Dave Johnson Loc: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Yesterday the temperature got to about 45 degrees (7C). So I decided to get off the sofa and make the short trip to Grand Haven (eastern shore of Lake Michigan) from my home in Grand Rapids. For those who don't know, the Great Lakes have had about as much ice cover this year as they've ever had with between 96% and 98% coverage. I took this photo from about 300 yards south and west of the lighthouse from a spot where only boats would normally be. I'm standing on an eight foot tall ice ridge that was created much like mountains are created by shifting tectonic plates. It's not the best photo I've ever taken but is without a doubt the shot I put the most physical effort into. Walking those ice ridges was a major job.

When I look at the photo I see a lot of negative space though not without interest. Most of the action is on the upper 1/3rd horizontal. Give it to me strait people.

(Download)

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

Hi Dave. My immediate reaction was to be drawn to the blue in the lower left corner. Not what you intended I'd imagine. If that area could be dodged a bit, it might help with the overall image. Exposure of that much snow had to be tough, but you succeeded in keeping the detail throughout; good job. I would like to see the white point shifted just a tad so the snow is a just a bit whiter. Not a lot of snow out here in CA this year; sounds like you guys must have gotten some of ours as well as your own!

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

Let me answer your question with one of my own. What is the message you are trying to portray? If it's about the lighthouse (my assumption), does it "tell the story" you want? I think I'm seeing too much that isn't "lighthouse"--not that that's bad, but is that your message. If not, what can you do to make it work better for you?

The tech issues can likely be resolved, but if the composition isn't giving you the image you want, technical perfection isn't worth much.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I see you were shooting a 16-35mm lens at full extension, something with a little more reach might have helped you out here and still given you the impression of lots of ice, but brought your lighthouse into a more prominent position. Though as doduce said if this was you intiention to convey lots of ice on the lake you accomplished that goal. I think your exposure and focus is good.
The image I want to see is the one in the top right quarter of the image.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

My initial response is that I like the scene and the cold winter feeling it clearly conveys but I feel too far from it.

The color combination is very nice - blue sky and water, red light-station buildings and white snow. I would take a bit of blue out of the snow to get some more pure whites but carefully to avoid blowing the highlight or losing the nice snow textures, just to see if I could get more impact with a clear three-color scheme. Red is going to trump almost any other element in a composition, so you may want to try to get more mileage from those nice buildings.

The extra height looks like it was worth the journey to get up on the ridge. I too often settle for the flat version when a little more effort would give me enough height to get a better photo. I think the lighthouse sitting at the edge of the water with the curve of the snowy shore serving as a leading line is an effective compositional tool, but the pile of snow in the foreground seems almost too "heavy" for me to get through to enjoy it. If I couldn't reshoot, I would probably crop some of the foreground, but still being careful not to let the photo get cut in half at the shoreline. You don't have that much going on in the sky, so if you had to crop some of it to make it balance properly, you could. I might even be tempted to lose the red tower and concentrate on the main red structure. The tower is so far from it that I have trouble looking at both of them as a unit. (Some of the PP gurus might just relocate the tower though I probably wouldn't).

Thanks for sharing an interesting scene that most of us will never have a chance to see in person

Dave Johnson Loc: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Thank you all for your comments. Quite honestly I agree with you. I have a similar shot from closer in that I like better but I wanted to get other opinions about the composition in general. I was going for large swaths of negative space but I'm afraid in this case my negative space holds to much interest (or clutter) and distracts the viewer from the main subject which isn't prominent enough. I'll try a few crops just for fun :). Thanks again for your comments, as always they are helpful.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I guess I see something totally different from the rest of y'all. It's the huge expanse of snow between me and "refuge" from the cold! That makes the snow the focal point in my mind. There are intracies in the snow that are very intriguing. If it were mine, I'd try bringing out more of the detail in the snow.

I agree the red building is the goal, but to get there I have to traverse a LOT of difficult frozen terrain. That's the story I see.

Nightski

I agree with AzPicLady about the large expanse of snow. Perhaps if little more detail was brought out in the drifts. I do this the snow makes an interesting foreground. That being said, I think CM was completely right about lens choice. I think wide angles are better if you have a very strong foreground such as a rock formation, or some interesting foliage. Winter is tough. It's pretty bare. Finding some sort of leading line up to the lighthouse would also help this image.

I love the bright white snow. You exposed nicely for this Dave.

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

As photogs we have a failing.
We want the shot that we put the most effort into, to be the best one. That is our subjectiveness working.
To truly judge our photos better, we need to be looking from a dispassionate distance. One way of getting this objectiveness is from the passage of time.
I suggest ignoring this folder of this shoot for 3 weeks and then going back and viewing them. You might find you would have put a different photo forward.

As to this photo.
I find it to be trying to have a "bet each way".
The red is striking, but the two elements compete.
The negative space has potential but the blue water competes with it.
So for me this image is just an interesting snapshot of a day out.
Its all about viewpoint.
Did you take any from closer to the lighthouse, from further to the right, with only ice surrounding the two red structures and the lighthouse dominant with the red house a complimentary splash of colour in the background but close by?

Dave Johnson Loc: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Here is one from closer in for comparison.

Nightski

Dave Johnson Loc: Grand Rapids, Michigan

No problem Nightski, I wasn't sure how appropriate it was to post the second photo. I agree it's a better photo, but I'm less interested in comments I would get from that.

Nightski

Understood. :-)

Kimbee Loc: Dunedin, Florida, USA

Dave....my opinion is that there is just too much foreground in this shot. There is some textural interest in the vast expanse of white, but not enough to grab my attention. My eyes are drawn right to the bright red structures and I would like to see more of them, along with the the smokestack. Otherwise, it's nice and sharp and the potential for a really interesting shot is there.