Rainbow in the Sea

[checkmeout]

Hi all

I'm new to the forum and photography, and this is my first post.
I took this picture during a boat ride and for some reason it doesn't seem to portray the feeling I got from seeing the scene in real life. It reads kind of bland to me. Any tips on composition etc would be most welcome

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

Canon SX210is
F/3.1
1/1000
ISO 80

[Krusty79]

Welcome to DPS. The shot looks okay to me. It doesn't strike me as bland. I do feel like the rainbow is somewhat cut off at the top and I would like to see more of it. If you had a boat in the foreground, it would provide some foreground interest and help give a sense of scale.

[checkmeout]

Unfortunately, that was as much of the rainbow as I could get in the frame from where we were. I see your point about an object in the foreground providing better sense of scale. Thank you for the input.

[oohan101]

The shot itself isnt bad, you got the rainbow nicely exposed and its clear to see what you were trying to capture but i do agree with the above comment, if we could have seen more of the rainbow and had some form of a foreground interest then that would have done wonders. but trust me, you are not far off from getting it right. Keep practicing and really study the rules of composition (plenty of articles online completley free, even here on DPS). Good luck and thanks for posting!

[TartanLenscap]

Hi,

I also find that whilst the shot has great potential (beautiful colours, subject matter - trees, etc), the eye is contantly looking around the picture for something to engage it, ie. foreground interest. I understand you were in a boat - perhaps if there was some interesting feature of the boat, it would've been a good contrast to the scenery.

I've read a story that some landscape photographers carry a bootfull of rocks that they take to the location to add some foreground interest - we all have the same problem

Hope my comment's been of help.
Kind regards.

[checkmeout]

That's a good idea to use part of the boat as foreground interest. I didn't even think of that at the time, and I could have done it. I will keep it in mind for the next time. Thanks for the input everyone.

[Krusty79]

Originally Posted by checkmeout

That's a good idea to use part of the boat as foreground interest.

Check out this shot by one of my favorite photographers:
Sun Breaks Through, Mono Lake | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[TartanLenscap]

Originally Posted by checkmeout

That's a good idea to use part of the boat as foreground interest. I didn't even think of that at the time, and I could have done it. I will keep it in mind for the next time.

Developing on this, a different type of boat would have a very different effect on the photo: a gnarly wooden edge, a rusty metal lip, or a chromed handrail with clean decking are examples.

Glad to have been of help!

[checkmeout]

@Krusty79: I like that photo very much. I think the inclusion of the canoe makes the photographer part of the shot in a way, and kind of puts you in his shoes.

@TartanLenscap: I'm not sure what you mean by different effect. Do you mean I would have to edit it differently afterwards, or would it change the way I needed to take the shot, or both?

[Krusty79]

I believe TartanLenscap meant that having different types of boat bows in the foreground would give a different feel to the image. Like seeing the bow of the plastic kayak in the foreground gives you a different feel than if you saw the bow of an old wooden rowboat.