Morning sailboat pic (resized) Serious critique pls!

[tirediron]

Okay... after the whole size debacle in the landscape forum over the size issue, I've done more tweaking and I think I've just about got it right. Bear in mind, what I want is to capture early morning calm on the water. Pls offer critique on colour/lighting/composition. As well, notice the two red circles.. do these dark areas adversely affect the pic to the point they should be removed or are they "leavable-inable"? Because of the geography, the pic can't really be any more panoramic than shot (unless you wanna see black mountains and an industrial wharf). If interested, the hi-res version is located here: http://www.johnsphotography.ca/hold/DSC_0014A1.jpg

Thanks!

 

[SlySniper]

Hey!

"Pls offer critique on colour/lighting/composition. As well, notice the two red circles.. do these dark areas adversely affect the pic to the point they should be removed or are they "leavable-inable"? Because of the geography, the pic can't really be any more panoramic than shot (unless you wanna see black mountains and an industrial wharf)."

All the colors are OK, except for those 2 black things you circled. I just wish that the boat was between those 2 black things. I just wish you moved to the right a little bit so that the boat would have been between the 2 black things.

The lighting is very well done.

Compostiton is also very well done.

Great picture except for those, "2 black things".

 

[eydryan]

ok, just a second while i calibrate this damned thing... ah, there we go, i can't see white-grey borders but it's calibrated. i can see how the colours are coming to life and the gray tones are kinda killing themselves...

numero uno: colour; the colours are nice but a bit washed out (that's what i'm seeing, in both calibrated and non-calibrated version ) and also a bit green-bluish i think, it's like a little haze or something... however ,the software autofix makes them even more bluish, hell if i know... ok, there we go. the result is down there and i think it looks a bit better especially with that mood you wanted to create. what i did was boost contrast (auto) then darken midtones and highlights by about 20-30 and also a bit oversaturated. what i like about this edit is that there is no more haze around the picture, it's a lot clearer. first of all i worked on the high-res version which has a lot more clarity.

for a higher res image there is http://photos1.blogger.com/img/11/3781/1024/DSC_0014A1.jpg

ok, now about the black things i don't really find them distracting without the BIG RED CIRCLES they just integrate the subject into the environment and me looking at it i think it's the harbour where it left from.

the centering of the boat could have been done on the other side of the center but i think it works like this too. it has a little spontaneity like this.

otherwise it's a beautiful pic and i like it.

oh, and if you don't really see much detail in the shadows, turn your monitor's contrast setting to maximum, that's where it should stay. if it is too bright, just tone it down from brightness. i'm working on a flat pannel and it is a bit brighter than CRTs . if you have an nvidia board the latest drivers (www.nvidia.com) contain a monitor correction feature accessible under display properties(rmb on the desktop)->settings->advanced->[name of board]-> and then search yourself because i can see my driver is having a fit... anyway you'll find it and then click a big button to start the thing.

 

[Maven]

As for the objects in the background ( your red circled ones ) I think the right one should be removed, but the left one, to me atleast fits the surroundings.

The reason i feel the right black block doesn't fit is because it is blocky, as where nothing else in the shot is.

 

[alexecho]

Maven, that's exactly what I was going to say.

For the composition, and this really is just me, the horizontal bit on the mast (name escapes me) it at the same height as the mountains. Maybe a lower perspective would have pushed it slightly higher?

I'm also seeing a slightly green colour cast, but it could be my monitor...

 

[Tally Ho]

Generally speaking, if an object in a photograph is pointed in a direction out of the frame, negative space should be left in front of it. This is called 'receiving area'. You left the negative space behind it instead of in front of it. I realize the boat is at rest, but I would have still have placed it in front of it. Also the horizon is dead center. The reason you did this (I think) was so the mast would not be cropped off in the reflection in the water. I feel these two elements weaken an otherwise good image.

Tally Ho

 

[Hertz van Rental]

I'm shocked, Tally. You didn't apply another of your 'rules' and advise him to bend the mast!

 

[Tkraz]

Pretty much agree with a lot of the previously made points, only thing I would wish to add, is that IMO the colours used in it, suggest a much more dusk/evening feeling. The colour is too washed out and looks closer to white, than an early morning yellowy/orange colour.

 

[elsaspet]

I think it's a really lovely picture. I just wish the boat stood out a tad bit more.