Bike at Seashore: please give feedback

[madhatter]

Hello all,

This is my first post and one of my personal favorite snap for you to critique. I chose frame format as 16:9 for this shoot, found it very appealing for landscape photography. My friends and I were roaming around the shore when I saw this happy couple. Already i had taken many snaps using my bike as an object. so framed them against my bike and volia, i got this picture.!

I was confused if it is a landscape or a portrait, so posting it here.
Please tell me how is it? suggestions?
Post processing is permitted.





Camera: Kodak EasyShare M1033
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1250)
Aperture: f/5.3
Focal Length: 7.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV

[Kate1]

I like the concept madhatter, but the couple (is that them in the distance in the water?) are soo far away I wouldn't know they were people. And there's a kind of blur at the back of your bike - is it sea spray? which is a bit distracting. I reckon it'd work a treat if the couple were larger in the frame, so suggesting they'd just got off the bike for a seaside frolic...

[madhatter]

Thanks 4 the feedback. Well, maybe if u see actual size of the image, then the couple may not be small. Its kind of candid photography, i guess. If they knew i was shooting then i would not be here to post it..

But i will certainly keep the size thing in my mind, thanks again.

And yes that's tiny rain drop on the lens and hence the blur...! Since i don't know much about post processing i couldn't able to get rid of that.

[MT Pockets]

Thanks for sharing Madhatter. I looked at the larger size and have to say that I like the concept as well. I agree that it leaves me believing the couple parked their bike on the beach for a little fun in the water. I find the blurred area around the back on the bike distratcing, I wonder how it would work if you cropped it just to the left of the blurr? thus not showing all of the bike...

[madhatter]

Ok, below is the cropped version. It was painful to do but i did it...



Is it possible to remove the blur using PP techniques?? Can anyone?
Thanks a lot MT Pocket for ur feedback.

[Kate1]

I reckon that's better, even if it nearly killed you to destroy your bike like that
And having looked at the larger size I can see that the couple are larger than I thought (sorry). Nice pic!

[madhatter]

LOL. It was very painful. But now happy with results.
Hey, please do check my other snaps on flickr.

[MT Pockets]

It was worth the pain! I like the cropped version much better. I know it was hard to chop your bike like that, but in this case I think it works. For example, with the original version with the blurred spot and the second helmet kept my eye searching in that area for something. The new version with the tighter crop allows my eye to start at the bike and then travels out to the water where it's much easier to notice the couple in the water because the bike sort of points me in that direction. Nice photo!