Cathay Cinema Shanghai

[jitwq]

1. in what area is critique to be sought?
I would like feedback on the composition.

2. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)

This photo was taken in shanghai during noon. It was pretty tough to get a clear sky in shanghai, so i was pretty lucky when i took the photo at the right time. i bought a copy of a shanghai travel guide which had this picture which i think it was badly composed. Therefore i wanted to try it out myself.

 

[nysheng]

let me get this straight...u got the idea of this picture from a travel guide and despite thinking it's a bad one, wanted to try it out??

composition wise...definitely not the best angle. too much of the street/road is visible..trees blocking the building..
although the road is underexposed, this is unavoidable if u wanted to expose the building correctly..unless u done a hdr shot instead.

 

[wildsoyabean]

the way i see it ...there is not much u can do abt the trees.
to me this photo is decent enough for generic "capturing the moments"

improving compositions

1) notice the white stuff on the right hand corner. that is distracting. i believe you could have move forward and get rid of it.
2) a picture like this is plain boring. try taking it from different persepctive for more interesting views alternative u can try stiching to include buildings are are not shown in this picture

 

[Rendell]

My interpretation:

Composition

1. You have filled up the frame nicely with the buidling :thumbsup:

2. It would be good, if you can stand further back if possible (if not use a ultra wide lens) to capture sky and the road junction.

3. Capturing both end of the road junction will improve the "feel" of the building since it is located in the busy street.

4. I actually like the billboard ... since you can't get rid of it, incorporate it totally into the shot.

I think your shot will be close to perfect, just need to take a few steps towards the left and back. :thumbsup:

 

[night86mare]

i don't know, i won't shoot this building unless i did close ups of whatever scant architectural features it has.

with this focal length, you can only give yourself trouble with distractions, distractions, distractions; trees, pedestrians, floating heads.. the list goes on.

 

[gazkw]

just a regular street shot to me... its nothing bad, even looks a bit like a classic kind of shot. its real, thats what i appreciate, not one of those framed architectural shots.

 

[Kit]

1. in what area is critique to be sought?
I would like feedback on the composition.

2. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)

This photo was taken in shanghai during noon. It was pretty tough to get a clear sky in shanghai, so i was pretty lucky when i took the photo at the right time. i bought a copy of a shanghai travel guide which had this picture which i think it was badly composed. Therefore i wanted to try it out myself.

This composition reveals a few flaws which could have been avoided. The vertical lines are tilting. If the tilting lines are not going to help in your composition, they should be corrected. If not, the photo will appear sloppy.

You could have made the composition a lot simpler and more effective if you moved closer and tilt upwards. Let the perspective distortion work fo you, you get a more dynamic composition and and the same time, eliminating the trees and building behind altogether. The underexposed foreground will no longer be an issue too.

 

[wkteoh]

let me get this straight...u got the idea of this picture from a travel guide and despite thinking it's a bad one, wanted to try it out??

I think TS was trying to say that the picture in the travel guide was badly composed so he/she wanted to see if he/she can do a better job.

Back to C&C:
1. Composition wise, the theatre certainly took a center stage - that is well established. Vertical tilt is quite noticeable though which is distracting. And the foreground does not really complement your main subject. I would try shooting up from a lower position. The foreground also looks a bit empty - maybe wait until there are more people/cars to create a busy feeling of the streets.

2. Exposure wise, foreground is a bit dark. You should be able to maybe up it 1 EV or so without blowing the main subject or sky.

 

[pegasus7777777]

T.S. can try posting the original pic in the travel guide for comparison?

 

[jitwq]

T.S. can try posting the original pic in the travel guide for comparison?

Sure why not.

Please pardon the quality of the pictures.:sweatsm:

i think i should not name the book as it'll be mean so i just took a shot of the page with the building.

i felt that the photo was quite a sloppy one and doesnt make my money go to worth in a way. :bsmilie:;p

 

[jitwq]

Thank you everyone for your valuable comments! Please continue to CnC this picture and many more to come.

