Mike Patterson
August 2026 - Old Farm House
About the Image(s)
I grabbed this shot south of San Antonio, Texas, in 2015 when I was still shooting with a Canon Rebel T2i. I can't remember the lens, but it was focused on 44 mm. I shot it handheld with an ISOof 200 at 1/80 second at f/8. The camera and lens were pretty light so it was relatively easy to handhold it.
5 comments posted
This photo is a well balanced, with particularly strong composition, color contrast, texture, and depth. Crop a bit of foreground roses?
Posted: 08/08/2026 17:44:43
Posted: 08/08/2026 17:44:43
A lovely country scene with beautiful colors and tranquil feel. To me I'm not sure which is the main subject, the rose bush or the old house because they are equally prominent in the scene. The easiest way right now is to crop some of the roses like John suggested. Or when shooting on location I would position myself to either include less of the rose bush as a foreground supporting element for the main house or more of roses as the main subject and use the house as a backdrop. My two cents. Posted: 08/09/2026 18:56:58
Mike,
This is an interesting image. I like the contrast between the ruined house and the neatly maintained landscape. However, the roses in the foreground are somewhat distracting and occupy almost 50% of the frame. As a result, they become more of the subject than the house, which I believe was your intended focal point.
Best wishes,
Michele Posted: 08/12/2026 17:32:58
This is an interesting image. I like the contrast between the ruined house and the neatly maintained landscape. However, the roses in the foreground are somewhat distracting and occupy almost 50% of the frame. As a result, they become more of the subject than the house, which I believe was your intended focal point.
Best wishes,
Michele Posted: 08/12/2026 17:32:58
I'm not sure of the intent here, whether it was to provide the house as the main subject with the roses as part of the garden, in which case the argument for cropping some of them out is valid. Or, whether it was a "Beauty and the Beast" moment where we are to consider the juxtaposition of the run down house versus the beauty of the roses, in which case you could either leave as it is or make more of the 50/50 thought process and chop off the right up to the side of the building. Either way Mike, you have our attention! Posted: 08/17/2026 15:08:23
This image tells a charming story of a neglected old house being slowly reclaimed by nature, while being surrounded by bright cheerful roses. However, I agree with the others that the roses compete with the subject for attention, as my eyes are immediately drawn to them. They are also a little bit too fluorescent and saturated. I'd suggest bringing the red and magenta saturation down and possibly the luminance slightly. The light is also quite flat, which keeps the colors pleasant, but doesn't give the subject much dimensionality. Taking it at a different time of day with stronger directional light might make the scene more spectacular. Posted: 08/18/2026 16:19:55