First post - Please be gentle!

[PFortuna]

Just curious what the take is on this photo, and how it may have been improved....aside from the lack of clouds and bright colors, that is!
All criticism welcome and any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Model - NIKON D50
ExposureTime - 1/1600 seconds
MaxApertureValue - F 5.66

[windrider86]

At first I thought maybe if there were less sky. But then you'd lose the effct of the pole.I'm usually really good about knowing what to say but I am kind of lost on this one. Perhaps try it in black and white as the colors seem a bit off

[ttosifa]

It certainly is an interesting photo. I could see it being on the cover of a fishing or outdoors magazine. I agree with windrider -- kinda hard to suggest improvements.

I will mention that the photo is rather flat. There just doesn't seem to be much contrast in light vs. dark or in colors. Just to amuse myself, I ran it through some of the steps in Dan Margulis' "Picture Perfect Postcard" workflow (see the Kelby Training website) and thought the end result had some interesting qualities.

[dakwegmo]

It's an ineresting shot. I really like the composition and there definitely seems to be a story here. The thing that really hurts the image though, is the focus. The focus point seems to be the grassy hill in the background. If the focus were on either of the main subjects, the angler or the fish, I really think this would have been a great shot. I suspect you didn't have a lot of time to focus on where the fish might come out, so I think focusing on the fisherman would have been the easier choice. Not bad for your first post, and welcome to DPS.

[PFortuna]

Thanks for the comments. I was mainly seeking suggestions on the DOF, exposure, and white balance. I knew the photo was missing something - a bright bold color, a boat in the background, some clouds, or even a bird in the sky!! The focusing coments are by dakwegmo are bang on. THANKS

[windrider86]

which is why, in the guidelines we ask that you ask a specific question. Otherwise we have no way of knowing

[MrJulius]

Bump that saturation a wee bit, then go crazy on the contrast. It will add color/drama to image that SHOULD (with a little tinkering) make up for the no cloud in the sky/boat on teh water/bird flying.

I think,...

[PowerPix]

Originally Posted by dakwegmo

It's an ineresting shot. I really like the composition and there definitely seems to be a story here. The thing that really hurts the image though, is the focus. The focus point seems to be the grassy hill in the background. If the focus were on either of the main subjects, the angler or the fish, I really think this would have been a great shot. I suspect you didn't have a lot of time to focus on where the fish might come out, so I think focusing on the fisherman would have been the easier choice. Not bad for your first post, and welcome to DPS.

Exactly what I was going to say......