Keeping it simple composition-wise

skieur · Jun 8, 2007

The is taken at Baddeck where there is a sort of interior salt water "lake" in the middle of an island.

This is as shot with cropping only. The colour is due to the approach of sunset.

skieur

skieur · Jun 12, 2007

So any photographic comments on a simple composition?

skieur

midget patrol · Jun 12, 2007

I would either crop out the lighthouse on the right or add more negative space on the right-hand side of it. I would also have left more water in the frame below the boat. This shot seems to be all about the negative space between the boat and the lighthouse and i would've emphasized that more.

Other than that, i think it's well captured.

skieur · Jun 13, 2007

midget patrol said:
I would either crop out the lighthouse on the right or add more negative space on the right-hand side of it. I would also have left more water in the frame below the boat. This shot seems to be all about the negative space between the boat and the lighthouse and i would've emphasized that more.

Other than that, i think it's well captured.

Thanks Danny. A different way of looking at an image is always worthy of consideration. I will experiment with your ideas.

skieur

LaFoto · Jun 13, 2007

Well, I feel the lighthouse is absolutely necessary in this composition, for it gives the total balance to the existence of the moored boat, compositionwise as well as in its reflecting just the colours that the boat has.

The bit of red in both, boat and lighthouse, nicely contrast with the general blue of see, distant bank and sky.

I also like the division in three horizontal layers (again: water, distant)shore, sky) which add to the overall calmness of the composition and enhance the impression of serenity.

The evening light adds to it.

Now I am curious what the original, the "in-camera" crop was like? But just curious. No need to show me, really... I'm just wondering...

Alex_B · Jun 13, 2007

In principle it appears nice and works, however, to me it appears squeezed into the frame. IMHO both the lighthouse and the boat would benefit from having some more space padded around them.

The image lacks some depth, but that is mainly due to the missing structure in the water, if it was more pronounce ripples, this would be solved. But you cannot influence the weather, can you?

Bear · Jun 13, 2007

From what I can see it would have been better to take this photo further to the left. It would have brought the 2 closer together, doing this along with getting a little closer and taking the picture as a portrait style instead of landscape...i guess i mean when u hold the camera sideways (dont know a better way to describe this) would have gotten rid of the negative space and created more balance in the 2 objects.

Garrentee · Jun 13, 2007

I agree on it being squeezed into the frame...a bigger crop would make it looked more relaxed and not so squished!!

skieur · Jun 13, 2007

LaFoto said:
Well, I feel the lighthouse is absolutely necessary in this composition, for it gives the total balance to the existence of the moored boat, compositionwise as well as in its reflecting just the colours that the boat has.

The bit of red in both, boat and lighthouse, nicely contrast with the general blue of see, distant bank and sky.

I also like the division in three horizontal layers (again: water, distant)shore, sky) which add to the overall calmness of the composition and enhance the impression of serenity.

The evening light adds to it.

Now I am curious what the original, the "in-camera" crop was like? But just curious. No need to show me, really... I'm just wondering...

Thank you for the in-depth look. The original to answer your question had more sky in it, but then fog is almost constant in many areas of the east coast so there was simply more dark grey. There was no extra space on either the right or the left. I also had to shoot fast since distractions were heading for the area of the shot.

skieur

skieur · Jun 13, 2007

Alex_B said:
In principle it appears nice and works, however, to me it appears squeezed into the frame. IMHO both the lighthouse and the boat would benefit from having some more space padded around them.

The image lacks some depth, but that is mainly due to the missing structure in the water, if it was more pronounce ripples, this would be solved. But you cannot influence the weather, can you?

Gee, somewhere I do have a wave creation program. :wink:

skieur

skieur · Jun 13, 2007

Bear said:
From what I can see it would have been better to take this photo further to the left. It would have brought the 2 closer together, doing this along with getting a little closer and taking the picture as a portrait style instead of landscape...i guess i mean when u hold the camera sideways (dont know a better way to describe this) would have gotten rid of the negative space and created more balance in the 2 objects.

I think that the problem with a portrait style shot would be more negative space in the sky and water area above the lighthouse and below the boat.
Closer would have eliminated either the boat or the lighthouse and considering the speed of the boat there wasn't time. As to position, the boat is about in the bottom third and about a third of the way into the frame which is compositionally appropriate. Any further in and the boat would have been too centralized. As to the lighthouse, whether it would be better more into the frame.....

Thanks for your ideas.

skieur