A day nearly gone - color version.

[ceeboy14]

Doing a lot of work in controlling tonal ranges in both B&W and color...C&C, please.

 

[Light Guru]

Compositionally its just not working for me. The boat that I'm guessing is your main subject is dead center and there is just to much going stuff on both sides of it that draw your attention away.

 

[Ballistics]

I think it would be stronger if you cropped 3/4s of the bottom off, but I agree with light guru. Too cluttered imo.
I think if you clone the dock out that's touching the boat, and give the boat some breathing room, it would be better.

 

[squirrels]

I'm so glad you posted the color one, because I was curious. I guess the color version might allow the neighboring boat and the pink water to compete a bit for attention. I didn't find that to be a problem at all in your B&W version. I like having all of the reflection of the mast in the B&W too.

If you clone out the dock I'd be a little stressed wondering how the boat was secured. It looks a little tight even for fore and aft mooring.
Now if you had someone on the sailboat bringing her in... that would super cool! You might need to bribe the owner with a beer!

 

[Ballistics]

If you clone out the dock I'd be a little stressed wondering how the boat was secured. It looks a little tight even for fore and aft mooring.

Stressed?

 

[squirrels]

Stressed?

I thought the sailboat was secured there, but I could be wrong. I get panicky on anchor watch and stress about boats drifting into things. It's probably my squirrel-like like nature or relative lack of experience. Painkillers (the rum drink) help with the first cause but not with the second .

 

[ceeboy14]

Compositionally its just not working for me. The boat that I'm guessing is your main subject is dead center and there is just to much going stuff on both sides of it that draw your attention away.

It is close to center, but isn't. The boat, while dominating the scene isn't in particular the main subject any more than the guy working on his boat to the right. By my title, the main focus was controlling evening (sunset) tonal ranges. It is for this that I think the B&W works better than the color. It's a inlet crowded with boats..it's going to be cluttered no matter where I point the camera or how much I try to clone out. Frankly, I like how I controlled the clutter with lens compression...and it always comes down to artist's intent, viewer's interpretation. I certainly appreciate all your opinions and in many cases work through them to see if I missed the same centered boat...and I think I did in my Green Boiled Peanuts guy until I revised the tonal range. Thanks for all the comments.

 

[Rick58]

Here we go again. I always get myself in trouble.

I spend a lot of time on the Chesapeake. Mostly on the back waters of the upper eastern shore.
Last year I had to retire my 21' Sloop "Knot-A-Yot" which only leaves me with 2 open fishing boats, but that doesn't hinder my love for the water.

This shot could have been taken at any number of the places I mentioned above, and for me could easily be a wall hanger. Probably simply due to my interests.

I liked the B&W, but I REALLY like the color and (OMG, I'm getting ready to break all the artsy rules), I like the way the scene is divided into quarters with the mast and docks.
Oh yeah, one more thing, from the nautical stand point, don't chop off the mast refelction.

What the hell, I'm the odd ball here so I might as well keep it real, right?

 

[Light Guru]

It is close to center, but isn't.

Its close enough to the center to be considered in the center.

the main focus was controlling evening (sunset) tonal ranges

that may have been what you were going for but the composition distracts from that.

It is for this that I think the B&W works better than the color.

I would not know you did not include a link to your black and white version in your post. You cannot just assume that everyone has seen your previous post.

I like how I controlled the clutter with lens compression

Lens compression effaces thugs behind and in front your focus point. Your clutter is to the left and right of the boat in the middle so lens compression does nothing for it .

 

[LouR]

Have you tried a horizontal crop on this? Or square? Just thinking "out loud"....

 

[ceeboy14]

I sold the image to the guy who owns the sailboat. He likes it just as posted...hey, no accounting for taste, eh? He's having it printed on canvas rather large at mpix. Who am I to argue? He also hired me to shoot all his restaurant photos and redesign his menu...never know how things will turn out. It is not a perfect shot and despite all the yeas and nays to the image, in the end it comes down to what the OP likes and what the buying public likes...I have a few that don't sell particularly well that I think are excellent images and some which were shot off the cuff which sell like hotcakes and if posted by someone else, I'd likely futzbomb...it's a funny business.

Thanks for all the comments, positive or not so...I learn from all of them.