[F.F. Teague]

March 2022

[Jason Ringler]

Hi FF,

Nice photo. I like the green tree in the foreground and how the branches hang down at the top of the picture. The animal shapes on the railings have a storybook feeling. I read a little bit about this bridge and found out it used to be made of wood until it was beyond repair, also artists and kids helped design the animals on the railings.

Me and my wife got married on Bow bridge in Central Park, New York City. It was August and 95 degrees and our minister was a rabbi who rode up on a bicycle, very nice guy. I love park bridges like these.

[Roger Slater]

Pretty spot. I think maybe the shot could benefit from sharpening (if possible) and brightening, or maybe adjusting the colors to bring out the whiteness of the swans on the bridge. I feel that you haven't hit on the optimal color/saturation/contrast balance, and I'm not sure you've hit the nail on the head when it comes to focus. There's a very slight blurriness to it. If you can't make it sharper, you might try a filter that goes with the blur, maybe one of those "impressionistic" filters, or even just turn it black and white.

As it stands, to my eye it is a pretty ordinary picture that probably quite resembles hundreds of photos taken by hikers standing near the same spot. Somehow for me it doesn't quite transcend "snapshot" and enter the realm of "art", which is not to say it's not perfectly lovely in its way, even if it's not a standout.

[Sarah-Jane Crowson]

Hi Fliss,

I think Roger's idea of working on this post-production is a good one.

It might also be worth considering trimming the image - at the moment, when I try to read the picture visually, following the bridge, I don't have anything to focus on in the distance, so it seems a bit flat. And where I start to read the image, there's a distracting large pole towards the middle-top right. This might be a decorative piece of ironwork or might not, but we can't see the top of it, so it looks 'cut off', and I'm not sure if that's an intentional call or not. I wonder what the image would look like if you took the shot from a little further away so we could see the top of it?

What are your thoughts, Fliss? I frequently miss things in photography so it'd be useful to know what your intentions were, what kind of sense you wanted to evoke, and where you feel the image transcends the snapshot.

I also agree with Jason that the idea of bridges is interesting - the strength here is the subject, perhaps, rather than the technique. It's an interesting bridge, too, as it's a park bridge but the park isn't super-tidy so there's some wildness there. That could be an interesting idea to explore - that juxtaposition of wild and tame - the rural in the urban?

Sarah-Jane

[Michael Cantor]

I'm afraid I'm with Roger and and Sarah Jane. Not one of your more interesting scenics, Fliss. No focus, nothing particularly grabs your eye, it's a pretty-pretty-so-what shot.

Cropping about 20-25% of the bottom of the photo, and maybe 30-35% of the right side - getting rid of the two trees on the right and a good deal of the ground might help - the larger tree on the left becomes more prominent and there may be a bit of looming going on. I also like Roger's suggestions - whitening the swans, and possibly going to black-and-white might help.

But I'm afraid the most impressive thing in the thread was Jason's wedding. You can't get more New York than that. Way to go, guy!

[Jayne Osborn]

I particularly love bridges, Fliss, but this photo makes me want to go and clear away all that scrubby stuff from the bank in the foreground. I'd like to see more of the water that it's concealing.

It's a very pretty bridge and I'm wondering whether you might capture a better view from its other side. Also, more of a reflection of the bridge in the water would make for a really captivating photo!

It's definitely worth another shot (forgive the pun ).

Jayne

[F.F. Teague]

Hi,

Thanks for all your comments; I've taken them on board 👍

I must go down to the lake again, it seems. Now we're in May, there's a lot more foliage around the bridge, so the view from this bank is even scrubbier, I'm afraid. On the left of the bridge, there's a wonderful ancient horse chestnut tree, which was in full bloom last Friday, my mother and I noted. The candles are such a delight. And the leaves are so generously proportioned, they do obscure the view. But if I'm unable to get the right photo for my project, I'll just ask my friend Eleanor instead. She's one of the Pittville photographers and very pleasant

Best wishes,
Fliss