DSLR Photography Forum

The Rollright Stones:

Nikon D7100, 18-55 kit lens at f/9, 22mm, and 1/100th with a ND filter on the top left hand corner as the sky was doing nothing for me. I went back later (when there were more clouds further up in the Cotswolds) but it was no better.



Rollright Stones (Square) by Derek Rutherford, on Flickr

Hi Derek,
The sky can be a pain in the proverbial unless your name is EdMak. Then you swop it for another.
In my opinion the composition is good. I think that the tree adds both scale and interest to the scene. At the same time I do feel that the scene is on the dark side and the shadows absorb detail. Only my opinion of course, the experts may think otherwise.
Cheers,
Mike.

Derek, although the subject of the image is the rock circle, the big nondescript sky distracts from them for me. Perhaps a crop that removes much of it, while leaving sufficient of the tree to give a sense of scale, might be effective regarding the image title?

Cheers.
Philip

(Oct 8, 2016, 15:36)MrB Wrote: [ -> ]Derek, although the subject of the image is the rock circle, the big nondescript sky distracts from them for me. Perhaps a crop that removes much of it, while leaving sufficient of the tree to give a sense of scale, might be effective regarding the image title?

Cheers.
Philip

Cheers guys.

Yep, I agree. That is better a better crop.

As mentioned above the sky wasn't playing today. I took a 10 stop filter with the idea that I'd get some nice long exposures of the very still rocks juxtaposed with moving clouds. Alas, it wasn't to be. So I brought the tree into the frame to try and force something, but it hasn't worked. The site is about 45 minutes away so I'll head up there for a sunrise or sunset, sometime. I reckon there's a good shot to be had, but it's a bit of a lottery until you get there as today there was great sky in the next valley along but not in that one.

When I went back a couple of hours later there was some kind of ceremony taking place within the circle. One fellow in robes and a couple exchanging vows of some kind. All very pagan-ish or druid-ish. Maybe

Here's one of the whole stone circle, just for interest:

Interesting Subject, used to live not far from a stone circle in Derbyshire, The Nine Ladies. Nothing on the scale of these though.

I think I prefer the second of these two images, but as you said, the sky wasn't doing you any favours.