@spanner I have found ( in my very limited time shooting this genre) that the small details tend to be the big details. For instance finger prints, I'm sure you were rushed in the morning. But my eye picks up the fingerprints. Maybe some steam coming from the cup or plunger would make me feel like I really need that coffee. Please take with a grain of salt.
@longexposure hey thanks for the comments. By fingerprints do you mean the coffee residue on the glass? I agree it would have been better with steam (I had dunk the coffee and just liked the light). I really appreciate your feedback. I don't really know what my "style" is and am just trying new things. I do like the tones of the film and with a little more thought and planning I might revisit this with your suggestions.
@longexposure I really struggle for consistency with the Yashica. The Bronica is more accurate. It sounds amazing as well - proper thunderclap when you use it.
@longexposure The Pentax does look nice but I think it is in a different price range. I looked at and was tempted by the Mamiya 1000s. But I got the Bronica on a stupid deal by accident - I made an offer that I thought would be refused. It turns out it is practically brand new so I am thrilled.
So, seeing that you were taking some critique above I will add a little bit to it. I think you do have an eye for black and white, but you need to strengthen it with a stronger composition. Two elements will automatically do that for you. The first is a strong diagonal. In this shot you have your subject dead center both vertically and horizontally. That tends to make the composition static. To get a diagonal you might place the coffee mug slightly forward and the spoon back a bit more. It's subtle but it will give the picture movement. The second is called the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds divides the picture into 3 equal segments vertically and horizontally. The strongest composition will place the subject at the intersection of any of those lines (not within the boxes they form). In this shot you would need to move your coffee press slightly to our left for the best placement (imho!). The last thing you could do is to lower your camera to table level. An interesting pov also perks up a picture. Composition can be a subjective thing and you may not like any of these suggestions. And of course there are always pictures where breaking the rules works too (the thumbnail of the child's legs and shoes is one where breaking the rule of thirds has worked in your favor). So if you're not crazy about these ideas, that's ok too! I just thought you might be interested in them so I thought I'd type them out.
@olivetreeann Hello Ann. I really appreciate your feedback but do think you might be miss-interpreting what I am trying to achieve here and with my photography. I am shooting with film on a different format - either square or 6x45. This changes the dynamic of composition (particularly square format). So the rule of third rules are not always relevant particularly when using a prime lens and a vintage camera. If you look at yesterdays shot I employed the rule of thirds (not necessarily successfully). I am deliberately trying to vary the rules. The leg shot was taken with the horizon line is placed at the bottom of the page rule of thirds- it is square format. Please feel free to continue to offer advice I do find it very useful. In this shot I was trying to catch the light with the limited parameters of light, back ground and focal length. These items were exactly as they had been left - no set up at all. I hope that explains why it is as it is. Thank you again.
@spanner A vintage camera is totally out of my realm of experience! Unless you count the years I took pictures with my Yashica FX3! That does change the whole approach. So now I will enjoy watching what you do with it! I do like the black and white format. It is something I want to explore more in my own work. I have a long way to go! Thanks for filling me in!
