What’s Your Preference?

Tammy Evarts · #1 (**permalink**) 03-28-2011, 02:35 AM

I am wondering about composition on this shot. I feel like there may be too much sky but I wanted to get as much of Chief's Island in as I could. Getting the island makes the lighthouse look so small.

Any and all suggestions on how to make this a better shot would be appreciated.

Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: 18 mm - 70 mm
Focal Length: 24 mm
Aperture: f/10
Shutter Speed: 1/400
ISO: 200

milosh · #2 (**permalink**) 03-28-2011, 02:11 PM

Hello Tammy,

You're right, there is too much sky in this shot and there's almost nothing interesting in it.
Since you wanted to show the island, I think you should have taken this shot in horizontal orientation. Turning your camera would allow you to fill the frame with the island and the lighthouse.
The first thing I noticed is that your horizon is a bit tilted to the right, and the fact that the island isn't totally horizontal makes it even worse. You can rotate it to fix the horizon and maybe try cropping it to make it square. It would look much better and it would help the lighthouse and the rocks below it to be the center of attention.

dlambert · #3 (**permalink**) 03-28-2011, 02:33 PM

There are some pretty interesting angles in here that I find just a little disconcerting. I think your horizon is actually pretty straight, but because of the cloud formation on the left and the leaning strata of the rock formation, when I look at the photo (especially the thumbnail), it looks like the camera was tilted to the right, and the rock is leaning to avoid sliding off the right-hand side of the picture. I think a landscape orientation (with a little more horizon visible), might have planted things a little more firmly.

The lighthouse does, indeed, look small, but I'm not sure that's a killer. Since it's a contrasting color, it remains visible even when small, and it sort of emphasizes the idea that it's out there on the rock all by itself.

Krusty79 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-28-2011, 07:28 PM

I would also recommend shooting this in landscape format. I would also recommend shooting closer to sunset when the color of the sky will provide more contrast with the water and everything won't be so blue. Nice shot.

EOBeav · #5 (**permalink**) 03-28-2011, 08:16 PM

I think it's fine in vertical position. Just crop it a little tighter and come back when the sun is a lot lower on the horizon.

TBrown00 · #6 (**permalink**) 03-28-2011, 09:31 PM

I agree with the suggestions to crop it in tighter. Right now your subject (the lighthouse) is lost (especially in the large area of the sky) because it takes up such a small area of the photo. If you crop it in, the lighthouse will become a clearer subject.

navcom · #7 (**permalink**) 03-29-2011, 01:05 AM

I agree with the landscape orientation. There are so many horizontal elements in this image that the vertical composition fights them. The lighthouse is the only real vertical element and it is so small in the image that it doesn't make the vertical composition flow properly. With a landscape orientation and the lighthouse positioned in the right 1/3, those rocks in the water just off shore would be more visible and would add to the horizontal elements...which would probably relieve some of the bizarre effect of the clouds and hill conflicting with the horizon.

Hope this helps.

Preeb · #8 (**permalink**) 03-29-2011, 06:25 PM

I try not to do much on the critique forum but read and learn, but I would agree with the consensus that this needs to be in landscape format. The instant I opened the image it just screamed at me that there was something missing, and comes from my eye running off the edges of the photograph and wanting to see what isn't there. Even if there is nothing to see on the right, I don't like the chopped off rocks on the left. Even that might work all right with a closer crop to a landscape orientation, though.

SwissJon · #9 (**permalink**) 03-29-2011, 08:28 PM

Ok, time to screw with your head.. After scratching mine for a while, I think you should crop this square. Don't zoom. If you crop the top off until it's square, you should find that the lighthouse is at the top third and right third intersection. You'll also find those beautiful cliffs lead nicely into the picture.

Well.. It's an idea...

milosh · #10 (**permalink**) 03-29-2011, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwissJon

Ok, time to screw with your head.. After scratching mine for a while, I think you should crop this square. Don't zoom. If you crop the top off until it's square, you should find that the lighthouse is at the top third and right third intersection. You'll also find those beautiful cliffs lead nicely into the picture.

Well.. It's an idea...

Yeah, I also suggested that.

I even tried it and it does look nice. I didn't think it would have such an effect, totally different photo after croping.