Fab shot, VERY dramatic. You are definitely taking different shots these days and (to me) you seem to be way away from your comfort zone of superglossy pics we all know and love...;-) Congrats on the new camera.

I just realised I posted withouit reading your notes! As usual your 'no good' is fab to a lot of us, oh well, I just look forward to the day when I'd consider this less than a keeper! Again, it looks great to me...

This looks like something I'd expect to see on a London council estate, it's certainly gritty. I'd tighten up the focusing on the barbed wire though, maybe not completely but certainly less blurred than this shot is.

Carlo: thanks.

James: yes, that's the main problem with the shot. I actually took about eight shots of this scene - some portrait, some landscape - and I think the main reason I'm disappointed with this one is that it's a landscape crop of one of the portrait ones. Basically, I f***ed up. I guess the only thing I am pleased about is, as you noticed, the grittiness: I 'm working towards producing some 'harder' stuff.

I really like this one. A lot.

this shot works for me. i think the foreground blur adds to it's abstract quality.

When you figure out what went wrong will you post an update?

I like the shot btw, the building window contrast really works for me.

Hello, I was introduced to this photoblog society by my colleague Miklos & now I enjoy looking for new photographs every evening. This has also inspired be to take more pictures again & someday soon, I hope to have a photo website of my own.
I also see this as a great opportunity to learn more about photography.
re. this picture, can you explain what you were looking to produce with this photo? Maybe somebody could make a suggestion, if they knew what you're looking for.

Keep up the good work!

josh: yes, if I get a better shot I'll put it up.

Burk: welcome. As for your point: I guess that I was after something - and this is a bit difficult to put into words - I guess I was after something a bit more coherent, perhaps a clearer demarcation between the barbed wire and the building. As it stands I think the varying focus on the wire detracts from the shot..

It's a good picture, but it would be better if the DoF on the wire wasnt so strange.. perhaps move in closer to the wire and use an aperture around the 7 range...

Funny you said this wasn't stunning cause I was coming here to post how stunning. I kind of like the off beat DOF but really what struck me was the contrast of the windows with the contrast of the barbed wire. I look forward to seeing future attempts of this image.

Nancy
(who is patiently waiting for her backordered 20D and frantically trying to get her own photoblog finished.)

Nice shot! The one thing that is quite weird about it is that while barb wire is a rather unique subject, and My photo today was of barb wire as well. What are the odds?

You say you were trying for a "clearer demarcation between the barbed wire and the building". If that's the case, I don't think the problem is the depth of field. The background is nicely blurred. And the part of the barbed wire that is in focus stands out nicely. I think the problem is the white window frames--they're just too busy and distracting even though they are out of focus. They are fighting the barbed for attention. A plain brick wall in the background might have given you what you were after.

Dave,

I think it would have been stronger if both the strands of wire were in focus, so they would mark out a plane separate from the building. Does the new camera have DOF preview? Could you tell what it was focussing on? You must have been very close to get such narrow DOF.

Dave,

I love this shot. My initial reaction was not to think about the technique used but the subject matter and to me this is the sign of a good photograph.

So I thought 'Is the barbed wire to stop people getting in or getting out' and just what kind of people live in them apartments. Yes it's not as slick as some of your other stuff but then again I think a slick shot would ruin the feel of this subject.

When I saw this shot, I immediately IMed a friend to say that you'd excelled yourself today. Now I've read your remarks, I know that this shot wasn't really what you were after, but I have to say I think it stands on its own merit.

I think it's one of the best images I've seen anywhere this week - and I've seen a lot of images since I discovered photoblogs.org 4 days ago. I hope I can learn to have the imagination required to see things like this.

Bottom right strand is your problem, I think - seems strange to me that the BR and the TL strands are OOF, whilst the opposing 'corners' aren't...

I think it's a 'problem' as that's the part of the picture, to me, that should be clearest - a bit subjective;P I grant you :)

You're certainly a million miles away from your 'usual' pictures - Although it's always great to see such fantastic shots (reflections), these are a nice change, no less brilliant!

When I came across this image today, my first reaction was to double-check that I was really at Chromasia... it's just that different from what I'm used to seeing here.

The subject really is fitting for the level of frustration you've expressed in trying to nail this shot. That adds to the value of the image, and makes it more a piece of personal photojournalism than just a pretty picture.

Well done.

This is my first posting but I've been here for a few weeks now. I was really impressed with 90% of your photos pre 20D,; very original, beautifully framed and good range of subjects. Mostly I would say 'superb shot'. Unfortunately I have not liked any of the 20D stuff. It seems that maybe you are trying too hard to suddenly become some different photographer with a new style. But actually I think your old style was very individual and a good proportion of those shots could easily make it into a stock library catelogue. I think you need to 'learn' how to use the 20D (without being condescending at all) in as much as you must not let the tool get in the way of your highly tuned photographic eye. Learn the tool then forget about it and get on producing more great pictures. There is no doubt that the 20D is a 'better' camera, so don't get despondent. Good luck.

Except for the stark pattern of the windows, the barbed wires don't stand out especially -- the right side of the bottom wire just blends into the background and creates a rather strange looking abstract shot. I'm still amazed by the way you caught sight of this and got the idea, though. It's incredible, your photographic eye. :)

Dave

Drop me an email... What exactly were you trying to achieve with this shot? You mentions in your notes something about aperature and DoF. Were you trying to widen the depth of field, but still keep in narrow enough to have the background blurry? I'm trying to figure out what problem you think you have. Cause after my inital look at the image, I definitely liked it.

Maybe this will help. Maybe not.

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/technical/digitaldof.html

Thanks everyone.

On reflection I don't think this is a DoF problem - the building is just about as blurry as I wanted it to be - rather it's that one strand of wire runs roughly parallel to the plane of focus, and the other doesn't, which I think confuses the image unnecessarily.

David: my change of style (which I don't think will be permanent) pre-dates me getting the 20D and was prompted by the recognition that what I was doing was becoming somewhat formulaic; i.e. I was simply repeating things that I knew, in all probability, would work. I guess I'd had enough of doing that and thought it was about time for a change.

nogger: thanks, that's very useful.

what makes this work for me is the presence of pattern everywhere..barb wire, then the color and windows in the background. it is a grittier shot, i can't wait to see more as you try some new things.