Waiting for Tom Sawyer

[Sudipto]

Saw this boy sitting in an anchored boat on a very very wide river. To me it looked like Huckleberry Finn waiting for Tom Sawyer. How could the composition be improved?

Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 290 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV
Flash: Off

[ocnsprt]

I like the composition actually, but because he is facing the short end of the photo, it does distract from the photo, if he were facing the other direction in the boat the composition would be perfect imo, but here I wouldnt have cut offf the boat right in front of him, Id have slid the the photo right and caught the whole boat in the shot, thats if I were gonna change anything, I like it as is.

[wulf]

Lovely silhouette but I agree with ocnsprt - it would probably be stronger if there was more space in front of the boy. You could try roughly painting in continuations of the water and boat and experiment with different crops. It probably isn't worth trying to get it presentable but will let you try out ideas before you find yourself presented with a similar scene.

Wulf

[Sudipto]

Thanks for your encouraging comments. I agree the composition would have improved if the boy had turned around, facing the water. But then that would be an unnatural way for a boat(man?) to sit in a boat !!
I did have the option of taking the full boat but the other end of the boat didn't look very interesting !! And the boy would have looked pretty tiny relative to the size of the boat. I think I will face this situation again in a few months when I go to this river again.
Thanks for the comments once again.
Sudipto
PS: The picture was taken at Sunderbans, Bengal, India - the world's largest mangrove forest and home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger.

[dcclark]

I'll add that I really like the oar. It adds an interesting diagonal line, and acts to frame the boy a bit. It's unfortunate that things worked backwards from how we'd like to see the orientation, but overall I do like the photo, especially the almost-silhouette.

[mfreg]

Now...I for one, am not bothered by the direction the boy is facing, actually, it feels quite natural to me. The whole composition feels quite natural. I can't explain it, I'm not very good at explaining why something works for me or doesn't. I think in this instance, this is the correct composition.

regards
mike

[bearly]

i like that he is facing out of the frame... to me it adds a sense of intrigue and makes it feel as though he is looking/waiting for someone outside the picture. i think that if he was facing the water, you wouldn't get that feeling, but rather it would be as though he was just taking in the view or had something on his mind

[zarquon]

I really love the silhouette of the boy and the boat. I think it's very striking. I'm in agreement with a few others in that I prefer the boy facing out of the frame as he is now. It makes you feel like there is more to be seen, but just out of reach.

[AoxoA]

Maybe being a boater I agree with those who think the direction he's facing is correct even if it does violate a composition rule. You did a good job of positioning for the rudder, it's obvious that much movement on your part could have put that diagonal line in an awkward place.

The stern of that boat is just too darn interesting to not have it in the shot.

AoxoA

[srt]

Hi! I concur with those who like him facing as is...I agree it makes him looks as tho he is waiting for someone, however I think u should have included the other halk of the boat or some of it- u might have thought it was boring but maybe the extra space would make him look even more like he was waiting for someone, or perhaps make it a lonely shot especially if the size of the boat made him look small. Just some thoughts to try next time