Man V.S Earth

[k9sparx]

This was taken from a construction site. My purpose of this photograph is to portray man's insignificance to the Earth (his small size relative to the whole picture), but at the same time, still show that man is still able to impact it greatly (shown by the wooden rods). This was taken at the second level of my house so it give a rather "level with the man" viewpoint.

I would like you to give me comments on how I am able to further improve this entire picture.

Is it better to crop it to show only the man?
Is it better to be in color rather than in black and white?
Are there any photoshop effects that can be done to improve this picture?
What other viewpoints can I shoot it to make this picture better?

Exif: 1/80s, F14, ISO 200, focal length at 35mm

 

[k9sparx]

Forgot to include this. This picture did not undergo any post processing so kindly pardon me if it is really bad.

 

[Churchwolf]

Nice catch. I would probably have cropped out a bit more of the upper blank wall and some more to the right of the subject. In doing so you still place him in an "insignificant" position (bottom right corner) but also draw the viewers eye towards him. A little more contrast wouldn't hurt either.

 

[k9sparx]

Nice catch. I would probably have cropped out a bit more of the upper blank wall and some more to the right of the subject. In doing so you still place him in an "insignificant" position (bottom right corner) but also draw the viewers eye towards him. A little more contrast wouldn't hurt either.

I tried to do that but he was working so fast that he was in the middle of the house. So if i tried to put him at the bottom right corner(wanted to put him there in the first place), the whole picture will show the entire house(the house not nice;p). anyway, I agree I should give it more contrast but i don't have any post processing software and i am also a little dumb on IT:dunno:.

 

[Churchwolf]

That's ok Practice makes perfect! See if you can pick up an old version of photoshop (even if it is PS6 or CS2). They are really cheap now and it really is worth it. There are hundreds of tutorials available online. I have cropped and contrasted the picture for you a little bit, I hope you don't mind! If you want me to remove it just let me know! I really like this capture though. Great job!

(pic by k9sparx)

 

[k9sparx]

yeah you crop it nicely. Thanks for the C & C.

 

[grumpy]

Nice capture but does not fit the title.
The man is obviously working on a wall (painting or mending it), hard to get me to visualise it as insignificant versus the Earth (natural environment) theme.

 

[calebk]

Nice capture but does not fit the title.
The man is obviously working on a wall (painting or mending it), hard to get me to visualise it as insignificant versus the Earth (natural environment) theme.

I agree with grumpy here. It is a nice shot, but the titling is somewhat inappropriate.

There has to be more elements of nature; right now all the elements present in the frame are of man and not of nature: the wall, the scaffolding and the man himself.

Composition wise, I would have preferred more white space above, but you have already explained the circumstances under which this was taken, so I guess you are limited by the way the house opposite yours is constructed.

More contrast would be nice. Get hold of Photoshop if you can, and go to www.blackandwhitedigital.com for tips on digital B&W photography. Conversions from colour photos work and look much better than a grayscale straight out of the camera. There are comparisons on the above website that enforce this point.

Just as an aside, I did do a shot that somewhat fits your titling. Let me know if you want it taken off your thread.

 

[k9sparx]

I absolutely agree with you guys on the title. I was thinking of man being insignificant and thus i kinda link to global warming... Must be the greenhouse effect influencing me. Nice photo calebk and it definitely fits the title better than mine and thanks for the links to help me improve my photos. Greatly appreciated!

 

[Churchwolf]

I have to be honest here and say that I actually quite like the picture for the illusion it creates (maybe that's just me). It took me a few moments to realise that the guy was actually working on a wall...the bare concrete strip looks like distant cliffs with a white blown out sky. The shadows of the scaffolding actually are the thing that give it away. You could easily photoshop away these shadows and create a rather pleasing illusion. I think it is that illusion that is particularly fitting to the title.