What's the Subject?

[RegiUsh]

I recently asked someone what they think about this photo, and they asked what the subject was. It was an excellent question. The subject was a picture of the beach. I cropped the picture making the group of people who are gathered at the waters edge the subject and photoshopped the images that might draw the eye away from the subject out. I like it cropped but I also like the original. My questions is with this picture do you need to be specific about a subject or is the beach and all that is going on with it enough? As well, is there anything else about this picture that needs critiquing?

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[Derrel]

Well, clearly it's a photo of a man surf fishing! No, wait, it's a photo of a man coming back to shore after surfing! No, wait a second, it's a shot of some shorebirds foraging! No, silly, it's a shot of a family on the beach! it's a "beach scene" shot...in many places there are a lot of people on the beach, doing their own thing: fishing, surfing,clam digging,building sand castles, looking for rocks and shells, flying kites, strolling, people-watching, bird-watching, taking photos, etc..

I think your crop, showing the small flock of birds, and the man and woman and their small flock of children, is an excellent example of improving a photographic composition by eliminating elements until all that remains are the most-essential elements. Well-done!

 

[Granddad]

I'm with Derrel. I like the crop, too.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

I actually like the original. My eyes are drawn to the family even in it because of them being in the foreground. The other elements are icing on the cake and make it more interesting IMO.

 

[Donde]

That all of the subjects are essentially silhouetted makes for a most interesting image. I am with Dean preferring the original.

 

[Designer]

I recently asked someone what they think about this photo, and they asked what the subject was. It was an excellent question. The subject was a picture of the beach. I cropped the picture making the group of people who are gathered at the waters edge the subject and photoshopped the images that might draw the eye away from the subject out. I like it cropped but I also like the original. My questions is with this picture do you need to be specific about a subject or is the beach and all that is going on with it enough? As well, is there anything else about this picture that needs critiquing?

Many landscape type photographs have no one single subject, but it's the overall scene that you captured. The original version is people and animals at the beach. Obviously it's not the distant buildings, and probably not the very farthest subjects, although everyone in the shot participates in some way. Your original needs to be leveled, but it has a good overall balance in color and texture.

The crop is outstanding! I see that you leveled it, good! The two groups play against each other and balance each other. Good eye!

 

[webestang64]

I get asked about customers photos all the time at work. I like the original, mainly because my personal shooting style is crop and shoot. I would like the cropped version better if the other elements were back in place. Could be it's just I've seen the original.

 

[zulu42]

The whole image has a lot of compelling elements, but I think they compete in the wide shot. I like the crop. It was a good creative move to remove the guy fishing. Suggest clean up your edit because it breaks the horizon.

Here's an idea, keep the whole thing, but in two images. hang them up next to each other.

 

[Derrel]

I think the original JPEG, un-cropped, tilted horizon shot had too many competing elements, and to test that theory, I took the low-res "original JPEG" into Lightroom and cropped the image into what I saw as five logical, workable pictures. I did a couple small clone-clicks on two of these.

Still...I think your original cropped image (which was not re-posted by me in this reply) with cloning out of elements was good; the surf fisherman and the surfer however...they are interesting single,solitary figures that could be left in if desired. In making my five,small, cropped images, I left the fisherman and the surfer in the pictures.

So, again, what _is_ the subject? And of which picture?

 

[RegiUsh]

Thanks everyone for the good words and thoughts on the photos. The different crops to consider I really appreciate it, I didn't view that the photo had so many ways to approach observing it, or how many pictures could be created out of this one, thanks Zulu and Expresso for taking the time to crop and post your opinions on what other ways that the photo can work. I like them all.