The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I took this photo at 0400 hours as a tuna boat in Japan was unloading its catch. A sudden thundershower (for which the men were uunprepared) added atmosphere to the scene. I cropped to about 6k by 4k to remove concrete at the bottom and metal building on the left.
Specific Feedback
Mostly I’m looking for feedback re the composition and crop. I could have cropped much tighter to bring more attention to the tuna, but I felt that the other elements (the boat, the men, the nets etc) added to the scene.
Technical Details
Canon R5 and 14-35 mm lens at 16mm, 1/100, f/5 and Auto ISO at 6400. Denoise done in Lrc.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
I think this would be a more powerful image with a lot less, Richard. I know you wanted the men and the ship in it, but you can get the essential characters and the fact that it is a ship with a much tighter crop. The first thing that struck me and that drove the rest was that my eye wanted those fish much higher in the frame. Anyhow, this is the composition I came up with (I removed part of the blue crate with the cardboard because it was only half in the frame when I finished).
I think both crops ( your and Dennis’) work well depending on what activity you want to convey. Dennis’ certainly conveys the catch and it’s offloading much better. Yours conveys more of the overall process of handling the tuna. I like the tuna already on the floor and the man with them (by his clothes, a buyer, agent of buyer, owner?) and the other man. In both, the rain is wonderful.
Dennis and Jim: thanks to both and to Dennis for his rendition. Dennis: the height of the fish varied little as they left the boat until they reached the ground. I was more concerned with a clean background for the fish. Earlier or later frames had them against the boat or the crane.
I love the colors, Richard! So vibrant with the darkness all around and that rain.
As someone already said, the composition kind of depends what you want to convey. I like both versions. Your original has a kind of cool “manufacturing “ vibe, with all the activity and things to look at….from ship to shore. The other definitely hones in on the huge tuna. Great job capturing what must have been kind of a crazy and hectic scene, and I’m impressed you were there so early in the morning! Congrats.
Richard, the colors were what made me open this image. I like the wide crop allowing me to see from the guy in the building on the left to the name of the ship. There is so much happening that I don’t want to miss a thing. Well seen and done. Thanks for sharing,
