(no subject)

[stormdog]

Hawk and Riverside Church Belfry


You know, I bet the absolute best thing I could have to improve my photography is someone who was genuinely interested not only in the same subject matter I am, but also in looking at every one of my pieces that I really like and honestly critiquing them to help me make stronger images, and who has the skillset, both photographically and artistically, to do so.

I like this image, but it's got issues. For one, the belfry leans. But that's a technical execution issue. As for composition, I think I should have been even closer to the hawk, and further down and to the left. I'd like a little bit more separation horizontally between the hawk and the tower.

And beyond that, the time of day is just wrong. So very much of photography is about lighting and time. The balance of brightness between the two foci (the hawk and the tower) is actually pretty good, though the hawk is a touch dark. But the sky is too bright and is washing out toward white. I'd like to reshoot this at dawn or dusk a few times and see how the colors of the sky are picked up on the stone of the tower. Maybe just some other time of day when the sun was more directly on the subjects would be better too, so I could expose the entire frame for less time and get more detail in the sky.

Of course, I didn't have a lot of time to play with moving around to compose things since I was behind a fence that a security guard soon told me I wasn't supposed to be behind. Oops!

This hawk is one of two that stand on either side of the steps leading up to the General Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. Yes, I have now visited Grant's Tomb. C'mon; after hearing that old joke so many times, I had to! Go on; ask me who's buried there. I dare you!

The church tower in the background is the belfry of Riverside Church. It's the tallest church in the United States and is a center of progressive religious thought and activism. Go religious left! It also has one of the largest bell carrillons in the world. We have to get anarchist_nomad over there to do some ringing!

=========

moiracoon just made the most awesome garlic pesto tortellini for me. The fact that I have this person who will make food for me is as helpful as having someone to critique photos. I mean, you've got to eat; you might as well eat things that are nummy and make you happy and motivate you. I'm pleased and grateful to have someone who provides just such sustenance. Mmmmm.