Im learning new stuff everyday, and so are you!

 

[pegasus7777777]

Ok i know maybe I'm not that qualified to comment much but I think:

1) Your presentation of the building is much better ( got the important signs, colours and all)

2) However that said, the composition of the scene in the magazine is slightly better, it has background as well as foreground interest. Foreground we can see a bustling crowd of people, and we have the building as a background.
This also depends on what you intend to portrait. A lonely isolated / dilapidated building? A bustling cinema with alot of people? Travel magazines usually have alot of people in their pictures, unless its a picture of the Grand Canyon or something lonely. This will help introduce the country to other foreigners who are interested to see the citizens of the country in question.

Under normal circumstances, I would encourage you to take it again, however since this is shanghai, it probably would be almost impossible unless u return back there.

It's always good to re-take the same scene and subjects with varying angles and time of the day and see how you have improved.

I like the colours of your photo though. Good job on that.

 

[jitwq]

i don't know, i won't shoot this building unless i did close ups of whatever scant architectural features it has.

with this focal length, you can only give yourself trouble with distractions, distractions, distractions; trees, pedestrians, floating heads.. the list goes on.

ok noted.
Thank you night86mare.

just a regular street shot to me... its nothing bad, even looks a bit like a classic kind of shot. its real, thats what i appreciate, not one of those framed architectural shots.

to me i wouldnt say it was a regular street shot like someone would shoot because it came to them. i kinda planned for this shot days before i actually saw it.

Thank you gazkw

This composition reveals a few flaws which could have been avoided. The vertical lines are tilting. If the tilting lines are not going to help in your composition, they should be corrected. If not, the photo will appear sloppy.

You could have made the composition a lot simpler and more effective if you moved closer and tilt upwards. Let the perspective distortion work fo you, you get a more dynamic composition and and the same time, eliminating the trees and building behind altogether. The underexposed foreground will no longer be an issue too.

yes i agree the vertical line are tilting. actually i've already adjusted it but not enough haha.

i thought the trees added to it nicely. as based on background of shanghai. trees are fairly available as compared to singapore. they have modernised so quickily thus eliminating ALOT of trees.
Thank you Kit.

I think TS was trying to say that the picture in the travel guide was badly composed so he/she wanted to see if he/she can do a better job.

Back to C&C:
1. Composition wise, the theatre certainly took a center stage - that is well established. Vertical tilt is quite noticeable though which is distracting. And the foreground does not really complement your main subject. I would try shooting up from a lower position. The foreground also looks a bit empty - maybe wait until there are more people/cars to create a busy feeling of the streets.

2. Exposure wise, foreground is a bit dark. You should be able to maybe up it 1 EV or so without blowing the main subject or sky.

thanks for explaining on behalf of me. Tilt was my carelessness. i thought the foreground was underexposed nicely as it took the focus away from it making it just a busy shanghai road.

Thanks wkteoh

Ok i know maybe I'm not that qualified to comment much but I think:

1) Your presentation of the building is much better ( got the important signs, colours and all)

2) However that said, the composition of the scene in the magazine is slightly better, it has background as well as foreground interest. Foreground we can see a bustling crowd of people, and we have the building as a background.
This also depends on what you intend to portrait. A lonely isolated / dilapidated building? A bustling cinema with alot of people? Travel magazines usually have alot of people in their pictures, unless its a picture of the Grand Canyon or something lonely. This will help introduce the country to other foreigners who are interested to see the citizens of the country in question.

Under normal circumstances, I would encourage you to take it again, however since this is shanghai, it probably would be almost impossible unless u return back there.

It's always good to re-take the same scene and subjects with varying angles and time of the day and see how you have improved.

I like the colours of your photo though. Good job on that.

1) thanks
2)i get ur idea. add the the 'liveness' to the picture. i will definitely return to shanghai. i understand taking at various time of the day will show different sides of the building. however i was there only for a limited time and shanghai is huge as compared to singapore therefore i couldnt be there the whole day

Thanks pegasus7777777