The Nether Lands

[erusan]

Hello,

The post with clouds in Northern Japan reminded me of an image I would like to throw before you lions. It was shot during a trip to my home country, the Netherlands.

"Polder"


I would like to know how experienced photographers look upon this image regarding the composition, choice of subject and such. To me, it represents a typical Dutch landscape, especially near my birthplace. Flat, cows, and a watertower of which the aesthetic reputation is contested in the region :-)

Post processing consisted of lens, vignetting, and perspective correction, a slight increase in color saturation, and some USM after resize.

Any comments, suggestions, or critique would be highly appreciated.

[BernardLanguillier]

Great sky, I love the way you have processed this one.. More impact, but still a very natural looking image.

Congrats.

Cheers,
Bernard

[jdemott]

Very nice sky and pastoral scene.  The lighting is not especially dramatic but it works well for the pastoral atmosphere. The shapes of the trees on the horizon and the clumps of grass in the field nicely echo the shapes of many of the clouds.  

However, I have a hard time relating the watertower and the road to the rest of the composition.  The road leads directly to the watertower, which is a hard edged vertical line rising above the horizon--to me, it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the composition.  All the direction of the clouds is toward the left hand edge of the frame, so I think I might have looked for a camera placement that would play off that directionality, perhaps with the use of something in the foreground.

[erusan]

Thank you jdemott for your insights (and Bernard for the praise!),

your analysis of the composition is very interesting. After reading your post, I put my finger over the tower and was treated with a whole new view on the scene.

The reason I included it, is because the watertower is kind of a landmark over there. Fed by nostalgia on my part, perhaps (the photo was made near the place I was born, and a long way from Tokyo where I am now).

Reading your thoughts on this particular composition, I have decided to dig into the technicalities of composition a bit more beyond the ubiquitous Rule of Thirds ;-)

Greetings,

[jule]

Erusan, Thank you for posting your image and this opportunity to comment.

Firstly with regard to the subject matter, I have not been to the Netherlands, and I am thinking that your nostalgic feeling may stir feelings for you which I did not connect with. Although this image for me is a 'nice' photo, and demonstrates some of the elements of a 'typical' Netherland countryside, it did not really move me.

Secondly - the composition. I really like the low horizon line, and differ in my opinion to jdemott with regard to the road leading to the tower.

I personally think there is a tension between the two directions - of the road in one direction, and the line of the clouds leading in another.

I think the direction of the road keeps my eye within the image, and anchors it back, to look more closely at the tower, after being led off to the left by the direction of the patterning of the clouds.  

I think the road is an important element in the composition, and without it, my eye would be guided to the left, and out of the frame of the photo, with nothing really to direct my eye back into the image.

I think the road adds an element of dimension and depth, and without it, everything may seem to be on the one flat plane.

I also think that the road creates an element of geometry - resulting in angular, triangular type shapes which are also present in the sky. This geometric aspect, I think, links both above and below the horizon.

Julie