Old breakwater stumps

[Donal]

This was taken in poor light yesterday and this is what I thought was the best I could do. I'm not sure weather it's a good shot, or just a snapshop that's been softened.

Please critique.




Canon SX20IS
F 3.5
ISO 160
1/1250

[Krusty79]

I think you made good use of the stumps to lead the viewer's eye into the image, but there is not much to look at at the end of the line of stumps. That's where you need a nice sunset or at least a boat out on the water. The water and sky look pretty blah out there, so there is nothing for my eye to linger on. Also, I would recommend a smaller aperture to increase your DOF.

[Donal]

Thanks Krusty79.

What you said makes sense and what's even better news for me is that I thought the same when I posted it (except for the DOF bit). That tells me that I'm learning something....


Thanks for commenting.
Donal

[danbaileyphoto]

Yes, a secondary subject that the eye can lead to after following the stumps would help make for a stronger composition. However, as it is, it's not so bad, it kind of has that feeling of 'eternity.'

Very nice photo. Nice off balance, dynamic framing.

[gazsus]

I came across a similar scene last month, I too had nothing of great interest to lead the eye to so I chose the HDR route to give the shot some zing (is that a word?).
It's just another option you might try.

[Krusty79]

I see what Dan means. If you were going for the dreamy, "eternal" look, then I think softening the image contributes to that. I think increasing the DOF would contribute to the line of stumps leading to "eternity" also. However, I still have a nagging feeling that something is missing from this image. Maybe it's just me...

I do find the stumps and sky more interesting in gazsus' image. There are a lot more details in the foreground and sky for my eye to take in.