Conflicted With the Composition of This Shot: I spotted this tree a few weeks ago and decided to go out when the weather wasn't completely overcast or just plain bad. Yesterday evening...

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

I spotted this tree a few weeks ago and decided to go out when the weather wasn't completely overcast or just plain bad. Yesterday evening we had a very nice evening with a few lower level clouds.

My issue is the boat ramp in the background. I want to like it, so much that I have forced excuses like "the opposing directions of the ramp and tree add a unique contrast". I know that's a random and useless statement, but that's why I'm reaching out for other opinions.

Does the boat ramp add too much of a distraction from the tree and/or ruin the overall composition?

Note: Although I am not opposed to editing out objects in photographs, I personally would not like to do it, so removing the boat dock is not an option for me. And setting up on the opposite side of the tree has a boat dock and some random mess in the background.

Thanks for taking a look and your honest feedback!

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joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

The kind of thing one could really spend time pondering. It does balance the scene; but it is not natural so contrasts with the rest. I think if you cloned it out, composition would suffer. Could you work on the top slope? Put the silhouettes of rocks there? Would look natural. Then you could sleep at night...

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

johngault007 wrote:

I spotted this tree a few weeks ago and decided to... (show quote)

Everything we see is a photograph. When I started in 1976 we used film and didn’t have the technology of computers and processing software. I am more inclined to leave the dock as is. You may want to crop out the dock if it does distress and detract from the photo.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

johngault007 wrote:

I spotted this tree a few weeks ago and decided to... (show quote)

It is a definite distraction .....especially for this main subject
.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I am not a professional photographer. I prefer to leave the photo as is. One of the tree branches leads to dock tip. So he viewer’s eyes follow a line from shore to tree to dock to sunset. If my opinion offends you, please accept my apology.
-Scruples

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

joecichjr wrote:

The kind of thing one could really spend time pondering. It does balance the scene; but it is not natural so contrasts with the rest. I think if you cloned it out, composition would suffer. Could you work on the top slope? Put the silhouettes of rocks there? Would look natural. Then you could sleep at night...

Joe, first thanks for the suggestion. I'm not sure what slope you are referring to? It's very flat land at sea level all around. The shoreline below would offer a different perspective for sure, but it would not encompass Perdido Bay in the background. Next time I go out there I will try, because you never know until you know

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

Scruples wrote:

Everything we see is a photograph. When I started in 1976 we used film and didn’t have the technology of computers and processing software. I am more inclined to leave the dock as is. You may want to crop out the dock if it does distress and detract from the photo.

Thanks Scruples,
I try to leave compositions alone in terms of adding/removing (just my preference, nothing wrong with it). But this was an intentional composition with the rationale that I could convince myself the boat ramp wasn't a distraction. Thanks for your input, much appreciated.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

imagemeister wrote:

It is a definite distraction .....especially for this main subject
.

Thanks for the very direct and honest input! No feelings were hurt with this thread

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

I'm not a professional by a long shot, but could the dock be made less intrusive or distractive by changing the camera angle a bit more camera left? I think that could place a little more space between the tree and the boat ramp. Also, maybe a slightly lower angle of approach, shot from closer to the ground. Also, sometimes a landscape can be shot vertical (portrait mode) which could show the tree and sky and less boat ramp. Just my thoughts and $0.02 worth of opinion.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

PhotogHobbyist wrote:

I'm not a professional by a long shot, but could the dock be made less intrusive or distractive by changing the camera angle a bit more camera left? I think that could place a little more space between the tree and the boat ramp. Also, maybe a slightly lower angle of approach, shot from closer to the ground. Also, sometimes a landscape can be shot vertical (portrait mode) which could show the tree and sky and less boat ramp. Just my thoughts and $0.02 worth of opinion.

Great suggestions. I didn't post any of these and I guess I should have provided a detailed explanation that I moved around this tree a lot trying to find the right heights, angles, framing and composition. I chose the shot in the OP because I really loved the shape of the tree from that angle and pretty much everything about the composition EXCEPT the boat ramp...LOL

As you can see from the minimally edited shots below, every angle has something that just doesn't hit me in the feels.

All input is welcomed and honesty is appreciated...that's why I posted here

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azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

It was best as you first showed it. The combination of natural vs man made is wonderful. The only thing I would do is make it a perfect square if possible. Many artists including Gustav Klimt painted perfect squares for landscape and portraits. It is more soothing to the eye.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

I like the shot because it is a beautiful presentation of what is there, Tony.

PoppieJ Loc: North Georgia

i think that the last shot works best

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

Thanks all so far for all the feedback. There was one sent to me via PM that made a very interesting suggestion that changed the entire feel of the composition (in a good way). One thing I very often forget about is to simply flip horizontally for a new perspective.

Although this does change it dramatically in my opinion, I'm still very interested in all feedback!

Thanks,
Tony

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johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

azted wrote:

It was best as you first showed it. The combination of natural vs man made is wonderful. The only thing I would do is make it a perfect square if possible. Many artists including Gustav Klimt painted perfect squares for landscape and portraits. It is more soothing to the eye.

I can certainly try that. There is some space that I can reclaim to cropping for sure.