Sunny acre during winter

Compaq · May 1, 2013

This is an acre just outside of where my girlfriend used to live. I think I took this around six months ago, when I was walking home. It's impressive how large the dynamical range is of film, and I think this is a great example of where it outperforms (most) digital cameras.

Camera: Yashica Minister 700
Film: efke 25 shot at ISO 25
Developed: DD-X 1+4, 13 minutes

Paper: Ilford MGIV
Exposure: f/8, 20 magenta
Developer: Multigrade 1+9, 60 seconds

Map:

Jordet kart by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr

Print (frame added in photoshop)

Jordet by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr

I appreciate any comments or tips!

Thanks for watching,
Anders

ROL · May 1, 2013

Shooting into the sun is difficult work, especially when expressing your visualization under the enlarger. I think you've done great work both in exposing and printing, if the physical print is as represented here digitally. You could lighten the shadows a bit, reducing contrast overall, but this can be problematic with the relative small film size area of 35mm, and the contrast kind of works for me given the time of day. My main bugaboo with this sort of thing is artifact (i.e., not intended) lens flare. Personally, I find that the bottom of the picture adds nothing to the composition, and that is coincidentally where the flare is. I'd crop that out and compose more off center from your main elements, according to my taste, not your visualization. I'm big on cropping when tools and circumstance dictates.

Poisson Du Jour · May 1, 2013

Exposure looks well controlled, but I reserve judgement when all that I am looking at is a digital representation of a print (or negative). Shadow areas look correct.

I agree with ROL's comments about the flare and I, too, am ruthless at cropping where an image needs it.
Tyre tracks and a vast tract of nothingness aside, I have a major issue with the image overall: it is very bland and unserviceable, all that space in front... I took to it with my Bear Grylls Swiss Army Knife (!), and this is what I saw...

Sirius Glass · May 1, 2013

I disagree with PDJ, the OP has the composition nailed.

Kevin Caulfield · May 1, 2013

Truzi · May 1, 2013

I like the OP's composition as well. I don't see the sun as the main subject (though I might consider cropping a bit off the bottom).

Compaq · May 2, 2013

Thank you for comments!

The flare, yes - I decided to keep it. I wanted the centered sun, and didn't like the print dimensions I would get by cropping only the bottom. Yet another matter of taste, I suppose

Thanks again!

Compaq · May 2, 2013

For those interested, I posted another shot from this film in the Architecture sub-forum. I didn't realize these deep dens of apug were so inactive

Sunny acre during winter

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