dawn

[Jeremy Roussak]

?

Jeremy

[Dale Villeponteaux]

Quintessential Venezia, but I would prefer a small crop to the right of the towers. It seems a little unbalanced to my eye otherwise. Of course, YMMV.

Regards,
Dale

[RSL]

It ain't finished 'til it's cropped?

[James Clark]

This one isn’t.  That slice of building with the flags sticking out on the left is ruinous. get rid of that and you have a quite nice image.

[francois]

The light is just superb!

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Lovely colors.

I agree with the need to crop out the flags on the left.

I would also close the shadows, to the point the detail is visible, but not dominant. The mood set by the color is key, not details in the buildings.

[RSL]

Jeremy, it's your picture so what you do with it is up to you. I usually agree with Slobodan, but not this time. The buildings on the left, flags and all, are necessary for balance. The brightness is just about right, and the light behind the windows is perfect and important.

[KLaban]

It is the differences that make individual image makers unique.

Surely better that than becoming camera club clowns clones?

[Jeremy Roussak]

Thanks for all the comments. Russ, as you know, I do adhere to the notion that a photograph isn't finished until it's been appropriately cropped, whether that cropping is done in camera (when it's called composition) or later. Some images just don't fit the 3:2 or 1:1 or whatever ratio corresponds to the sensor.

However, here, while I respect, am interested in and to an extent understand the views of those who don't like the building on the left, I disagree with them. For me, it helps to frame the scene.

Similarly, Slobodan, while I nearly always agree with your interpretations, on this particular occasion I don't. I've tried looking at the shot as you suggest (in fact, as you might guess given the scene, your idea is close to the way it looked when it emerged from LR's importer) but it doesn't represent my recollection.

All opinions are of interest; that's how we learn.

Jeremy

[RSL]

Jeremy, if you've looked at the stuff I post you'll realize there are time when I have to crop. It's either that or pass by the picture. That's one thing I've always wondered about HCB. How many really good street shots did he pass up because he refused to crop? I hate to think there were any, but if he really stuck to his philosophy there must have been many.

[John R]

Thanks for all the comments. Russ, as you know, I do adhere to the notion that a photograph isn't finished until it's been appropriately cropped, whether that cropping is done in camera (when it's called composition) or later. Some images just don't fit the 3:2 or 1:1 or whatever ratio corresponds to the sensor.

However, here, while I respect, am interested in and to an extent understand the views of those who don't like the building on the left, I disagree with them. For me, it helps to frame the scene.

Similarly, Slobodan, while I nearly always agree with your interpretations, on this particular occasion I don't. I've tried looking at the shot as you suggest (in fact, as you might guess given the scene, your idea is close to the way it looked when it emerged from LR's importer) but it doesn't represent my recollection.

All opinions are of interest; that's how we learn.

Jeremy

I agree. Erasing the flags is a bridge too far; cropping the buildings creates a different image, more postcardy and less natural looking. I don't find the flags intrusive or an eye sore. The like overall composition for the reasons Jeremy gave. The buildings on the left complete a natural frame for a natural subject of a ferry wending its way through a water aisle. Classic composition with a beautiful soft evening light.

JR

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

For those flags/building on the left to serve a framing/balance purpose, there needs to be more of it to the left. Otherwise, it just looks weirdly cut off.

[James Clark]

For those flags/building on the left to serve a framing/balance purpose, there needs to be more of it to the left. Otherwise, it just looks weirdly cut off.

Precisely this.  The docks in the lower left still serve to balance the image out (and create a nice bottom left and up-and-to-the-right visual pathway through the image), if that's the concern.  Otherwise, the stuff on the left just looks like a distraction because it doesn't have enough weight to anchor anything.  Instead, they just muddle the left edge.