Marker

[vk2gwk]

Some people said to me that this is a very nice shot. I myself am not so sure.... What do the "experts" on this forum think about it.... ???

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4389365818_ca2a5f97e3_o.jpg

[Kleppy]

I'm no expert but I like it. Great color contrast between the marker and the sky/water

Two things:
Focus: seems soft.
Sharpening: I don't know how I feel about it. It looks off, a muddled sharp. Was this done with an unsharp mask in PS? If so I think the sizing included too many pixels.

[Flo]

Oversaturated maybe?

[PBeeee]

Not for me. If there was nothing behind it but horizon and if the sky and water colors worked better it might be an interesting subject but as is I can't find alot to like.

[joedlh]

Cool shot. It looks like a windy day. I gather that you wanted to keep the exposure on the marker. However, the rest of the scene -- which is interesting enough to draw the eye -- appears overexposed.

[recrisp]

The color's good, but the lighting's at the wrong time of day maybe, it appears to be late morning, but for more color saturation that 'looks' normal, it might be better to shoot this earlier in the day.
I would think that shooting something not related to water may possibly be done at this same time of day, but there's too much going on.
BY that, I mean that although this is water, and water is known to be really, REALLY reflective, there's so much in it, that is makes my eyes not know where to go, so I get confused, and I get confused easily. :)
Straighten the horizon, that will also make the marker straighter, which appears to also be off, I think.
The horizon's in the middle, which needs to be shot differently, I can't see a good crop on this shot really, I can see 'better' crops, but not what I am suggesting.
Aside from that, the composition is pretty good, it's an interesting photo, but what really is the killer is the amount that you has to compress this, it sure does take away the sharpness of it all, it makes it appear really grainy, you might get a circular polarizing lens if you plan on taking shots similar, or a NDG filter, it'll make a difference.
It's not a wall hanger, but it's not bad either, if you came back to this in the morning hours, and took a series of shots that made you think about it all, I bet that you would have a nice shot to be proud of.
That, and along with what everyone else has said, could make it better, in my opinion, and I hope that you take this as constructive, like I meant it. :)

Randy

[vk2gwk]

Thanks all for the comments.
Exposure: no "red" (except some tiny spots in the edge of the marker) in the "highights clipping warning" and the histogram has no "edges".
Saturation: hardly any correction (+4)
Sharpening: in Adobe RAW converter with 1 px radius only.
Time of day: mid day (the 12 o'clock ferry) and the earliest time of day to take this shot without shooting into the sun.

I think it is a bit too hazy and the other boat shouldn't have been there. Also the marker should have been to the right of the headland. I am not going to bin it, but next time I go on that ferry I'll try again... :)

[ImageMogul]

vk, the marker makes a nice contrast with the background, but I think the shot here is (yes the marker needs to be in there for contrast), but perhaps more-so, the little bird(s) on the perch of the marker who is taking in the scenery from his special vantage point. A sort of "I am ruler of all that I survey!" kind of thing...

http://imagemogul.smugmug.com/photos/797909454_98aXa-L.jpg

Good eye for contrast and an interesting scene! Now find the focal point and dig for the story!

Regards,
Mark

[vk2gwk]

Thanks! - I like your edit and will be experimenting a bit more.