Fishing on the Beach in the Early Morning

[James Clark]

A study in color contrast on St. Simon's Island, GA.

[32BT]

And why isn't this a study in minimalism?

For me cropping 16:9 from the top gives a more balanced comp.

(No Russ, it is not about itaintgoodifitaintcropped, it is just a gutfeeling when viewing on a 16:9 size and fitting the image. Better balance, including the balance between the two dominant pastelcolors. Or lack of balance, since it seems a bit more blue versus a bit less offwhite works slightly better for my taste.)

[graeme]

Very well seen.

[RSL]

Good work, James.

And Oscar, I'll confess my first thought was: "I'd have pulled the camera a bit to the right and placed the figure a bit more to the left." But I'm not sure a crop is the answer -- unless James had the crop in mind when he tripped the shutter. My problem with cropping isn't so much the crop itself as the idea of second-guessing -- upon which the "it ain't complete until it's been cropped" approach is based.

Bottom line: It's a damn good picture just the way it is.

[32BT]

Bottom line: It's a damn good picture just the way it is.

agreed

[James Clark]

Oscar - it's certainly a study in minimalism as well, yes, but sadly that thread never seemed to catch fire.

As for the composition itself, sure, I could see a 16:9 crop, and Russ, I could certainly see moving the figure left a bit - that would actually place him squarely within the "rule of thirds," but in this case he's actually on the "golden ratio" grid, which I tend to prefer.

However, in this case he's where he is due to the actual physical limitations of the lens.  I was out walking with only a 35mm Lensbaby, and the area of sharpness was the limiting factor, especially because the fishing pole is such a fine detail.  Anywhere else, and the resolution of the lens would have made that difficult to see.  As it is, I had to burn in the pole just a bit.

Thanks for the compliments on the image

 

[brandtb]

very nice

[RSL]

Oscar - it's certainly a study in minimalism as well, yes, but sadly that thread never seemed to catch fire.

As for the composition itself, sure, I could see a 16:9 crop, and Russ, I could certainly see moving the figure left a bit - that would actually place him squarely within the "rule of thirds," but in this case he's actually on the "golden ratio" grid, which I tend to prefer.

However, in this case he's where he is due to the actual physical limitations of the lens.  I was out walking with only a 35mm Lensbaby, and the area of sharpness was the limiting factor, especially because the fishing pole is such a fine detail.  Anywhere else, and the resolution of the lens would have made that difficult to see.  As it is, I had to burn in the pole just a bit.

Thanks for the compliments on the image

Golden ratio or rule of thirds --  doesn't matter. What I was basing my framing on was the fact that the fisherman is looking slightly to the right.

Weird (a personal opinion) to be walking the beach with a Lensbaby. But at least you were walking with a camera, which makes capturing this kind of beautiful thing easier than depending on memory alone for the grab. Unless you're a painter. I think this shot would make a fabulous painting. I remember decades ago buying a painting in Taos with the same kind of minimalism. It's still in the family somewhere.

[John R]

Another lovely summer night.

JR