Last Light: We were making a dash for the harbour ferry last evening as the service is currently much curtailed but just could not resist stopping to take a few shots of the last light...

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

We were making a dash for the harbour ferry last evening as the service is currently much curtailed but just could not resist stopping to take a few shots of the last light of the day. Made the ferry as well, which was a bonus! Your critique, or thoughts on it, are always welcomed.

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Guyserman Loc: Benton, AR

Very good capture. No way I could improve it.

EyeShootWideOpen Loc: Florida

magnetoman wrote:

We were making a dash for the harbour ferry last evening as the service is currently much curtailed but just could not resist stopping to take a few shots of the last light of the day. Made the ferry as well, which was a bonus! Your critique, or thoughts on it, are always welcomed.

Glad you got your shots and made the ferry! It is a beautiful sunset.

I really love the colors. I might try a panoramic crop. Another thing I might try is cloning out the one sole bump in the foreground, to see which I like better. It tends to draw my eye away from the boat creating some visual tension right there in the image...but that might be a good thing, because I think it also draws your eye to the boat.

Thank you for sharing your sunset!

SpyderJan Loc: New Smyrna Beach. FL

EyeShootWideOpen wrote:

Glad you got your shots and made the ferry! It is a beautiful sunset.

I really love the colors. I might try a panoramic crop. Another thing I might try is cloning out the one sole bump in the foreground, to see which I like better. It tends to draw my eye away from the boat creating some visual tension right there in the image...but that might be a good thing, because I think it also draws your eye to the boat.

Thank you for sharing your sunset!

Good Suggestions.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

A wonderful capture!

EyeShootWideOpen Loc: Florida

SpyderJan wrote:

Good Suggestions.

Thank you. Having no formal education I always second guess myself on critique, but it helps us and others learn and see things we might miss. I always appreciate it for my own work and want to pay it forward. It can be hard to step out of the shadows and put yourself out there sometimes.

PS. I would love to hear others thoughts on the bump in the foreground. I still havent made up my mind about it.

MattPhox Loc: Rhode Island

Truly like this one.

SpyderJan Loc: New Smyrna Beach. FL

EyeShootWideOpen wrote:

PS. I would love to hear others thoughts on the bump in the foreground. I still havent made up my mind about it.

I am not sure what that is in the foreground, but it does immediately draw your eye and doesn't add anything to the image, so...

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

EyeShootWideOpen wrote:

Glad you got your shots and made the ferry! It is a beautiful sunset.

I really love the colors. I might try a panoramic crop. Another thing I might try is cloning out the one sole bump in the foreground, to see which I like better. It tends to draw my eye away from the boat creating some visual tension right there in the image...but that might be a good thing, because I think it also draws your eye to the boat.

Thank you for sharing your sunset!

I did consider both your suggestions and my post is just a personal preference. I’m not really pano format person! As for the buoy, I reckoned it creates a leading line into the mouth of the harbour so left it. It might well be better without though. I also thought about removing the myriad other little buoys, but decided they are just part of the Harbour. All that was removed was a single bird in the sky. Many thanks indeed for your thoughts on it, I do appreciate them.

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

UTMike wrote:

A wonderful capture!

Thank you.

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

MattPhox wrote:

Truly like this one.

Glad you like it, thanks for commenting.

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

SpyderJan wrote:

I am not sure what that is in the foreground, but it does immediately draw your eye and doesn't add anything to the image, so...

It’s a buoy. Quite small and for a typical little harbour boat - the place is riddled with them! Thanks for commenting - I expect the general opinion will be to remove.

artBob Loc: Near Chicago

magnetoman wrote:

It’s a buoy. Quite small and for a typical little harbour boat - the place is riddled with them! Thanks for commenting - I expect the general opinion will be to remove.

Nope. Your judgment was spot on, for the reason you mentioned. Without the buoy, you have a lovely sunset pic that checks all the boxes: hue contrast, color saturation, value contrast, edge contrast center of interest.

However, with that buoy the human eye is set up for a very different perception. (Not all people will be tush affected, but the more sensitive ("haptic") will, consciously or unconsciously. That buoy does indeed create a sight line into the photo and, since the human eye looks for "more of the same," a triangular composition follows. Without the buoy, the visual weights set the theme, and that is balance.

I have oversimplified with my compositional lines, for the sake of clarity.

Very rich photo.

(Download)

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

artBob wrote:

Nope. Your judgment was spot on, for the reason yo... (show quote)

Thanks for the explanation Bob - you’ve nailed my feeling. I felt the triangle rather than identified it!

EyeShootWideOpen Loc: Florida

artBob wrote:

I have oversimplified with my compositional lines, for the sake of clarity.

Very rich photo.

Thank you for that explanation artBob, I was torn. It kept pulling my eye away from the boat but it also directed it to the boat. I just couldnt put my finger on it. I was hoping for some seasoned feedback. You helped me very much!