Black Rock Beach

[Iguanasan]

A shot from Black Rock Beach today. Comments?

[Mad Aussie]

I don't find anything particularly wrong with your shot here ... composition and exposure etc are all ... nice. I don't find anything particularly interesting about it either though I'm afraid Ig.

I think it looks like you walked down onto the beach ... lifted the camara and fired. I've seen you do much better.

I think a scene like that which has little in interest needs a special element to make it work. Great light for instance ... dead still water so the crane reflects well ... a strong, stormy sky or vivid sunset/sunrise ... lightning striking in the distance ... something effective.

Working with what you had there though my suggestion would be that I'd have tried to duck down lower and move well to my left and forward to use that rock wall to hide the containers and isolate the crane more, as well as making the crane larger in the frame. With luck you'd get a perspective of the cranes height and bulk in this way without so many distractions. It would also take out all other bright coloured elements leaving the crane as a major feature and point of interest.

This for me is a shot that you should have looked at in the viewfinder and asked yourself ... "Ok ... I have what I want in the shot ... now what's in there I don't want?"

[kat]

Sorry Iggy, I'm feeling the same way as MA.

[Iguanasan]

No apologies necessary. That's why I stuck it in the critiques thread. I knew I was lacking but couldn't quite put my finger on it and was hoping for some second opinions. I guess I just wasn't inspired. I tried several different angles but it was just a nice day that didn't "speak to me"... just nothing special about it. I should have probably not bothered to press the shutter or deleted it when I got home.

[kat]

No apologies necessary. That's why I stuck it in the critiques thread. I knew I was lacking but couldn't quite put my finger on it and was hoping for some second opinions. I guess I just wasn't inspired. I tried several different angles but it was just a nice day that didn't "speak to me"... just nothing special about it. I should have probably not bothered to press the shutter or deleted it when I got home.

I just had a night like that..not one shot I like..all deleted. I hate them but they happen! :cry-an:

[Mad Aussie]

Good to hear I'm not the only one that can head out for a quick photo shoot and return despondent with the results.

[Fortytwo]

No apologies necessary. That's why I stuck it in the critiques thread. I knew I was lacking but couldn't quite put my finger on it and was hoping for some second opinions. I guess I just wasn't inspired. I tried several different angles but it was just a nice day that didn't "speak to me"... just nothing special about it. I should have probably not bothered to press the shutter or deleted it when I got home.

If you hadn't pressed the shutter, you can't learn from the mistake...

I agree, the shot has little in it that is interesting. But it had to be interesting for you when you were there. Otherwise you wouldn't have taken a picture. It didn't work out, so ask yourself why. What was it there that you liked. Did you find the beach interesting? Or the harbour? The cranes? And why did you like it. What was it about them that made you decide to take a picture. Figuring this out is really hard, I know. But once you've figured it out, you can start to figure out why it isn't showing on the picture...

[Iguanasan]

Excellent point, FortyTwo. It's interesting that I had a similar conversation with my "shootin' buddy" around the very same topic. Definitely some thinking to do on that... maybe another visit will help.