Deserted Island

[bogleric]

This was taken during my last trip to The Upper Peninsula in Michigan. Definitely an area of wilderness. I am going up again later this month and hope to get some snow animal shots.

This little island is off a point nearby the cabin. Innocent and small it hold lots of wildlife who travel across the ice in winter and swim in icy cold summer water to reach the undisturbed habitat. The lake surrounding the island is the Great Lake, Superior known for its cold and icy perils.

The third image is that of a lonely rock stuck between the mainland and island, that is only visited by those who journey by it. In person the rock appears as the marker of the safe path to guide the journey to the island. 10 feet either side of the rock deep wholes exist in the great lake.

Please tell me all your thoughts and give me some opinions on how to make senic shots so much better.

 

[luckydog]

Hi Champ!

The first thing i noticed in your photos was the the horizon isn't level. So a quick rotation of the image will improve them for a start.
The first and last pictures do nothing for me (sorry) as there's just nothing that draws my attention. Is the rock in the last picture what you were looking at? If so why? To me it's jus a rock and holds no interest. The second is a better view as you can now search the picture, ie look at the foreground, the sky, the current of the water between the beach and the island, and the island itself.
One tip i can give is, don't be afraid to crop. Try giving the picture a panoramic feel by cropping the top and bottom.

Don't feel as i am bagging your work as i'm not (i'm no professional either), i'm just passing on stuff people have said to me or that i have learned through trial and error.
Keep getting out there and snapping heaps of photies and i look forward to seeing them here soon.

 

[liquidflight]

Hi Bogleric, I like the lighting of the third pic, it is definitely my favourite. Did you shoot these at the end of the day? I also like the way that your pic is divided into thirds. With the first two, I would try to add a subject for the eye to rest on so that it doesn't keep gliding over the image. Also, when the island takes up all the center and doesn't have anything around it to show it is all alone, it lacks context. Try to either crop closer to show more of the lovely coastline on the island (like the third pic) or further away to show the water on either side of the island (like the second pic). Keep posting, I'd like to see more.
-Alicia

 

[bogleric]

Thanks for the great comments. I really appreciate it when people take time to give me honest opinons... so thanks..

These were taken at the end of the day with the sun setting behind my back this giving it a warmer color.

Just for fun I have cropped the second picture as more of a panoramic, as suggested, and would like some thoughts about that. I do agree the picture lacks a good envolvement / focus for the eye.

 

[grimmett]

I think you've gone way too far with your cropping here. You cropped everything that made the picture good. Crop a little off the top and bottom and you'll be in much better shape. The island isn't the interesting part of this photo. It's the beach in the foreground and the sky that make it nice to look at.

 

[bogleric]

I thought so too, but i was trying to follow the earlier comments for some discussion. how about this....

 

[ksmattfish]

Your latest crop is an improvment. Here are some ideas that might help you.

Avoid putting the horizon too close to the center of the image. The viewer will tend to divide the single photo into two seperate photos in their mind. Decide if you want to emphasize the foreground or the sky, and place the horizon accordingly. Dividing the image into thirds is usually pleasing.

In these pics (the originals) the sky isn't exciting enough to warrant the amount of space you've given it. Crop it tighter to the island, or wait for more clouds or sunset, etc... Boring expanses of sky are easy to overlook when you are taking the pic; they will stand out much more in the photo.

Although I like the texture/pattern on the sandy beach, it is also sort of an open expanse of nothing. There needs to be something in the foreground, a rock, some driftwood, something for us to focus on, and maybe it will also help with a sense of depth.

Get closer/zoom in. It is tempting to try to shoot the entire island in one shot, but when we look at a little pic, we lose all the neat detail. Unless you are going to blow it up poster size or bigger, try to have your main subject matter breaking a few sides of the image frame. For some reason people are afraid to get closer and crop tightly to their subject. Look at famous paintings and photos, many have the subject breaking three sides of the frame. And if it still worries you then take a wide shot and then take several tight shots.