The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Went for a walk on the beach just after sunrise. Unprepared for photography but I did have my S24 Ultra phone. I saw this scene and thought, that’s “out there” so…
Specific Feedback
Looking for C&C on the scene generally and the technical quality of the photograph.
Technical Details
S24 Ultra, pro mode at 50 MP. The DNG file was edited in ACR for light and colour. PP in PS limited to sharpening.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Nice! I really like this! The lone figure dead center in the photo, while small makes a really strong focal point. I also really the cool blues of the water in combination with the warm colours in the sky. I’m not sure about the ship in the distance though. It cool looking but I think it throws the image out of balance. How would you feel about cloning it out?
A quirky scene for sure. It is so random, overall, but in specific the walking figure right in the middle, and the almost cardboard-like-cutout of that ship. The ship looks so flat. Its almost like this was a staged scene with poorly made props, but its not. Really a mind bender.
An interesting picture and I can see what drew you make this image. That being said I think there are a number of problems I’m having with it. The water in particular feels overworked as in over sharpened/textured and saturated, which is part of the reason that the ship looks so “weird”. I would try pulling back on the sharpening or even add a touch of blur or “neg-clarity” as well as desaturate particularly to that upper layer of turquoise water.
But I want to touch on another issue around composition and it has to do with the lone man. The fact that he is bullseye centre is not the real problem. The real issue is that the picture is so heavily weighted to the right side. The ship, the sand bar and the man triangulate as an enormous visual mass such that everything to the left of the man is dead space. I don’t mean empty but dead - there is no reason from me to look back there I can’t help but wonder why it’s been included in the picture. I assume you want to highlight the isolation of the man. Where he really needs to be, in my opinion, is about a quarter of the way in from left so that a more balanced triangulation is formed between the man, the boat and the sand bar. I think this actually heightens the sense of the man’s isolation. I have done a down and dirty revision. I’m not suggesting you actually move him as I’ve done (though you certainly could) but only to view this as an illustration of what I’m getting at and decide for yourself if there is merit in my point of view.
Kerry, thanks very much for the detailed C&C. Really appreciated.
It is a weird scene and one I just stumbled upon. To understand what you see, imagine your the guy on the beach looking straight ahead, down the beach. To your left is the surf beach. To your right is a shallow lake (which I’m standing in) , open to the sea at high tide. The sand you’re on is higher than the surf and the lake but low enough for the wash of the surf to come over the top and wash down into the lake.
So the light is flat with little colour in the sky, most of the sand you’re walking on is awash, the lake is inches deep but the ocean is doing its thing, there’s maybe a 4’ swell and so there’s some spray in the air. The ship is probably 1 km off shore (its the shipping channel into the Port of Brisbane).
Anyway…I like what you’ve done moving the guy but it goes against my sense of something (!) to move or add things. I could crop to achieve the same thing but I think I’ll leave it as is as I think the attraction of the shot is its quirkiness.
I am familiar with Currimundi and have seen the “weird” empty ships entering the channel more than once. I like the tension of the man in the middle forming the triangle of the man, the ship and the piece of shore on the RHS. The colours do not strike me as odd, so that is ok. My only comment is that the foreground lagoon does not contribute much to the overall photo - perhaps to crop some of it out in a 2:1 or wider format. This would also bring some attention back to the smidge of a sandbar on the LHS. I realise I have disagreed with some of the prior comments, but that is what this channel is all about!
