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Hello Everybody!
I took this photo last year while on a ferry just as the sun was setting. I ran up to the sun deck with my camera and started shooting as the ferry began to move. Several months later, I excitedly entered it into the fair, expected it to win blue, and it won red. (note, there are no limits to the number of blue ribbons given—it’s not like there is only one blue ribbon, one red ribbon—it’s based off of quality, not comparitively). Not bad—but I received no comments on why it was red! Two Judges gave it a 5, and one gave it a 6—and I’m assuming it’s out of 10.
So… why? How can I get this shot to be a blue next time?Canon 60D
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 ISISO 160
18mm
f/18
1/15 secOh, and printed on a 4×6 matte with a blue paper frame.
Now that I look at the photo, there are some dust specks in the upper left corner. (That I can’t physically remove from my lens—internal dust!) I probably should have run this through GIMP with a clone stamp tool, but I didn’t.
Also, the watermark wasn’t in the original printed photo.Anything else?
Thanks,
Logan- This topic was modified 54 years, 11 months ago by .
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Its very nice, but just a little dark it might be good to lighten it up just a little, other then that its very good 🙂
Well, it’s a bit underexposed, and the photo is quite cluttered. Also, it might have helped if you had gotten a bit lower. It’s a good photo though!
It’s kind of hard for me to know why they gave a red ribbon, because I don’t know if the judges had any past photography experience. At some fairs, judges just pick the photos they like best.
Hope that helps!
It seems that the sunset is the main part of the pic, but the ferry is what is in focus. Maybe if the ferry was more of the main subject, and the sunset was more of a background. Beautiful sunset!
A question well asked! It’s always disappointing when you hope for one thing, and get something less than expected. 🙁
The pink clouds are the star of the show. However, they are not that prominent nor especially emphasized, nor even specifically positioned. Instead of each element in the frame encouraging the eye to feast on the subject, they tell their own stories making the overall impression feel less cohesive. It’s a fantastic location, a fantastic time of day, and even a potentially proper exposure. I think here it’s mainly just a matter of composition.
Thanks for your tips everybody! Just a quick(?) question… @jamesstaddon mentioned that everything but the composition seemed to check out… how would I go about improving the composition of this shot? I see the poor composition—there’s no real point of the shot. But what needs to happen to have good composition next time?
As I am a (thankfully digital) photographer who often takes many, many shots of the same thing, I might have a shot in my library from the same day that might have a better composition. In addition, I’m taking the “Foundations of Photography” class right now—so if you all would rather me hold this thought until I get to Module 4 (which is all about composition), that’s fine.
Thanks!Is this one better composed as far as relative cloud and “mast” placement is concerned?
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@loganlamar, I prefer the first one better. As for better composition, maybe go a bit more toward the back of the ferry to include more of it in the shot…
Also, does the photography class you’re taking feature National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore? If so, I’ve taken it as well, and it’s been a great help!
No—but it features amazing Christian photographer James Staddon! After having gone through many, many photography books at the library (and having to return 90% of them due to inappropriate images), I’m really, really, really glad to have found James Staddon and Lenspiration.
Thanks for your tips!
@loganlamar, oh! I didn’t know he had a course by that name! I’ll have to check it out.
Yes, unfortunately it can be quite hard to find appropriate photography books. I check out mainly wildlife and landscape photography books, so I don’t usually have that problem though…
What attracts me to your second composition @loganlamar is the diminishing perspective of the “path” under the overhang. It’s also nice that there are more clouds in the sky. However, the relative placement of the clouds and “tower” still leaves a feeling of emptiness between the two. (Sorry I don’t have too good vocabulary when it comes to ships and nautical stuff.) 🙂 I do like the first one better because the glowing yellow light provides a possible sense of counter point, a second place for your eye to rest after feasting on the main subject.
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