Rule of thirds?

[RigoDesigns]

I was on a cruise with my wife a week ago, and snapped this picture. I was so excited to be able to get the dock to myself (there were over 4,600 people on the boat) that completely forgot about the rule of thirds...
Do you think it detracts from the image?
If so, where should I have put my horizon?
Should I have sacrificed some of the beautiful water, to add more sky or the other way around?
Should I remove the pillars in the water on the right side of the pier, or does it add a sense of solidarity?

This is an HDR image that I shot with my Nikon D90 and my kit lens at ISO 200 with no flash or tripod. Other than the HDR and tone mapping, no other edits have been made.

[CaptainNH]

Thanks for sharing this shot, I love the colours! You did well to get such a picturesque spot to yourself on a cruise!

The composition is sending me mixed messages, the tone mapping has made the sky look like an angry sky, whereas, placing your horizon at the mid-point, together with the symmetry from L to R, would normally tell a story of a peaceful setting.

To my eye, the tone mapping hasn't improved the sky - I would much prefer to see what I assume was a tropical blue with fluffy white clouds. This being the case, I would be happy with the horizon at the midpoint.

If the intent was to make the sky look stormy and angry, then I think I would have placed the horizon at the lower 1/3 point to emphasise the sky. I would hate to lose the interesting textures and colour of the dock though, so I might have considered getting low to the ground to put the deck in the fore.

I think the pile in the R of the shot detracts from the image as it breaks the symmetry (as does the life-ring on the L of the dock). I would probably experiment with cloning these out and comparing them to the original.

The perspective disappears nicely in the centre of the shot, but unfortunately, you weren't quite in the middle of the dock, which has thrown out the symmetry.

I still like the shot though! Just some food for thought for the next time you're composing a similar shot

[hey joni]

Hi

TFS.

I agree with most of the above, especially the sky comments. Your clouds have turned blue and the lower section of the sky is purple I appreciate jade and purple go well together but here it isn't working IMO, the scene isn't dramatic enough for that type of treatment.

Out of interest, why did you choose HDR for this scene? I never HDR seascapes as it just doesn't look right. I leave it for man made objects usually, like machinery. I'd like to see this just processed in Raw and maybe fiddled a bit in Photoshop (levels, dodge and burn, highlights/shadows etc).

The symmetry can't really be saved: it is unfortunate but one of those things that has happened to me before many times.

Because you are not central, you have compensated by changing your angle to face more to the left. This means that cropping will not really save this.

Rgarding the horizon, you just need to decide what your focus or purpose of the shot is and work on emphasising that element.

I hope this helps, the shot is nice but not as good as i think you would have done given the time. It's just one of those things.

[wulf]

The rule of thirds is only a rule of thumb; symmetry looks to be a better guideline for this shot. It is a shame you weren't quite square on to the dock as the effect is lessened because the crossboards aren't parallel to the bottom edge. However, I note that your horizon also isn't quite level so a bit of rotation might go some way towards saving that.

I rather like the tone-mapping effect on the colours and intensity of this picture; the vibrancy makes the result more intense.

I wouldn't edit out the pillars on the right; if you push too far in removing "distractions" you will end up with a shot that looks entirely artificial. Think of them as balancing the lifering on the left hand side of the dock.

Wulf

[neoclick]

It looks like you got some good advice from the above posts. It seems like the folks here can really help one improve.

Still, I think that this is an interesting and pleasing shot to look at. It’s a keeper.

Most non photographers would never notice anything but a pretty picture.

[hey joni]

Originally Posted by neoclick

Most non photographers would never notice anything but a pretty picture.

That's a very good point. People that take their own photos ae often picky because they apply the same rules to their own photos: looking at all the details to see what can be impoved.

Photo forums can be harsh, but be assured i'm genuinely happy to help, not just criticise.

[Tamalee]

I love the shot but I would like to see it centered and straight.

[RigoDesigns]

Originally Posted by CaptainNH

Thanks for sharing this shot, I love the colours! You did well to get such a picturesque spot to yourself on a cruise!

The composition is sending me mixed messages, the tone mapping has made the sky look like an angry sky, whereas, placing your horizon at the mid-point, together with the symmetry from L to R, would normally tell a story of a peaceful setting.

To my eye, the tone mapping hasn't improved the sky - I would much prefer to see what I assume was a tropical blue with fluffy white clouds. This being the case, I would be happy with the horizon at the midpoint.

If the intent was to make the sky look stormy and angry, then I think I would have placed the horizon at the lower 1/3 point to emphasise the sky. I would hate to lose the interesting textures and colour of the dock though, so I might have considered getting low to the ground to put the deck in the fore.

I think the pile in the R of the shot detracts from the image as it breaks the symmetry (as does the life-ring on the L of the dock). I would probably experiment with cloning these out and comparing them to the original.

The perspective disappears nicely in the centre of the shot, but unfortunately, you weren't quite in the middle of the dock, which has thrown out the symmetry.

I still like the shot though! Just some food for thought for the next time you're composing a similar shot

The weather was a little screwy, it looked like there were storm clouds forming and moving into the area, that was the reason why I choose to shoot HDR, the cloud pattern over the clear shallow water left it looking very unappealing.

I really couldn't get any more centered on the dock because there were other people trying to walk around, so I had to shoot pretty quickly.

To your other point, I did get the chance to shoot another HDR set with the camera resting on the dock... but as you can see, the dock wasn't nearly as straight as one might hope...

[LeeR]

You have a dichotomy that is common in many artistic situations. As a matter of fact, most great art comes from an artist getting into some kind of trouble and then finding a brilliant way out. Here you have a couple of things working against you and others working for you. Does the good out wiegh the bad? We'll get to that in a minute.

The biggest thing working against you is the strong unbroken horizon line that essentailly divides the image into two parts with sky on one side and ocean/dock on the other. That hurts you a lot more than not placing the horizon on the thirds. Look at your second image where the horizon is still in the middle, but the railing breaks it up enough to prevent it from dividing the image.

The second problem is symmetry. I know, Darren's tutorial on composition names symmetry as an important element in good composition, but I am telling you that too much symmetry drains all of the energy out of images. Perfect symmetry is unnatural and boring. It's like finding two kids on a teeter-totter that has stooped with neither kid's feet touching ground; it may be balanced, but it's not fun any more.

On the other hand, you have some wonderful things going for you. The subtle gradations of tone and color in the dock and ocean are simply divine and easily the best part of the image. To that you have added a very impressive sky with the kinds of clouds I dreaming of.

So how did you fair overall? Last time I checked, 2 to 2 was a tie and I think that is the case with your image as well. However, I would not give up. I think you may still find a way to push this score heavily in your favor. I might suggest you back off on the tone mapping in the clouds and perhaps even crop some off the top, but this is your image and you need to be the one making these decisions. This is the forge on which your skills as an artist are sharpened.

[RLucas]

It completely works for me. The horizon in the center is working for me because of the complimentary colors consisting of primarily blues and oranges, which balances the image asymmetrically. The life ring balances the pile on the right. And I am a sucker for visual vanishing points in an image! I think it is great as is. I wouldn't change a thing!