James, It also sounds like you were dropped off in this location and told there is a picture in there, make it. For my preferences, sometimes I walk away. I have seen photos being bought up as art where I am clueless what people see in them. I always chalk that up to the engineer in me.

"James, It also sounds like you were dropped off in this location and told there is a picture in there, make it. For my preferences, sometimes I walk away. I have seen photos being bought up as art where I am clueless what people see in them. I always chalk that up to the engineer in me. "

Well, yes and no. Photographic groups are interesting milieus. While we are all playing together, I like to think of it as autonomous children playing in a sandbox. We are together, yet alone.

You are right, we went to this spot and were told, "make it happen." However, that is something that is not alien to me. It is something that I often have to do photographically. Thinking landscapes is a bit different for me.

I do not think that the aspect ratio of this piece is what killed it. I hate to say it, but I think in 4x5 not 2x3. I think that if anything killed this attempt, it was me. i.e. I really was having a hard time seeing anything photographable...and it showed in the work from that morning. YET, I will admit that when I saw this that morning, it clicked for me and I wanted to shoot it. The failure was making the translation appear in the photo.

That is the art, yes?

James