Critique Hexworthy, Dartmoor - first experiments with a long lens

[Tom Pinchenzo]

Sherberton Farm Hexworthy by Tom Pinches, on Flickr

Sherberton Farm Hexworthy 2 by Tom Pinches, on Flickr

Hi All,

Recently got myself the Nikon AF-P 70-300 4.5-5.6E. It's my first long lens and I feel like I've been missing out on compositions for a while stuck with a 18-55!

These are from my first outing; very drab and grey day but the sun poked out for a few minutes and managed to get these.

Any feedback welcome!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Scirocco_09]

As with any lens weather and lighting should be considered - flat conditions don't tend to suit landscapes unless they have dominant features (such as a rugged tree being the focal point breaking over a horizon, for example). The tree here doesn't stand out from the wall, try and keep compositions simple and shoot in more interesting conditions

 

[Tom Pinchenzo]

Yeah, it’s been pretty uninspiring conditions lately but was desperate to get something! Conpositionally I was drawn to the shapes and lines created by the walls. I take your point about the tree not standing out.

 

[sirch]

I guessed you were going for the wall shapes and I think they could be interesting but because the corners are cut off I think the impact is reduced. A long lens compresses the perspective*, making things look closer together so the fact that here you are high up looking down does not make the most of that effect, it might have had more impact if you shot more at the level of the walls.


*no doubt someone will be along to say that this is not technically correct

 

[Brian G]

I guessed you were going for the wall shapes and I think they could be interesting but because the corners are cut off I think the impact is reduced. A long lens compresses the perspective*, making things look closer together so the fact that here you are high up looking down does not make the most of that effect, it might have had more impact if you shot more at the level of the walls.


*no doubt someone will be along to say that this is not technically correct

Well you obviously know it's not correct, otherwise you wouldn't have added the comment!
As we all know, perspective is solely controlled by viewpoint, not the lens.

I agree the shots could be improved by the inclusion of the corners of the walls, and it may be possible to improve this by a relatively small change of viewpoint, or even by changing the crop.
Possibly, a slightly lower viewpoint could help, but you don't want to finish up with too much overlap.
That's the challenge of landscape photography, you can only take what you see.
If these are trying out your new lens, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the novelty of the additional magnification.

Otherwise, I think the shots are a good starting point, and with some thought, could be re-shot with attention to including the wall ends or junctions.

 

[Scirocco_09]

I'd actually say if you shoot this again you want to be higher to separate that tree from the wall, though it might not be possible. It looks to me as if it would be a nice view in person but maybe doesn't translate to a photograph.

 

[Nod]

I'd say that just after tupping time is when to reshoot this - better chance of decent light and the sheep might be pink or blue! (Rams have crayons attached to harnesses around their chests so the ewes' backs get coloured when they've been "served".)

I like Combestone Tor's lone tree just to the back left of the car park as you pull in to it. Mum and Dad are sprinkled near the tor itself.

 

[Brian G]

I'd actually say if you shoot this again you want to be higher to separate that tree from the wall, though it might not be possible. It looks to me as if it would be a nice view in person but maybe doesn't translate to a photograph.

From that location it may not be possible to get higher, except with a drone.
It all depends on your intention, the wall pattern or the tree.
I assume the original intention was to capture the pattern of the walls, in which case the tree becomes an intrusion.
If I find something is not adding to the composition I have no hesitation in erasing it.

If you wanted to isolate the tree, get in close and low with a wide angle lens.

A bright sunny day might seem to be best for this type of shot, but can lead to extremes of contrast, with deep shadows, which may be difficult to deal with.
I usually prefer to take architectural shots on a cloudy or overcast day to reduce the subject contrast.
It's easy enough to tweak the contrast in PP.