Seahorse

[Tsuyachan]

Nikon D5000
70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6G lens
1/200s
F/10

In a jagged outcropping of rocks I saw this formation while looking through my zoom lens. I focused in and snapped a shot. This "seahorse" is really very small in real-life and isn't really detectable when looking at the scene as a whole. I only saw it when looking through my lens.

In post-production I gave bit more sharpness and color. Again, I am so new to this that what is kind of a cool image was borne out of luck mostly. I am also a novice at Photoshop so I just used the "guided edit" mode. I shot this in landscape orientation but decided on this portrait version in order to keep the focus on the horse formation, cutting out most of the ocean in the background and rocks in the foreground. This image captures about 20% of the total original image.

Questions are . . .

1. What other editing can be done to improve on it even more?

2. Is the composition/proportion okay - because I did have a lot of editorial leeway in cropping? Is it the best possible in order to bring out the horse? Do you even see the horse or am I stretching it a bit??

Thank you for your critique! Photography is a challenge and I'm loving it!

Robin

I appreciate your critique!

[Tsuyachan]

51 views and no comments?? I'm not sure if I feel more insecure or more secure . . . . .

[Camdixon]

Since no one else has commented I suppose I will go out on a limb. Maybe I'm missing something else that everyone else has got. I just don't really understand what I'm looking at in this picture. Nothing really jumps out at me. I thought with the title it might have been the actual animal, but didn't see it.

[neoHUNTER]

Remind of me of your subject again in your picture, is it that part of the rock that formed a horse-like shape? I little focus on it will give the viewer the idea of your subject in the picture, maybe cropping or taking another shot and a tad zooming to define your subject and its worth trying putting your subject in the side, either left or right, you might as well use rule of third to see if it looks good. Is that water on the top, what time of the day did you take the shot? To me, it looks distracting...

Keep on shooting and enjoy.

[neoclick]

I cannot see the seahorse.

[Laurenbiz]

I am quite confused. Sorry!

[Tamalee]

I was hoping to see a seahorse! I can't see one either. I see rocks and I think they are a bit too sharp. If the seahorse is in the middle and it just shows his head, I would try to zoom in more to show the subject matter. Good luck!

[fuscom]

I see the horse formation in the rocks and get the play on words. In order to help others "see" the sea horse, I would suggest you crop so that it becomes the center of your attention. My initial thought is to crop out the rock at its "tail", so that the horse is at the left edge of your photo. I would then go all the way to the current right edge to give it plenty of lead room. You also want to provide a bit of head space to get some of the sea in. The only unfortunate thing here is that from your current shot, it's not plainly obvious that there is a sea of water behind your subject. If you have an opportunity to retake this photo, try capturing the water a little more clearly, That, combined with a better framing / cropping and the word play becomes more obvious.

Hope that was helpful.

[guasch]

i think the background contests too much with the main subject (rocks), giving people a hard time looking at the picture.

and answers to your questions...

1. cant really say, im new to post editing, sorry. but do try dodging the parts that resemble the "seahorse" so itll catch the eyes' focus a little better, not sure though.
2. i think itll be better if you take off a bit of the top end or just reduce the parts that doesnt seem to help with the "seahorse" form

hope that helps, man

[Tsuyachan]

Thank you all for your helpful comments. I've learned several valuable things from this thread!

> Be careful of how you title an abstract subject AND be careful of how you present an abstract subject in your photography. Yes, the "seahorse" is a title with a play on words - I did see, in the rock formation, an abstract shape of a horse. In my eyes, the rocks created an abstract, fantasy landscape. I caught the image just as a wave splashed in the background and the out-of-focus drops of water gave it an interesting dimension and shimmer (in my mind of course).

> I have other images of this same area of sharp, jagged rocks so I am now thinking that it would make for a better "series" of images instead of focusing on one abstract image which seems to need more context based on the comments.

> Thank you fuscom I think your comments helped tremendously! It would be fun to revisit the site and take more pictures with a more focused intent in mind!

Aloha to all...