Dejected Fisherman

[cbui81]

I was out in Oceanside, CA recently and caught this fisherman as he walked away angry after I asked him if he caught anything that morning. I shot it with my Canon XT at the following settings:
Film Speed: ISO 100
Aperture: f/4.5
Shutter Speed: 1/400 sec

I'm still learning photography and editing with Lightroom. Definitely looking for both composition/photography tips as well as editing tips. Thanks everyone.

[sabianq]

i bet that image would look great in a high contrast BW with a red filter..
i would have cropped in a bit tighter on the fisherman but keeping him on the right side of the frame.
i think that there is to much boring pavement/concrete in the foreground.

since he is you main focus, it would tell the story better if it is easier to see that he is indeed a fishless fisherman.

i had to do a double take to see that he is carrying fishing poles in his grip...

[kstiltne]

I agree that a tighter crop would improve the shot a lot. It would definitely eliminate that vignette. And it seems to be a bit oversharpened...kinda hurts my eyes to look at.

[cbui81]

Thanks for the input guys. I cropped it a bit, reduced the sharpening and changed it to B&W, but with the crop, is it just me, or does it seem like it loses the story about him having to take a long walk after not catching anything?

[tokyotom]

Have you tried a portrait crop?

[LeeR]

There you go. You've done everything these folks have told you and what does your image look like now? Is it better than when you started? No, the original was much better. You are going to get a lot of advice on this site, some of it good; some of it not so good. There's nothing wrong with trying the things people suggest, sometimes they will be right. But you are going to have to learn when to listen to others, and when to trust your own instincts. Developing good instincts takes hard work and practice. Opinions? They're always free.

[neoHUNTER]

Totally agree with Leer...

[cbui81]

Thanks guys. I agree with you, Leer. I do like the original more than after I cropped it and made the changes. It is tougher to see the fishing poles, but I actually like the story that the long strip of pavement tells.

[RecceDen]

cbui81.

As I was reading through the posts above about cropping your shot, I was saying in my head 'No...... That would detract from what you were trying to show'.

I totally agree that you need the space between the camera and the subject to help tell this story.

RD