Lighthouse silhouette: I invested time and effort to get this shot and I like it, but I can't decide if my opinion of it is unbiased or not. What do you think? -...

R.G. Loc: Scotland

I invested time and effort to get this shot and I like it, but I can't decide if my opinion of it is unbiased or not. What do you think?

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

As I'm strangely attracted to small elements in distant and vast settings myself, I like this

I would enjoy a bit more detail in the foreground (it maybe be there and is just my too-bright living room), but the sparkling water and the composition are appealing to me, with the tree on each side and the color palette adding to a serene feel.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Linda From Maine wrote:

As I'm strangely attracted to small elements in distant and vast settings myself, I like this

I would enjoy a bit more detail in the foreground (it maybe be there and is just my too-bright living room), but the sparkling water and the composition are appealing to me, with the tree on each side and the color palette adding to a serene feel.

Thanks for commenting. The foreground is just bare earth (a ploughed field) so there wasn't anything to bring out. It was the combination of the bright water and the silhouette that caught my eye.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Well, here's one opinion

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

R.G. wrote:

Well, here's one opinion

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Oh gheesh, curses to amersfoort for starting that topic

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

R.G. wrote:

Thanks for commenting. The foreground is just bare earth (a ploughed field) so there wasn't anything to bring out. It was the combination of the bright water and the silhouette that caught my eye.

I assume you like the composition as-is, so no thought to a trim off the bottom?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Linda From Maine wrote:

I assume you like the composition as-is, so no thought to a trim off the bottom?

As I suspected, while it focuses the viewer's attention on the lighthouse, it leaves the shot looking a bit unbalanced. If those trees had been a bit closer I could have given it an overall closer crop but I didn't want to lose them.

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

R.G. wrote:

As I suspected, while it focuses the viewer's attention on the lighthouse, it leaves the shot looking a bit unbalanced. If those trees had been a bit closer I could have given it an overall closer crop but I didn't want to lose them.

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I like this a lot. If you have time, talk about what you mean by unbalanced, please. Are you uncomfortable with so little land? For me, the crop further emphasizes the size of the ocean relative to this tiny lighthouse. Vast and all that

Thanks, R.G.!

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

R.G. wrote:

I invested time and effort to get this shot and I like it, but I can't decide if my opinion of it is unbiased or not. What do you think?

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With the muted tones I wonder if this would be better in black and white. S-

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

R.G. wrote:

I invested time and effort to get this shot and I like it, but I can't decide if my opinion of it is unbiased or not. What do you think?

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I think that the panorama crop and Steve's b&w suggestion is the way to go RG.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Linda From Maine wrote:

I like this a lot. If you have time, talk about what you mean by unbalanced, please. Are you uncomfortable with so little land? For me, the crop further emphasizes the size of the ocean relative to this tiny lighthouse. Vast and all that

Thanks, R.G.!

I usually don't feel comfortable with small, thin slivers of one of the elements (land, sea, sky or whatever) along an edge of the frame. I usually prefer all of the main elements to be given due prominence. But as you say, in this shot the vastness of the sea/sky is a legitimate aspect of the shot so perhaps it's OK to have it emphasised. Perhaps I was being over-cautious.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

St3v3M wrote:

With the muted tones I wonder if this would be better in black and white. S-

Graham Smith wrote:

I think that the panorama crop and Steve's b&w suggestion is the way to go RG.

This is a quick conversion with a bit of contrast. It would probably need more careful manipulation of the light levels and contrast for best effect. But I miss the soft colours.

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R.G. Loc: Scotland

I thought B&W versions got better ratings

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rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

R.G. wrote:

As I suspected, while it focuses the viewer's attention on the lighthouse, it leaves the shot looking a bit unbalanced. If those trees had been a bit closer I could have given it an overall closer crop but I didn't want to lose them.

Trimming a bit of sky off the top would re-establish the balance. Of course, to do so may perhaps transform the image to something else than originally intended.

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

R.G. wrote:

I thought B&W versions got better ratings

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Not always apparently