Solitude on Eisenhower

[NeoAkela]

Hi - took this shot last year and was interested in any comments on composition or cropping. This version has been downgraded quite a bit from it's 6000px original, so it is hard to see the detail of the peaks in the background. Thanks!

 

[Grumpy]

Try cropping some off the top, to move the primary horizon -- the mountain ridgeline -- higher in the frame.

The real question for you is whether you want to focus attention on earth or sky. Then crop accordingly, off top or bottom. I chose earth; you might see it differently. Either way, a crop that reduces the height of the photo makes it a bit more dramatically panorama-like.

To my eye, the photo is well cropped, left-to-right. as-is.

Nice photo that derives its "meaning" from the human figure in it.

G.

 

[DougPaul]

The pic looks slightly tilted to me.

The strongest horizontals--the skyline and the edge of the local summit both tilt slightly in the same direction.

A while ago, I noticed that some of my pics looked tilted and now pay more attention to the orientation of the strongest horizontals and verticals in the viewfinder and attempt to align the camera to them. (Note: apparent orientation in the picture is not always the same that a gravity level would specify.)

Doug

 

[NeoAkela]

Thanks! Those are some great points!

The way the photo is composed puts quite a concentration of elements in the top left corner, but the pack and the top of Washington (sort of) make two corners of the inner square from the rule of thirds, though it is a bit off center. The path also draws the eye from the corner towards the hiker, then back to the mountains.

I've played with this photo with several different crops and like them all, but still feel like something is a little off in each one. Cropping out the ground takes some of the path away, so the picture loses the continuity to the bottom corner. I'll try realigning the horizon line and see if that helps any.

Thanks again for the tips and advice!

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I like the image and believe it is very effective. It conveys the presence of a solitary hiker amidst an open summit and the expanse of surrounding peaks. You made good use of a leading line which takes the viewer past the hiker into the scene. Your title is very apt.

An element that I believe could be improved upon: The hiker is looking down and seems a bit separated from the scene; even a bit lost within the wide view. If you came closer to the hiker, he would have more presence and loom larger in the scene. It would also place his head above rather than on the horizon. If you waited for a moment where he was looking off into the scene, then you would connect him with the rest of the photo. With a careful eye to the elements you could maintain your leading line, the sweeping scape of the scene, and the important human presence, all of which make this a strong image.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

Great exposure! (but here's my big butt) My attention is split between the highest peak on the horizon and the person in the foreground. When composing a photo, it's usually better to choose the main subject and compose in such a way as to emphasize that particular subject. If the person is the main focal point, get closer to make him/her more prominent. If it's the mountains that you want the viewer's eye to settle on, eliminate the person or have him appear smaller in the image so as to allow the distant peaks to dominate.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Bob's point on his attention being split is in essence asking the question: "What is it a picture of?" I had a photography instructor who was renowned for asking that question of his students. I always dreaded hearing that. Not only did it place me in the hot seat where I had to explain myself in front of others. But more importantly it told me that my photo at some level had missed. The up side, it always lead to an instructive class discussion on how the photo could be improved.

I will take your title "Solitude on Eisenhower" at face value. The subject is a concept, not merely an object or person. Concept pictures are more difficult subjects. And I think you did quite well. Generally solitude implies a solitary figure being alone, often in a lonely place. You have all of that in the photo, but it could be stronger. In no way should you lose the person. Even if you were not aiming for the concept of solitude, the flat summit ridge and distant mountains in this slightly backlit and midday light is probably not that interesting. You would need more dramatic light, more interesting clouds, a sea of wildflowers, or something else to provide a strong subject. The person is essential and your concept of solitude is good. Ultimately the choice of subject is yours, and one that you must make prior to taking the photo.

I believe you need to be closer to the person, and you need to elevate him some in the frame. Kneel down to get a lower vantage point if required. Just as you should avoid a tree growing out of someone's head, you should also try to avoid a line cutting through their head. Placing his head and/or some of his frame above the horizon will make him in his solitude the eventual resting place for the viewer's eye -- after we scan around the rest of the photo.

A downward gaze is OK if it conveys that the person is in deep thought. However, it looks like he is reviewing a photo in a camera or adjusting some other piece of equipment -- which works against the feeling of solitude. Having the person's gaze into the landscape would probably work more readily, and it would justify the inclusion of the wide sweeping view.

One last point. You worked the corners of this photo very well. I find that when I am carefully working objects or leading lines into the corners I become the most prone to tilting the horizon. You are not far off. If that is a tendency for you, becoming aware of it as you work the corners will resolve the issue.

 

[Grumpy]

There is a reason this picture surfaced from last year to be shared with us now. The photo must keep drawing its creator back to it. I suspect this transcends the desire to tweak cropping or composition.

To me, this entire photo is the subject – a combination of elements that tells a story of sorts – and has considerable strength. It is somewhat demanding of the viewer, though, who must “read” the whole picture to gain an understanding of it.

First of all, this photo rather accurately sets a stage: The scree wall lined path, the cairns, the contrast between dirt path and green alpine tundra, the vanishing point of the path, the further destination in the mountains beyond. To anyone who has been in such a place, this is an authentic scene.

Then, the human figure adds meaning. This is not just a place, but a place where humans go. We see the marks of their passage and enterprise in the foreground, fading to an impression of “greater wildness” beyond. Perhaps there is some message in that.

I like the contrast between dirt path and green tundra separated by the scree wall: it tells us something about how people have related to this place. For those of us familiar with the story of our mountains, it is encouraging evidence of stewardship. And it is encouraging evidence that while human passage does have impact on wild natural places like this, that impact can be mitigated and minimized, if we care to do it.

I do not see the human figure as being in rapt contemplation of great or wondrous things. What I see is an ordinary hiker doing the very ordinary thing of taking a breather and checking a map, or a guidebook, or making a journal note. In this case, the rather neutral and natural posture is authentic. The figure’s presence more than the particulars of its pose is what strikes me as being important.

Is this a pictorial masterpiece? No. It is not the kind of photo that will win camera club prizes for pictorial excellence. Its “defects” in that respect have been discussed above.

Is it a fine picture? Yes, if you believe that telling stories with photographs is a valid art form.

I might change its title, though.

G.

 

[NeoAkela]

Thanks everyone for all the great observations! This photo was really a one-off shot amidst many others along the Southern peaks for the day. The hiker in the photo was sitting and reading and it all seemed nicely framed for a quick photo.

It wasn't till later that night when browsing through the day's shots that the scene caught me. There was just something about it that brought a certain feeling of the attraction of the mountains to me. And there is a certain charm to a single shot of an unknown hiker with no posing - just a natural scene.

Next time up Eisenhower I will certainly try recreating the photo with some different poses and persons, but I wonder if it will carry the same feeling for me?

Again, thanks for the comments - the shot has always struck me in some way I had trouble explaining, and all your points help me understand it better!

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

"There was just something about it that brought a certain feeling of the attraction of the mountains to me."

The feelings that we have about an image depicting a moment in time that we enjoy remembering are difficult to capture with a camera. As someone who was not there, and who has not seen that mountain, I have only the 2-dimentional photo to convey the photographers' memory to me. I personally find it difficult sometimes to express the emotion of "being there" with just a photograph. For that reason, all the compositional and technical comments are expressed to help you and other photographers who care to more effectively share their fond memories. Nice shot.

 

[forestgnome]

I'm picky about scenics with people and I like it.