CRITIQUE OF PHOTOGRAPH

Jetty.

The overall impression of the photograph is that the subject matter is appealing, the choice to depict it in black and white is an effective one, and that it makes use of textural contrast, perspective and the rule of thirds with varying success.

I have identified a number of aspects which can, or could have been, implemented at the time of shooting to improve this photograph in terms of balance, mood, and impact.

Technically the photograph has been captured in ultra wide angle, using a shutter speed of 1/250^th and an aperture of f9.

Manipulation of these camera settings is the first (but not necessarily the most important) place where we can improve this particular scene. The closest jetty pole is rendered unfocussed, and the image would have no doubt been improved with sharp focus from front to back. Using a small aperture such as f22 would have achieved this. In order to use f22 the shutter speed would have had to have been slower…a secondary and important benefit which would have allowed the moving water to soften visually and thereby increase textural contrast between the poles and the water. This would have also created sense of mood lacking at the moment.

Compositionally the image could benefit from a change of viewpoint. The truncated front pole tends to prevent the eye from moving into the picture (more so as it lacks sharpness). Moving physically around to the left so that the jetty poles enter the image from either side of the centre would have directed the eye into the photograph more effectively.

As it stands, there isn’t a definable focal point, and I would suggest that the best candidate is the area around the base of the poles where there is a reflection…this needs to be more dominant and I might have gone in quite close on the reflections, and perhaps getting lower so that the top of the poles are higher than the camera. Photographs need to be unique in order to be unique…and I would recommend trying to build up a body of unique photographs!

I also feel that the sky lacks impact. A graduated ND filter is one solution so that your sky has less exposure than the foreground, and the resulting darkness helps contain the eye and create additional (non-distracting) interest. If you photograph RAW then you usually have enough detail retained in the digital negative to be able to darken and extract detail later in Lightroom or Photoshop etc.

Speaking of distraction, there are a few small details in the sand on the left hand side which could be cropped out, or cloned out. The simpler the image, the more impact it will have.

Hopefully this is clear and helps in not just a specific way for this image, but also in general terms which will help many of your photographs.

I have attached two modified images…the first incorporates the above suggestions where possible and I have removed the truncated and out of focus pole in the foreground, and the second crops and reverses the image also as this makes the reflections more dominant. Neither would be my first choice of viewpoint with this subject, but I believe the modified images have mood and impact.

Regards,

Bruce.