Bass Habor Lighthouse at Sunset

[MTGFender]

Taken several days ago during the trip in Maine.

Nikon D800E; Zeiss 18mm f/3.5; HiTech 0.6 GND (soft edge);
Bracket with Manual HDR in PS

Thanks for viewing.
Have a great day!
Pramote

[Jeremy Roussak]

I have a problem with this kind of shot (and I've taken a few myself).

It's really a photograph of some large rocks, with some other things in the background. The foreground is so dominant that it takes effort to look at anything else. Yes, there happens to be a lighthouse in the shot; but the title is, I think, misleading. It's not a photograph of the lighthouse, it's a photograph of rocks which happens to have a lighthouse lurking somewhere in it.

So I'm afraid, nicely-focussed and nicely-exposed as it is, it doesn't work for me.

Jeremy

[MTGFender]

Thanks for your comment.
I feel it would be awkward to put the title as "Bass Lighthouse in the background with the rock and water in front of it at sunset" or something like that. Lighthouse can be viewed with different viewpoints and lenses (wide angle, tele etc). If you use 18mm lens, you have to find a very close foreground, otherwise, the scene will look flat and uninteresting.
I still think the title is appropriate. Bass Lighthouse is an iconic symbol of Maine and I think it still dominates this picture.

[francois]

Ideally, The foreground would lead the eyes to the lighthouse. Here, the lighthouse seems far away and eyes tend to stay on the beautifully focused rocks… Another problem that bothers me a bit is that the horizon and the lighthouse seem tilted. Well, with a 18mm, it's always hard to get distortion out of the image.

Other than those two points, I still find that it's a pleasant shot.

[MTGFender]

Thanks Francois.
The horizon has been corrected.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I'll give a dissenting view.

I have seen so many photos of lighthouses that it seems very difficult to do anything different with one. So I like the fact that the lighthouse in this image is lurking in the background and the attention is really on the rocks.

[fike]

The image is pleasing to look at.

I think it is a well executed study in a style is quite commonplace these days.  Learning starts with copying, and you have learned well.  Now I would suggest challenging yourself to find a new and more original way to see these well-photographed sites.  Go in bad weather.  Put a lens on your camera that is totally unsuitable. ...whatever.  stimulate some creative thinking. 

[Jeremy Roussak]

Pramote, it wasn't the title I disliked: I tend to the view that titles and verbal descriptions are if not an irrelevance then something which is of trivial significance beside the actual image. I intended to convey my distaste for that kind of composition the picture represents. I like a lot of your stuff very much, but not this one. It may well just be me.

Jeremy

[MTGFender]

Thanks Jeremy. Your comment is very well accepted and appreciated
Pramote

[Paulo Bizarro]

I find the image intriguing: indeed the foreground rocks dominate the scene, and the lighthouse seems almost like a "bonus", a secondary player. However, the small light, like a small candle, inevitably will catch my attention.