composition rookie

[skraller]

Would love to hear any cc on this shot.

edit: ok, I went a little big with the pic

 

[echoyjeff222]

I'm trying to come up with a story for this shot and having a hard time. It's difficult to see what the people are doing from the high vantage point and draw a connection between them and the clothes lying in the bottom right. What were you trying to say?

As far as the composition, it's a nicely balanced shot. However, like I said in the first paragraph, I would balance the composition with something that adds to the story. Right now, I feel the bottom right clothes are more of a question mark rather than a clarifying element.

 

[Designer]

The odd little piles of debris are a distraction, and you could clone them out, but then that leaves the group of people, and that is another conundrum. Who are they, what are they doing, and why did you take this photo?

The good part of the composition are the lines, colors, and texture of the beach.

 

[gk fotografie]

Would love to hear any cc on this shot.

Without 'the story' this picture has no value for random viewers.
What are these people doing and why, where and when is it taken etc.

Besides this question, IMO this image has little contrast and rather pale colors.
Actually, I think with some cloning and using the 'curves' and 'color balance' sliders you can create an artsy image that neither will give any explanation, but might interest random viewers much more as being a nice composition.

 

[Designer]

Without 'the story' this picture has no value for random viewers.

Nice shot, gk fotographie!

(O.K., my post is trying to be funny, sorry)

 

[skraller]

I see what ya'll are saying and I would have to say I have seen plenty of pictures that could lead to many different conclusions as to what the story in the picture is trying to tell. I don't see any harm in peaking the curiosity of the viewer to ask themselves what the people might be doing and maybe come up with their version. I kinda like pictures that don't tell a complete story.

I have been trying to focus a lot on composition and trying even harder to think of a strong enough subject that could stand alone in a shot and be the clear subject.

As far as balance, the way I was looking at it was how small the people looked compared to the rest of the scene. Can opposites be strong enough to balance a shot?

I kinda like the towel in the bottom right and wish there was a little more of them in a line to where they crossed to get on the island. It might help as a soft leading line to the people.

 

[Designer]

Can opposites be strong enough to balance a shot?

Yes, it is usually seen in the case of "asymmetrical balance". A small object can balance with a larger object, but the smaller object will need "leverage" for it to work.

 

[Designer]

As far as balance, the way I was looking at it was how small the people looked compared to the rest of the scene.

I understand your point. That effect is often seen wherein colors are the objects in balance with each other. For instance; a little spot of some light color and a larger area of a dark color.

I think the biggest obstacle in this shot is that one of the "elements" is a group of people. Whenever there are people in the shot, we tend to "connect" in some way with the people. This is why we wonder what they're up to.

Trying to balance an ocean with people just doesn't work very well because they're not of the same language.

This is why I wrote earlier that this shot might have been better without the people.

A photograph that (as I recall) sold for the highest record price is a seemingly plain landscape with very little except line, color, and texture. $millions!

Why is Andreas Gursky's Rhine II the most expensive photograph?

 

[smoke665]

Sometimes people get caught up in the little things and miss the big picture (no pun intended). Not every image "HAS" to tell a story. Sometimes it's ok to let the view form their own. Is it a meeting of surfers? Is it about to be a brawl on the beach?? From a composition standpoint, I'd do a 16x9 crop to do away with some of the ocean at the top, and emphasis the lines of the beach and water. I agree the clothes scattered on the beach are a distraction that should be cloned out. I also made a few other adjustments to emphasis some of the best features of the image.

 

[Designer]

I think it's lifeguard school. They're talking about rip currents.

 

[The_Traveler]

Don't concentrate on rules.
If you are trying to show that the world is large and people are small, I suggest something like this crop.

 

[peaceangel83]

Nothing to say. This is perfect shoot ...


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[skraller]

Nothing to say. This is perfect shoot ...


Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

FINALLY what I wanted to hear lol jk. But the more I look at it the more I'm becoming happier with it as it is.

I like the natural look of the scene; it was beautiful in person so I didn't wanna tweak anything real hard.

The towel down there doesn't take anything away from it for me, it's just an object. Like I said before, I wouldn't even mind some more over there in a line leading to where they crossed. And in a perfect world, I wouldn't have minded no clothes being on the sand where the group of people are, idk, just to add something.

And in a perfect, perfect world, it sells like crazy, becomes the scene in a move, and I win the Nobel Peace Prize....it could happen

 

[Derrel]

The original was fine. Smoke's crop is better. The_Traveler's crop is quite nice too. I think unusual, offbeat shots like this can lend themselves to multiple treatments.

 

[skraller]

I think unusual, offbeat shots like this can lend themselves to multiple treatments.

very true